New School Board member Adkins kills $ .7 million tax increase!

Rick Adkins made an excellent debut today in his first official appearance on the State Board of Education. E.I.A. funding is money that flows from Columbia to school districts specifically mandated on how it can be spent. Half is to go to capitol improvements and half must be applied to millage reduction (property tax relief). A waiver was requested by an Anderson School district to spend all of the money. This action would remove the millage reduction, therefore, result in a property tax increase. Best of all, the blood would be on the hands of the state board instead of the local school board.

Rick made 2 arguments:
1-I won’t vote for a tax increase. “I was appointed by delegation members that have never voted for a tax increase, therefore, I will not vote for a tax increase.”
2-An unelected body has no right to raise taxes. The elected school board has the ability to raise taxes, but an appointed board should not. This even raised constitutional questions. I’d like to see if the AG has ever made an opinion on this.

Subsequently, the waiver application failed. Many thanks to Mr. Adkins and the other conservative school board members!