Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
The Anderson Observer is interviewing school board members in contested races who were willing to discuss why they might be a good candidate.
This interview is with Tim Self who is running for the Anderson School Dist. 5 At-Large.
Tim Self says his decision to seek an at-large seat on the Anderson School District 5 board began with an administrator’s request that parents pay closer attention to the board’s work.
Self, then serving on a school improvement council, started attending meetings. He said he saw conflict and confusion that distracted from what he considers the board’s central responsibilities: hiring and overseeing the superintendent, setting goals and ensuring schools have the resources to meet them.
Now he is running on a platform of academic excellence, stronger governance and responsible spending, with a particular emphasis on the perspective of working parents.
“We are invested,” Self said in an interview with The Anderson Observer.
He and his family moved from Tennessee 11 years ago, specifically seeking a home in District 5. His children, ages 14 and 12, attend T.L. Hanna High School and McCants Middle School, respectively. His younger child is in sixth grade, and his wife is a counselor at Centerville Elementary School.
Self said his children have received an excellent education, including at Concord Elementary School, McCants Middle School and T.L. Hanna High School, but serving at large requires looking beyond the schools his family knows best.
“Those are our kids, too,” he said of students elsewhere in the district.
Self said his degree is in political science and nonprofit management and that he has worked in the nonprofit sector for nearly 20 years. He described his role at the AnMed Foundation as bringing people and resources together to address community health care needs.
That work has included partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, United Way and the LOT Project, he said.
Self said his education and professional experience have taught him the importance of distinguishing the responsibilities of board members, administrators and volunteers.
“Whenever we start crossing lanes, it creates confusion, disruption within the entire system, and it distracts from what our mission is,” Self said.
His mother, who taught school for 39 years, has offered another caution: Growing up in a teacher’s family does not mean he knows what classroom teachers experience every day.
Self said her advice was to listen, identify needed resources and help remove obstacles rather than enter schools telling educators what to do.
He described himself as a convener who could help connect the district with community resources.
“I know that I can stand in that gap,” he said.
Self also recalled a friend on the Greenville County school board describing school board service during their participation in Leadership South Carolina who characterized it as a demanding public responsibility involving a community’s children and money, often without recognition or agreement about the results.
Self said that description helped frame the complexity of the job.
Self identified three major challenges: academic excellence, effective governance and stewardship of tax dollars.
He pointed to recently released state school report cards as evidence of progress, citing a gain of more than 20 points at Centerville Elementary School. He credited the principal’s intentional focus on student success.
At the same time, Self said teachers need realistic expectations and support when instructional or assessment practices change. He referred to changes involving curriculum and i-Ready assessments, saying some teachers he spoke with felt uncertain about their ability to succeed during the transition.
“There’s always going to be disruption whenever there’s change,” he said.
On governance, Self said trustees should hire the superintendent, establish a vision and goals, hold the superintendent accountable and leave day-to-day school operations to administrators.
He said some board activity has appeared to cross into micromanagement and that trustees should hold one another accountable when that happens.
Self also criticized members speaking over one another at meetings and said the board’s use of a parliamentarian underscores the need for orderly meetings. The chair deserves respect, he said, and trustees should demonstrate the behavior expected of students and employees.
Disagreement can improve decisions, Self said, but it should not produce hostility.
“We can disagree without creating toxicity,” he said.
He said cooperation begins with a willingness to work together and a shared understanding of the district’s mission: preparing students to make a positive impact in a changing world and to be ready for college and careers.
When discussions drift, he said, members should bring the focus back to the task.
“We’re not always going to agree,” he said. “I don’t think we should always agree. But we can respect each other.”
Self said addressing Robert Anderson Middle School’s enrollment is a priority, though he has not endorsed one of the district’s proposed solutions.
“The one that I can absolutely tell you that is not an option is accepting the status quo, that we do nothing,” he said.
He described Robert Anderson as a well-built facility designed for a large student population but questioned whether consolidating students there after Lakeside Middle School’s closure produced the intended benefits.
Self said he has heard from parents concerned that students there are losing personal connections in a large school and that teachers do not all know one another.
He cited a figure he had heard that day of approximately 1,150 students, with only about 200 not living in poverty.
Self said five Title I elementary schools on the district’s west side feed into Robert Anderson. He argued that families there need to feel heard and that board discussions must lead to action.
“If we lose our kids in our middle schools, we’re not going to get them back in high school,” he said.
Self said Anderson School Dist. 5 Superintendent Brenda Kelley recently presented six options. Those discussed in the interview included building a traditional middle school or constructing a separate arts school and converting Southwood Academy of the Arts to a traditional middle school. The arts campus could potentially expand to include high school grades.
