MEET KEVIN SCULLY

 My name is KEVIN SCULLY and I’m running for the District 5 School Board in Richland County.

At home, I am the proud husband of a teacher and parent of a current D5 student as well as four recent D5 graduates. Our children have attended River Springs, Dutch Fork Middle, Dutch Fork High and Spring Hill High. I served four years on two SIC committees, and continue to closely follow the issues of public education, especially in our district.
 

I am a graduate of Irmo High School and work for the USDA, Rural Development. My wife, Calli, in addition to being a teacher in the district, grew up in D5. She attended Leaphart Elementary, Irmo Middle (Campus R) and graduated from Irmo High. 

When Calli and I were in school, D5 was the best school district in the state. It was a destination where families sought to live just so their children could attend our schools. We are products of this district and have chosen to raise our family here because of the educational excellence D5 provides.

But lately, we’ve seen our neighboring school districts become the destinations we used to be. We are losing our best teachers and resources to other districts at an alarming rate. As a long-time product of this district, I am dismayed by these trends.
 

Like many of you, I am also concerned the priorities of our current board members are not aligned with our needs. We cannot focus on the challenges of tomorrow when we’re still fighting the battles of yesterday.
 

To our teachers, my message is simple: I see and hear you. I see your love for your students and profession; I see how you sacrifice your own time and resources so you can better serve our students; I see you pray for students when they struggle and give thanks when they achieve; I see you continuing to show up for our children day after day while being asked to do more and more with fewer resources. You are the true heroes of our district, but even heroes need support, resources, and a safe environment in which to work. I hear your calls for support, and I will work to provide that support as the next D5 school board member from Richland County. The D5 motto is “We Love and Grow Our Students.” But for me, that’s not enough. We must “Love and Grow Our Teachers” too. 

I am running for the board to return our school district to a destination of educational excellence that my family experienced. In order to do this, we must secure resources to attract and retain the highest quality educators and provide safe and secure learning and teaching environments in our schools. And, we have to do during this a period of time when funding is scarce and competition is fierce. 

Finally, another goal for me as a board member will be to restore the trust in our board and heal the division in our district. We must also maximize resources through innovation, public-private partnerships, and increased advocacy to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future. While this is a lot of work, I am up for the challenge and I believe D5's brightest days still lie ahead.

This year, you get to vote for two D5 school board members for Richland County, and I am asking for just one of those votes. VOTE for KEVIN SCULLY as your next school board member in Richland County. Together, we can and will return educational excellence to District Five.