It's also true that the school system has been recognized nationally for four years as one of the best of 15,893 districts. Last year, local lawmakers gave board members the right to raise millage as high as they want and as often as they want. Dr. Bradley said that authority alone means the legislative delegation trusts the school board more than it did in the 1990s, when board members feuded with one another over taxing and spending priorities. Regardless of Tuesday's outcome, Mr. Sutherland says, there still is one issue to resolve. He wants to know why the laptop computers provided to school board members by the district came loaded with voter registration lists, although not updated, that could have been used to create mailing labels at taxpayer expense.
Postal records show none of the incumbents did that, however.
Mr. Sutherland says he is trying to find out if the school district violated ethics laws when it used taxpayers' money to provide incumbents with information that could have assisted them in their campaigns. Newcomer Nick Flouras will represent North Augusta's District 4. Unopposed on the ballot, he replaces Brent Rankin, who decided to not to seek a second term. The Augusta Chronicle . Online since 1996.