Two candidates are competing for the Republican Party nomination for school board chairman. Both are current members of the school board.
Melanie Wellons, the current board member for District 8 and Vice Chairman of the board is aHorry County native and graduate of Horry County Schools including Coastal Carolina University.
Wellons has worked closely with current board chair David Cox getting a close look at the intricacies of the county school system. She said she will do everything to ensure the district keeps moving forward. She will ensure the students, teachers and district staff have all the resources they need to keep moving forward.
Wellons said when she visits schools as a board member, she sees teachers who went to school with her and who went to school with her children striving every day to improve the education of current students. Wellons sees the desire of former students wanting to come back and teach the next generation of Horry County students as a strength of the system which must be continued.
Darrell Ricketts is the current board member for District 11. He unsuccessfully ran for board chairman four years ago.
Ricketts features his over 30 years as an educator, now retired, as his prime qualification to be elected to the position of school board chairman. Ricketts notes he has been in the classroom and administration. However, there are some things Ricketts leaves out of his curriculum vitae for election:
Ricketts served as principal of Aynor High School from 1994-2004 until he was removed from that position after an independent investigation, ordered by the school district, concluded in its report that Ricketts improperly altered transcripts and tampered with grades and credits in an attempt to manipulate the school’s state report card rating.
In an initial response to the investigative findings in the report, Ricketts called them one opinion that he disputed.
Later media reports quoted Ricketts as saying his actions were civil disobedience (the refusal to comply with certain laws as an act of protest) to keep marginal students in school.
However, his actions were also apparently taken to get around exit exam requirements established by state law.
A Sun News editorial of November 18, 2004, stated, “Ricketts gave up on the youngsters for whose benefit he manipulated the testing system. In doing so, he effectively denied them their last chance to learn critical skills they need to be successful as adults. For that reason, especially, he deserves the punishment that the Horry County Schools bestowed upon him.”
After being removed as principal, Ricketts was the agricultural education teacher at Socastee High School until retirement.
It is now up to voters to decide if Ricketts’ past actions and explanations (excuses?) are acceptable for someone who is a candidate to lead the policy making body of Horry County Schools.
Election day is Tuesday June 9th. Polls are open 7 am until 7 pm.
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