Richland One School Board - District 1
Election Information:The Statewide General Elections will be held Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Your address indicates you live in the district for this race.EARLY VOTING: If you prefer to vote prior to November 3, 2026, you can vote during a two-week early voting period Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 30. Early voting centers are open Monday to Friday, excluding holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Check the Richland County Voter Registration and Elections website Early and Absentee Voting | Richland County SC or https://scvotes.gov/voters/early-voting/ for early voting locations.ABSENTEE VOTING: You may be eligible to vote absentee by mail. For details on eligibility and how to submit your request, see this SC Election Commission Voting Absentee page: https://www.scvotes.gov/absentee-voting.Position Description:The nonpartisan board of 3 at-large members and 4 members who represent geographic election districts submits an operational budget to the County Council for approval, hires the superintendent, draws attendance zones, sets the calendar, and adopts policies for the board and district. Members serve 4-year terms.This race is for 1 seat.
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Artina McKnight Coard
(NON)
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Carlos Primus
(NON)
1. What policies would you support for regulating screen time in schools?
2. What is your stance on students' use of AI?
3. How should the School Board assess and respond to the impact of charter schools on the District's budget and enrollment?
4. What do you see as the School Board's role in teacher recruitment and retention?
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Education
Claflin University - Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management. Clemson University - Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development
Qualifications
School Improvement Council Chairman at Lewis-Greenview Elementary School, St. Andrews Middle School, and W.J. Keenan High School. Named SC SIC Advocate of the Year. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the SC School Improvement Council. Member of the selection committee for the SC Teacher of the Year. Previously served on Richland One Strategic Planning Committee. Current member of the Board of Directors for the Richland One Foundation.
Campaign Phone
(803)834-0531
Campaign Email
teachonereachone69@gmail.com
I am open to supporting policies that limit screen time in schools, particularly elementary schools, but I would first need to see data that would indicate our current approach regarding screen time is having a negative impact on student achievement. I am loathe to add another “school board knows best” directive to our teachers without the data to support such a decision and without consultation with our district officials and teachers.
I believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing virtually everything in today’s society, especially public education. I also believe school districts must be proactive regarding the use of AI for assignments. Unauthorized use of AI for assignments, when instructed not to do so, should be addressed in terms of academic integrity in the school district”s code of conduct.
As charter schools become more popular, this has a direct impact on our school district’s budget. When the student leaves, the per-pupil financial allocation leave as well. I would exercise caution with teacher staffing reductions based solely on projected student transfers. These projections can often be very unreliable. Our school board should work collaboratively with district officials and community leaders to aggressively market our school district as the best option available for education. This includes sharing information about the many positive happenings and achievements in Richland One. I would recommend utilizing a public relations firm to develop a targeted campaign to promote our school district.
I believe the school board’s role in teacher recruitment and retention is to advocate with our legislators, on their behalf, for higher salaries. It is important to build strong relationships with the decision makers regarding budget funding and share our district’s needs with them on an ongoing basis, not only when the our budget request is submitted to county officials. I also believe school board members should attend educator job fairs, when possible, to help promote the district to potential employees. Board members should also closely monitor teach retention data and exit interviews to identify opportunities to work with district officials to improve our support and retention efforts.
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