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Local school districts across South Carolina are faced with managing their budgets at a time when costs for everything are increasing and revenue can be less than public educators might want.
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The State asked the candidates running in November for the Lexington 1 school board directly if the district covering the central part of Lexington County if they would be willing to raise taxes, or if there were specific items from the school budget they would need to cut.
Election Day for school board candidates will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting runs Monday through Saturday from Oct. 19 to Oct. 31.
The Issue
How can Lexington 1 — which covers the town of Lexington as well as Gilbert, Pelion, Red Bank and White Knoll — best manage the budget for its 27,000 students, and how can its needs best be prioritized?
Crystal Baker
In response to a question from The State, Baker said she was opposed to any tax increase to meet the district’s need.
“Lexington One has already increased operating millage for 2026–27 and is using fund balance to help meet expenses,” Baker said. “We need to review spending, staffing, contracts, administrative costs, and other efficiencies. Any necessary cuts should protect classrooms and student services as much as possible.”
Dana Homesley
Homesley said the district faced a spending problem, not a funding problem.
“Lexington One carries more than $600 million in debt,” she said. “The Board recently raised taxes and approved $31.8 million in capital projects. Before asking taxpayers for more, we need a complete accounting of the 2018 referendum, including unfinished projects, and a clear explanation of future facilities needs and costs.”
She wants to see strict budgeting that puts classroom needs ahead of other considerations.
“Growth should pay for growth. I will ask questions, demand the numbers, and hold the district accountable for every taxpayer dollar.”
Jack Lundeen
“I’m not going to say taxes should never go up, and I’m not going to promise cuts just because that sounds good in a campaign. I want to see the numbers first,” Lundeen said.
But he pointed the finger for any funding shortfalls at state legislators’ attempts to cap what revenue local districts are able to raise from property taxes within the district.
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“Act 388 was passed in 2006, and parts of that deal were literally worked out on a Bernie’s chicken box at the State House,” he said. “Twenty years later, we’re still trying to solve problems in 2026 with math from 2006. And at some point, we have to admit that you can’t make chicken salad out of chicken feet.”
Katie McCown
McCown, running for a second term on the board, said it’s not “responsible to say today that the district either needs another tax increase or needs a predetermined list of cuts.” Those decisions should be made when the board knows its full revenue, enrollment figures, state funding levels and spending needs.
“We should continually evaluate staffing, contracts, programs and operational expenses for efficiencies before asking taxpayers for additional revenue,” she said. “At the same time, I would not support arbitrary cuts that negatively impact classrooms or our ability to recruit and retain quality employees.”
Chris Rice
Rice, another first-year incumbent, said any funding decisions should be correlated with actual student outcomes in the classroom.
“Raising taxes should not be the default response for the district to meet its needs,” Rice said. “Instead, the district should conduct a careful review of actual spending versus student outcome data and use this analysis, in conjunction with board budget priorities, to determine which programs and initiatives receive funding.”
Shelton Yonce
Yonce, running for a full term after winning a special election earlier this year, also pointed to Act 388 as a hindrance to local school districts like Lexington 1 sorted out their own financial issues.
“The board should not have to raise taxes every year, but readers should know why the pressure exists,” Yonce said. “Under state law, homeowners pay no school operating taxes on their primary home. Operations are funded by businesses, rental property, vehicles, sales tax and the state, with about 60% coming from the state and 40% from local sources. The state funding formula doesn’t keep up with inflation and doesn’t cover 100% of teacher pay, so as costs rise, the gap falls on local taxpayers.”
He wants a “proactive” board that watches out for overspending. He supports a policy change where board members would have to approve any budget transfers and long-term capital and maintenance planning. “I also supported starting 2027-28 budget talks earlier, and we held our first workshop on Sept. 29.”
Others
The State did not receive responses from candidates Joy Jordan or Chris Shealy before publication.
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