Candidate questionnaire: Chris Epps, District 9 school board hopeful
Name: Christopher Epps
Age: 33
Office: Beaufort County Board of Education, District 9-Bluffton
Challengers: Bill Fletcher, Bridgette Frazier, Christina Gwozdz
Number of years living in the area you seek to represent: 27
Family: Wife, Jaroslava, and daughter, Marianna
Education: Master of Architecture, Savannah College of Art and Design
Current occupation/employer: Owner of Incircle Architecture
Employment, military and volunteer history: Administrator and board member of Bluffton Rotary Club and co-chair of the Town of Bluffton’s Historic Preservation Commission. Formerly interact liaison for Bluffton High School, volunteer coordinator for Bluffton Village Festival and Arts and Seafood Festival, board member for Celebrate Bluffton, Downtown Bluffton Merchant Society.
Key endorsements you've received: State Rep. Bill Herbkersman (R-Beaufort)
Contributions: Self funded
Expenditures: $775.32*
Note: On Oct. 13, Epps posted on his campaign page on Facebook, “I have decided to postpone active campaigning at this moment. Since I was self-financing my campaign, the money that was saved for advertising, mailers, signage, etc.. will now be used for the rebuilding our community, the Lowcountry.” In an interview last week, he said he has donated time, not money, to several people affected by Hurricane Matthew and has since purchased campaign signs.
Why are you running for this office?
Until we have a strong education system in place, we will not have healthy economic development. Large companies that are in tech and manufacturing that have higher paying jobs can get tax incentives anywhere; what they cannot get is an educated workforce.
This concern, in turn, is one of the biggest complaints they have in why they are not expanding. The people of this community are living paycheck to paycheck and are not able to spend money on other things except the bare necessities. I believe as in Architect, I have the ability organize and come up with a plan to achieve a client's goals.
Another reason is that I am a product of the Beaufort County school system and had a very hard time in it. It took a long time to learn the tools I needed to be successful in life. I do not want my child to have to go through the same. If that means I have to change the system and give the tools to teachers that they need to be successful in reaching students like myself, so be it.
What should the board do if its proposed 1 percent educational sales tax does not pass?
The main reason for this proposal is to fund the future expansion and lifetime costs of the buildings under the board’s control. As an Architect, I am uniquely qualified to look at these issues and come up with a plan and budget to take care of these things.
What do you see as the district’s biggest strength and weakness in serving students?
I do not believe in the school system, but I do believe in its educators, coaches, and parents. They work tirelessly for the students. They will give everything for the students to succeed. We need to stand up for them to its broken leadership.
What specific steps will you take to make government more open and accessible to the public?
We need more open discussions, not closed-door sessions. One thing I will do is to ask the media for ideas on how to achieve this goal. Then, I will come up with a plan to reach that purpose and see it through.
What is another top issue you would address if elected, and how?
Two issues actually.
We need to support our teachers more, to raise their pay, to stand by them, ask their opinions and needs, and give them tools to succeed in their jobs. One of my first things as a board member will be to ask the teachers what can I do for them.
Another is to bring trust back into the school system. Until this happens, the public will not believe the board decisions. We need to let the current school superintendent go. Jeff Moss has caused enough damage to the ability for the public to trust the school system.
Have you ever experienced any of the following: been convicted of a felony; been disciplined by a professional licensing board or organization; had an ethics violation filed against you; filed for bankruptcy; been delinquent on your federal, state or local taxes? If so, please give the details.
No
Are there any personal details about yourself that voters would be interested in knowing?
Out of all the candidates, I am the only one that has continually served on a government board, the Historic Preservation Commission for the town of Bluffton, as well as its professional seat and co-chairman for the last four years. I invite the voters to look up my record in the local newspapers.
I have also been on Beaufort County’s anti-bullying taskforce and served on many non-profit boards.
This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Candidate questionnaire: Chris Epps, District 9 school board hopeful."