Marion County School District joined school districts throughout the state and nation to celebrate School Board Recognition Month in January. More than 600 locally-elected and appointed school board members throughout the state were recognized by schools and communities for their service and dedication to public education.

The theme “School Board Strong” highlights the fact that school board members are elected/appointed by the people in their local communities to represent their voice and to ensure the success of schools and students.

“Our Board of Education works diligently to be sure the students in Marion County receives a quality education,” says Superintendent Dr. Kandace Bethea. “This month we honored the year-round commitment that school board members make to our district and the community.”

In Marion County, school board members develop policies and make tough decisions on complex educational and social issues impacting the entire community. They bear responsibility for an annual budget of over $35 million, 4200 students, Over 800 employees and numerous buildings.

As a part of School Board Recognition Month, board members participated in an official signing of the South Carolina School Board Member Ethical Principles during their January school board meeting. By signing the principles, school board members publicly vowed to uphold effective governance principles and pledged to improve public education in their community.

The Marion County Board of Education, like their counterparts across the nation, has had to learn how to hold their public meetings virtually.  During this process, the district has upgraded its technology to allow meetings to be streamed live through YouTube.  During the January meeting, Superintendent Bethea honored the board with an online presentation expressing thanks for the job they are doing as elected members.  Each board member will also receive a gift basket filled with gifts contributed from each of the schools.

The men and women serving Marion County School District are Chairperson Ogleretta White, Vice-Chair Patricia Atkinson, Levant Davis, Linda Neal, Cynthia Brown, Nadine Foxworth and Susan Pridgen.