Education
Associate in Business Administration
Qualifications
I am qualified to serve on the Lexington One Board of Trustees because I bring a combination of business education, leadership experience, community service, and years of direct involvement in our schools.
Campaign Phone
803-404-7438
Campaign Email
crystal@baker4schoolboard.com
I would support a balanced, age-appropriate approach to screen time that recognizes technology as an important educational tool while ensuring it does not replace meaningful interaction, hands-on learning, physical activity, or traditional instructional methods.
I would support policies that encourage teachers to use technology with a clear educational purpose, while providing reasonable screen-free periods throughout the school day, particularly for younger students. I also believe parents should have clear information about how and why technology is being used in the classroom.
As a board member, I would want to review research, listen to our educators and families, and work with the superintendent to establish guidelines that support b
AI should support learning, not replace critical thinking, creativity, research, or a student's own work. Students need clear expectations about when AI is appropriate, how to verify the information it provides, how to cite or disclose its use, and what constitutes academic dishonesty.
I would support age-appropriate district guidelines, teacher training, and digital literacy education that also addresses privacy, accuracy, bias, and responsible use.
Our responsibility is to prepare students to use emerging technology ethically, safely, and effectively while still teaching them how to think for themselves.
I believe the School Board should take a data-driven and proactive approach to understanding how charter schools affect both enrollment and the District’s financial resources.
The Board should regularly review enrollment trends, student movement, funding changes, and the long-term financial impact on Lexington One. At the same time, we should look closely at why families are choosing charter schools and determine whether there are lessons or opportunities for improvement within our own district.
Families deserve educational choices, but the Board also has a responsibility to protect the financial stability and quality of Lexington One schools. I would support responsible budgeting, long-term enrollment projections, and continued investmen
I believe the School Board plays an important role in creating the conditions that make great teachers want to come to Lexington One—and want to stay. While the superintendent and administration handle day-to-day hiring, the Board is responsible for policies, budgets, and long-term priorities that directly affect recruitment and retention.
I would support competitive compensation and benefits, strong professional development, manageable workloads, safe and supportive working environments, and opportunities for teachers to grow in their careers. Just as importantly, we need to listen to our teachers and understand why they choose to stay or leave.
Our teachers are one of our greatest investments. When we recruit quality educators, support
Education
Bachelors Degree, Clemson University, Major in History, Minor in Political Science. Property and Casualty Insurance License.
Qualifications
I actively attend board meetings, committee meetings, workshops, and special meetings, using annual leave when needed because I believe informed leadership matters. Through this involvement, I understand the policies, budget decisions, and challenges affecting our schools. I also co-founded the “Informed Citizens of Lexington County School District One” Facebook page, which reaches more than 6K followers and helps keep the community informed. If elected, I can hit the ground running on day one.
Campaign Phone
8035285107
Campaign Email
HomesleyForLexington1@proton.me
I support reasonable time limits on screen time, especially for our younger students. The current policy, updated this past April, already says technology should be developmentally appropriate and instructionally purposeful, and I think we need to make sure we are actually following that. Technology should be a tool for learning, not a replacement for teachers, books, writing, hands on learning , physical activity or face-to-face interaction. I would support reviewing how much screen time students are getting and setting age appropriate guidelines when technology is not serving a clear purpose. Parents should also know how much screen time their children are getting at school and its specific purpose.
It is here to stay and isn't going away, so I think we need to teach students how to use it responsibly but students still need to know how to think for themselves, write, research, problem-solve and do their own work. I support age-appropriate guidelines while also giving teachers the flexibility to decide when and how AI is appropriate in their classroom.
Charter schools pose a challenge to traditional schools in many ways. Lexington One has not only lost students and funding, but most importantly, some good teachers to charter schools! Have you heard their radio jingle encouraging students to enroll in Lexington One? Instead of spending money on advertising to bring students back, they should put that money towards the budget deficit. Then they can figure out why families and staff are leaving. Every student matters. Every staff member matters. Every taxpayer dollar matters. Lexington One needs to repeat this until they practice it.
