Former principal running for school board – Area 6

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Brenda Sims Ellison is running for the Anderson School District One Board of Trustees, Area 6.

Ellison is no stranger to Anderson One and its high standards. Ellison, her husband and her children are all proud graduates of the Anderson One School system.

After college, Ellison returned to Anderson One to begin her career as an educator.

She served as a teacher at both Wren Elementary and Cedar Grove Elementary, and as a principal at Pelzer Elementary and Cedar Grove Elementary.

She also served on various committees over her 37 years as an educator in Anderson One.

Ellison served as the Principal of award winning Cedar Grove Elementary for 25 years. Under her leadership, the school received “Excellent” ratings in both the Absolute and Growth Ratings on multiple occasions.

Cedar Grove was also recognized multiple times for its ability to close the Achievement Gap and received both the Silver and Gold Level State Awards for student test scores.

Ellison said that during her career she worked with the teachers, parents and communitymembers “to ensure that each student that passed through the d oors of Cedar Grove received a quality education that was grounded in the vision and mission of Anderson One.”

If elected to the Area 6 seat on the school board, she said, “I will continue to honor my commitment to Anderson One and to strive to provide students with the quality education that each child deserves.”

Ellison said if elected she will work with the current school board members and other elected officials “to provide and support a quality academically challenging education for all students.”

Priorities for her are to:

Establish policies and procedures for all students following mandates set forth by the local school board.

She wants to provide a strong core base academic curriculum accompanined by relevant professional development to support academic success and higher test scores which she said should be monitored by the school board.

She said she will work to challenge students, as well as career professionals, to understand how to use technologies for educational purposes and to improve overall achievement for each student.

A key priority is to continue to provide fiscal oversight for the district.

“In a time when the economy is at its lowest, it is essential to have proper guidance for quality stewardship,” she said. “As we all know, Anderson One remains among the lowest per pupil expenditures in South Carolina. Therefore we need to make sure the money goes to the classroom and provide our students with the necessities for learning.”

Ellison said she will serve as an advisor for children in public education and will make decisions to improve public ecducation for all students.

She also said she understands and will respond to the needs of the community.

“Having already given 37 years of my life to the students of Anderson School District One, I am excited for the opportunity to serve the community in another manner that will allow me to continue to be an advocate for the students of Anderson One,” Ellison said.

Ellison is running for the seat currently held by longtime board member Joe Pack.