Education task force to hold meeting

The task force created to study the issue of having an at-large elected school board chairman will hold its first meeting Monday night.

The meeting comes seven months after the county's Republican voters approved a straw pole on the Aug. 20 primary ballot saying they favored having an at-large chairman and more representation on the board.

At their first meeting in March, the Columbia County Board of Education issued a charge to the task force: To study the issue of having a county-wide elected at-large chairman and whether the board should consider changing from its present structure.

"What I envision is taking this task force, looking at the issue of government as it is now, the background, history, looking at the way the ballot was stated, looking at the vote, looking at the variations of what could come in your recommendation to the legislative delegation," task force chairman Don Thornhill told the board. "When you start dealing with these issues, then there's the ripple affect."

//

The task force will look at several ways the board could be structured, including having four members from the districts and one at-large chairman or expanding the number of board members.

Thornhill said it is likely the board could complete its work and make a recommendation to the board before June 30.

Members of the task force include:

Don Thornhill, chairman

Marilee Hatcher

Marion Marshall

Steve Gay

Gary Holley

John Teasley

Barry Davis

Bill Morris

Angie Byrd

Sonya McLeod

Sam Newton

Lori Scherer

Jenny Boulineau

Robert Thurman

Kristine Brown

Karen Jones

Andy Ezell

Ken Coleman

Carolyn Tynan

Mark Mosley

Theopelis Knight

If you go

WHAT: Task Force Meeting

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. March 17

WHERE: Department of Curriculum Services, Grovetown

The meeting is open to the public.