Whitmire anticipates education panel re-assignment

The Walhalla area state representative in 2017 expects to be seated on the House committee that has primary responsibility for public education spending.  District One’s Bill Whitmire awaits a meeting next week with both Governor Nikki Haley and Molly Spearman, the state superintendent of education.  “It’s not official yet.  I’ll probably find out next week,” is how Whitmire, a retired teacher, describes his changing committee role in the field of education.  On the committee with spending clout, Whitmire likely will face one of the state’s education controversies—the one whether the state’s education money should be doled out in a way fairer to poorer districts.  Oconee’s district is considered one of the wealthier ones, and Whitmire doesn’t want to be known as a guy who voted to take money away from the schools in his district.