Writers' claims about board candidate compare 'apples and oranges'

This is in response to the Oct. 13 letters to the editor in which the two writers stated that Kristi Baker is the most qualified candidate for School Board District 2.

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Mickey and Dr. Tracy Barefield state that Baker has been a property-tax payer and homeowner for 15 years in District 2. It is nonsense to think Carl Schluter doesn't pay property tax because he rents. Renters pay property tax at a higher rate because they can't claim a homestead exemption. You can be assured that landlords are not picking up the property tax without including it in the rent.

The other letter, by Joe Oliff III, states that Baker has been on PTO boards and Booster clubs, which is great. We need parents to get involved in the schools. But does it qualify her to sit on a board that adopts polices and procedures for more than 23,000 students and deals with a $165 million budget? It's like comparing apples to oranges.

Oliff, also touts that Baker is very knowledgeable about the school system's policies and goals and has taken the time to attend board meetings. Baker was quoted at a recent Coalition for Quality Government forum as saying that in the past 12 months she has attended maybe three or four school board meetings. I can't fathom that she has gained that much knowledge in four meetings. I applaud her interest in the system as every tax parent should have the same.

Carl Schluter has a child in the school system. His wife, Stephanie, volunteers at Bel Air Elementary twice a week. He has attended not only Bel Air PTO but others in his district as well. He has been attending board meetings for seven months and has the passion and energy level to serve for years to come.

Schluter graduated cum laude from USC-Aiken with a degree in finance before going on to graduate from Mercer Law School.

... Schluter's experience in finance and as a lawyer will line up great with the school system's polices and duties. In these economic times, our board needs to get every bang for the buck. Carl Schluter fits the bill!

Anthony Sweat

Appling

(Anthony Sweat is campaign manager for Carl Schluter.)