Early voting opens Monday, Oct. 19, for four seats on the Fort Mill School District Board of Trustees. Melissa Maynard, a Navy veteran and mother of four district students, is among seven candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The other candidates are Larry Barnett, Michele Branning, Keith Griffin, Joe Helms, Brandon Langford and Lipi Pratt, according to the Fort Mill Sun. Branning, Helms and Pratt are incumbents seeking new terms. Wayne Bouldin, who holds the fourth seat up for election, did not file to run again, according to the Post and Courier.

Maynard, a human resources professional with 10 years of federal government experience and an MBA from Ohio Christian University, said in a YoCo News candidate profile that her family relocated to Fort Mill in December 2020 for her husband Sam's career. She has six children total, four of whom attend district schools.

Since arriving, she has served as secretary of the Doby's Bridge PTO since 2020 and is vice chair of the School Improvement Council (SIC) at Doby's Bridge. She also sits on the SIC at Catawba Ridge High School and has coached for Fort Mill Parks and Recreation and Rock Hill Parks and Recreation.

Her stated platform centers on six priorities listed on her campaign website: keeping the focus on student learning, supporting teachers and academic standards, fiscal responsibility, amplifying parent voices, keeping political agendas out of classrooms, and school safety with transparent leadership.

Teacher retention is a live issue in the district. At an August board meeting, Darleen Romenick presented data showing Fort Mill Schools hired 179 new staff members for the current school year, with 91 of them, or 51%, coming from universities where the district intentionally recruited, according to WRHI. South Carolina continues to face a statewide teacher shortage, and the district has expanded its Teach Fort Mill initiative to build a pipeline of future educators.

Maynard said teacher retention and recruitment is among her top priorities, along with expanding resources and supporting growth for every student. "Although I may not have all the answers, I promise to listen, support, and ensure that community concerns are heard and addressed," she said in her YoCo News profile.

The seven-member board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the annual budget that sets the school portion of local property tax bills, and approves construction projects and attendance zone changes, the Fort Mill Sun reported. Each seat carries a four-year term. Every registered voter in the district can vote on every candidate, and the four highest vote-getters win.

Early voting runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, with sites open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sites are closed Sundays under state law. Fort Mill voters can cast early ballots at Carolinas Cornerstone Church, 1790 Gardendale Road, or the YMCA Fort Mill at The Complex, 971 Tom Hall Street, according to the Herald. Voters can confirm their registration and polling place at scvotes.gov.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.