He said the alternatives require closer examination of construction costs, educational benefits, staffing and the district’s ability to replenish reserves after a major expenditure.
A new school could cost $75 million, Self said, while the broader range of proposals discussed at a called meeting ran from about $20 million to $75 million.
Building another campus also raises questions about where its employees would come from when existing schools already face staffing needs, he said.
Self wants feedback from residents with and without children in the schools before a decision is made.
“There’s way more into it than just simply saying we’re going to build a new school, we’re going to add on to another school,” he said.
Self supports renewing the school capital sales tax and said all five Anderson County school districts will need to coordinate their efforts to explain its value.
He said the tax was in place before his family moved to Anderson and helped produce facilities that impressed him and visiting friends.
“We have really benefited as a school district from that penny sales tax,” he said.
Self said conversations with longtime board members helped him understand the financial pressures that preceded it. He also credited the district with maintaining reserves for major unexpected repairs.
He cited figures he understood to mean that the sales tax supports about 30 percent of the district’s budget and that roughly 40 percent of its revenue comes from people who live outside the county. The interview did not establish the accounting basis for those percentages.
Visitors attending Clemson football games, festivals and other events contribute via the tax when they make purchases, he said.
Self also said the tax helps reduce debt-service demands and warned that failing to renew it would increase pressure on property taxes.
He said trustees must explain the trade-offs between maintaining facilities, providing opportunities for students and limiting tax burdens.
Community meetings could help residents understand difficult decisions and build support, he said.
“We all want our kids to reach their full potential, but also none of us want more taxes,” Self said. “And sometimes those are in conflict.”
He linked school spending to the community’s future workforce, including nurses, municipal employees and others needed to keep Anderson functioning and growing.
(Editor’s note: After this interview, the Anderson School Dist. 5 board entered into a potential agreement to sell the Project Challenge building, with no details provided.)
Self called Project Challenge Playhouse a “community treasure” and said he wants it to continue.
His family has attended its shows since moving to Anderson, and he said the recent dispute over its facility has introduced him to more people with ties to the program.
He recalled a mother reading a statement at a board meeting from an Army officer who is a surgeon. According to Self, the officer credited the playhouse with helping develop the presentation and leadership skills he uses professionally.
Self said the program’s value extends beyond giving children a place to perform. He has heard concerns that theater opportunities are insufficient in elementary and middle schools, making the playhouse an important place for students to develop confidence and discover their interests.
He also said the district and program need to clarify their relationship, particularly given the playhouse’s long association with District 5 and questions about its independence.
That includes determining responsibilities for student safety and considering what arts opportunities the district should provide if the program operates separately, he said.
Self did not endorse a specific building or funding arrangement but said he would work to preserve the program.
Self said he views a board seat as a responsibility to the entire district, not simply to a neighborhood or group of supporters.
He referred to a South Carolina School Boards Association guide that outlines the duties of effective trustees, including the obligation of members elected from individual areas to consider districtwide needs.
Schools that are succeeding should be celebrated, he said, while those facing difficulties should receive attention tailored to their circumstances.
His goal, he said, is to represent “all kids, all families” and help ensure they receive the resources needed to reach their potential.
Self opposes changing school board elections from nonpartisan to partisan contests.
He said his opponent had received the county Republican Party’s endorsement but argued that school board campaigns should remain focused on local educational needs rather than national or state political disputes.
“What do we need here?” he said. “And how do we convene those resources for what we need for our kids to succeed today, but also planning for the future?”
He said keeping elections nonpartisan would better represent the community and reduce distractions.
Self said one of his strongest motivations is bringing the perspective of a parent working full time while raising children currently attending district schools.
He said he believes that perspective is missing from the board.
As an example, he described changes in his sixth grader’s access to a take-home Chromebook. His child had brought one home for years, Self said, using it to review assignments and practice schoolwork, and that while he supports reducing excessive screen time and encouraging hands-on activities, the change has made homework more difficult for his child and some friends.
He attributed the shift to a state decision, though the interview did not establish the policy responsible or its requirements.
Working families must balance employment, activities, homework and bedtime, he said. Sometimes, in his household, unfinished assignments mean getting up an hour earlier the next morning.
Self said trustees need a clearer understanding of how classroom decisions affect those routines at home.
“This is home now,” he said of Anderson. “And we don’t plan on going anywhere.”
What he initially thought might be a temporary stop has become the place where his children are growing up. He said that investment, combined with his professional experience, prompted him to run.
“I can help,” he said.