The board should make recruiting and retaining teachers a priority. That means making pay competitive, protecting funding for classroom positions and support, reviewing vacancy and turnover data regularly, and actually asking teachers why they stay and why they leave. I would also support teacher advisory committees that report directly to the board so teachers have a voice in the decisions that affect their classrooms. We need to reduce demands of teachers, provide opportunities for teachers to grow, and address discipline issues so teachers feel fully supported. Our goal should be simple: recruit great teachers, support them and give them reasons to stay.
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Education
B.S. Political Science, Liberty University
Campaign Phone
8033071200
Campaign Email
Lundeenforlexone@gmail.com
I don’t think every lesson needs a screen. Technology can be useful in the classroom, but sometimes a book, a pencil, a conversation or actually doing something is the better way to learn. I would not set an arbitrary number of minutes that applies to every student and every class. Teachers need room to make those decisions. I would, however, want Lexington One to know how much time students are actually spending on devices during the school day and whether that technology is improving learning. Taxpayers bought devices like iPads to serve the classroom. The classroom shouldn’t have to serve the devices.
I think AI is a useful tool, but much like a screwdriver, you can put your eye out with it if you don’t know what you’re doing. Students should learn how to use AI because it will be part of the world they enter after graduation. They also need to know how to write, research, solve problems and think without it. I would support clear expectations that distinguish using AI to help you learn from using it to do the work for you. We should teach students how to use AI, question its answers and recognize when it is wrong. The goal should be preparing students to use the tool without becoming dependent on it.
Charter schools are public schools, and families have every right to choose them. The board still has to understand what that choice means for Lexington One. I would want to know how many district students are choosing charter schools, what funding follows those students, and why families are making that choice. Losing 100 students does not necessarily mean the district can eliminate the cost of educating 100 students. Buildings, buses and many staffing costs remain. We should account for charter enrollment in our budget and enrollment forecasts, but we should also ask what those enrollment decisions can teach us about what families want from their schools.
I think the board has to recognize that teacher retention is part of a larger workforce issue. I have friends who left classrooms and administrative jobs in education for the private sector. More money was part of it, but so was work-life balance and the freedom to pursue new opportunities. Competitive pay matters, but it isn’t enough. I want Lexington One to understand why our teachers stay and why they leave. That means listening to them and looking at turnover and exit data. The board can’t fix every frustration, but it can address unnecessary workload, support, resources and district policies that make good teachers question whether they want to stay.
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Education
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech
Qualifications
Elected to Lexington One School Board in 2022.
Campaign Phone
803-250-5325
Campaign Email
criceforlex1@gmail.com
I think policies regulating screen time should consider the grade level of students. Elementary school students need less screen time and more experience with basic skills like reading books, handwriting, drawing, and physical activity. They also need more human interaction with their teachers and with other students to develop necessary social skills during the formative years.
Middle and high school students already get a large amount of daily screen time outside of school so it is vital that school leaders, when determining school-related screen time, should not just rely on the fact that devices are available for student use but instead, should carefully consider the the actual educational value being delivered to those students.
AI can be a valuable educational tool for students, but it should never replace students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills. For AI to be effective in educating students, schools need to set clear expectations regarding when AI is permitted so students and parents understand what qualifies as academic dishonesty. Also, students need to understand the limitations of AI, the importance of protecting personal information when using it, and the necessity to verify the information gathered from it because AI is capable of producing errors.
Board members should stay abreast of potential funding changes along with monitoring district operational costs and student enrollment trends. The school board should regularly evaluate the educational options provided by their district and the tax dollars utilized to support them along with annual student performance to make sure they are as effective and efficient as possible. Also, the school board should make a concerted effort to make families aware of the educational options offered in their district while remaining open to understand what draws some families to choose alternate educational pathways. This clarity could lead to potential enhancements and offerings that strengthen the district's ability to attract and retain enrollment.
The school board aids teacher recruitment and retention by making sure our district provides adequate support so teachers feel appreciated, valued and empowered. Also, the board must create a budget that provides teachers with competitive pay and benefits. Moreover, it is important for school board members to keep an open ear to teachers’ feedback and concerns. This will help the board to better understand why some teachers choose to stay long term and why some choose to leave. Clearly understanding both sides of this issue assists board members in determining policy improvements that should be implemented to address potential issues in the classrooms.
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