Observer Election 2024: Tripp Bouknight, School Dist. 3, Area 2
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Tripp Bouknight is a candidate for Anderson School Dist. 3, Area 2.
Bouknight is a business owner and auto technician and a graduate of Crescent High School.
He has been a member of the Dist. 3 School Board since 2016, served on the Renaissance Academy board since 2016, served as Regional Director of the South Carolina School Board Association and is an elder at Friendship Worship Center.
Here are his answers to the Anderson Observer’s questions:
1. What is the most important responsibility of public schools? The most important responsibility is to help each student grow and develop academically, socially and emotionally. Our goal at dist 3 is for our students to have the skills to be productive citizens and members of society.
2. What are the three most important duties of a public-school board member? The three most important board member duties. Formulate board policy, adopt the annual budget, employ a superintendent
3. How is your combination of education and experience relevant to serving the duties identified in question one? I am a product of district 3. My kids are also graduates of district 3. I also run a business in district 3. My grandfather and my father were also district 3 board members. These experiences give me a broad range of knowledge when making decisions and discussing concerns with the staff, parents and community.
4. Is there a particular issue that motivates you to run for a seat on the board of education? Anderson district 3 has made great strides in the past few years. We are ranked #5 in the state out of 72 districts. We currently have 3 schools with excellent ratings and 2 schools with good ratings on the 2024 SC school report cards. We have expanded our career and technology program and added orchestra to our fine arts program. Our students compete in athletics and FFA events. Our students now have the opportunity to participate on the fishing team and clay shooting team.
My motivation comes from a desire to continually expand the opportunities that we offer for our students.
5. Please explain your understanding of how school board millage works and what you see as the top priorities for using this money. School district millage is a tax rate applied to personal property assessment value. Top priorities are school safety, competitive teacher pay and making sure we provide a top level education environment for our students.
6. Given all the issues that arise, how can the board stay focused on student achievement? Our superintendent provides the board with student achievement data. Each principal from their school does a board presentation detailing the school report card and other data measures. Our focus is always making sure our teachers have what they need to do their job in the classroom.
7. How does a school board balance the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden? Anderson district 3 has always been fiscally responsible. We have little industry and with the passage of Act 388 there is very little tax from your primary residence. We leverage funds from state, federal, and local sources to best meet the needs of our students. We are pleased that we did not ask for a millage increase in the current year's budget.
8. What are your thoughts on the current and the proposed budget for your school district? Our goal is to maintain a fund balance of at least 25% of the total budget to protect against unfunded mandates. Our current budget meets the needs of our staff and students without asking for additional millage from our community. We have been transparent with the community. We also continue to receive a clean audit every year.
9. As a board member, where would you look to make budget cuts? Our goal is to maintain an excellent learning environment for students. Budget cuts are difficult. We are always looking for ways to make sure we remain fiscally responsible.
10. Are there any areas you would not consider cutting? School safety is very important, I don't believe we would want to remove anything from our safety budget.
11. How would you determine your budget priorities? Budget priorities always center on security, small class size, competitive salaries and building maintenance. During budget season, the district administration staff does a needs assessment with principals. These needs are brought to the board and prioritized.
12. What changes should be made on the state and local level regarding public education? Act 388 has been tough. The state needs to look at eliminating the act or providing an additional funding source to make up for lost local revenue.
13. Do you favor renewing the penny sales tax for schools when the current law expires? Yes, I am in favor of renewing the penny sales tax. The penny tax goes toward capital projects. We get about 8% of all that is raised in Anderson county. Much of it comes from people outside of the county or state who come here for business or recreation.
14. How important are athletics and extracurricular activities and should the school board support such endeavors for students? Athletics and extracurricular activities are very important. Students who are engaged outside the classroom tend to do better inside the classroom.
15. What is your understanding of separation of church and state when it comes to public schools in Anderson County? Our churches play an important role in our community and so do our schools. We try to maintain a healthy relationship with all entities in our community.
16. Are you familiar with Moms for Liberty and/or Stop Moms for Liberty groups and how do you view their activities (positively/negatively and why)? I am familiar with Moms for liberty but they have not attended our board meetings. Our superintendent has a good relationship with our local group. We both have a similar goal of doing what's best for our students.
17. How would you work to find common ground with other school board members and the superintendent on issues of disagreement? Common ground should always be students. Our board is focused on the best interest for our students. We try to be open minded and willing to listen.
18. Could you support a board decision you did not vote in favor of? Why or why not? Yes, I can and should support a decision I didn't vote for. We don't always make unanimous decisions but we must always be unified.
19. What is your opinion of current teachers in the district and what would you do as a board member to support them? School district 3 has the best teachers in the state. Our staff is amazing. Ways to support them include competitive pay, provide the resources needed to improve the classroom, professional development, maintain a positive environment and support their decisions.
20. How can a school board know if its goals are being accomplished and its policies are being implemented? Our goals are being accomplished when our district ranks among the top districts in the state. All of our schools are rated excellent or good on our state report card. Only 2 other districts in the state have all schools that are excellent or good. The state report card uses academic achievement, graduation rate, college and career readiness and other factors. The report card also uses school climate, student safety and other data collected from students, parents and teachers. This is why we feel the report cards are a good indicator of our district's goals being met.