PICKENS COUNTY — It’s been a long and bumpy road for legislators but their efforts finally came to pass when the S.C. General Assembly passed H. 3346 and agreed to add a seventh seat to the Pickens County School District Board of Trustees.
“It took three years but the seventh seat passed today,” said Rep. Neal Collins who, along with Reps. Gary Clary and Davey Hiott, introduced the bill. “With the November 2018 election, the school board will increase to seven equal district seats.”
The bill had sparked early interest in the House but stalled in the Senate with then Sen. Larry Martin. It wasn’t until Martin was ousted by newly elected Sen. Rex Rice that H. 3346 gained new life.
Clary, Collins and Hiott introduced a new version of the bill that passed through the House this January.
From there, the bill was forwarded up to the Senate where Rice introduced on Feb 1.
“Sen. Rice added into the bill a provision that the school board must have three separate meetings to close a school and that a school closing decision could be recalled by petition of 15 percent of the registered voters within 60 days,” said Collins.
According to the bill, if the board of trustees fails to reverse the vote despite a petition with the required numbers, it goes to a vote to be held “not less than thirty days nor more than one year” from the date the board makes its final decision.
“The board may, in its discretion, and if no regular election is to be held within such period, provide for a special election,” it reads.
Also amended was the language changing the seventh seat from an “at large” position to one with physical boundaries — specifically the Crosswell district where Easley and Dacusville areas meet.
The lines defining the single-member districts are as shown on an official map on file with the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office designated as document S-77-00-17 as well as on file with the Pickens County GIS Mapping Department.
“It was a fascinating three-year journey on what I always viewed as a simple governance improvement,” said Collins. “We argued within the state delegation, but I want to thank everyone for compromising.
“I also want to thank the many advocates ranging from pro-education to pro-governance to those upset with what had been occurring — hundreds of phone calls and thousands of social media comments over the past three years,” he said. “The real reason for change is you.”