SHOULD YOU VOTE ON SCHOOL PROJECT FUNDING?

School Board Member Beth Daugherty

Should the school board place proposed capital projects on the ballot to gauge voter's opinions on them?

Board member Beth Daugherty raised the issue last week during her report on the Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee, which considers such projects before they reach the full board.

"If we have a big capital project, could we put it on the November ballot as an information-only question?" she asked. "That's something we need to get more information on."

She cited the discussion three years ago over the Columbia High School pool and a proposal then to renovate it or close it. She said that might have affected the school board race.

"It would be really nice if we could put a question on the November ballot that's just for information to get a community response," she said. "Whatever the question is."

Daugherty also happens to be up for re-election this year, along with board members Johanna Wright and Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad.