Meet the candidates for Horry County Board of Education, District 11

Shanda Allen

Age | 51

Party | Republican

Occupation | Owner of Allen Aviation

Family | Married; two children

Education | No response

Civic and political experience | School Improvement Council at Aynor High School, Horry County Higher Education Commission at Coastal Carolina University, pastor’s wife and youth leader

Military experience | None

Question | Last year, the Board of Education approved building five new schools at $72.9 million over the initial budget. Do you think that money will be well-spent, and if not, what would you have suggested the district do differently?

Answer | Being $72.9 million dollars over budget is never a good thing. Yes, new schools are needed, but we also need to maintain our current facilities in a manner that will be safe and secure for students and staff. This should be done by implementing requirements in each annual budget with funding set aside for the up-fitting of current schools such as other counties do that cannot afford to build new buildings. It would be beneficial for us to look at other school systems and what they are doing and if it would be helpful in some aspects for us.

Jeffrey Garland (incumbent)

Age | 46

Party | Republican

Occupation | Retired

Family | Son, daughter

Education | B.S., accounting, Coastal Carolina University; M.B.A., Winthrop University

Civic and political experience | Elected to Horry County Board of Education in 2012

Military experience | None

Question | Last year, the Board of Education approved building five new schools at $72.9 million over the initial budget. Do you think that money will be well-spent, and if not, what would you have suggested the district do differently?

Answer | The five new schools were identified as the greatest facilities needs in Horry County School District. Three of the schools are new while the other two are replacements. The three new schools are to alleviate overcrowding conditions in areas that are experiencing high growth. The replacement schools are needed for aging facilities where renovations were not feasible. The money for these projects is being well spent. This building phase was already in the planning stage prior to my election. Building costs have increased and if these projects were not already under construction they would currently cost an additional $20 million.

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Meet the candidates for Horry County Board of Education, District 11."