School Board Candidates Call For Transparency And School Safety

Fran Thompson and Andrea Wellnitz told Oconee County Democrats that they are running as a team for spots on the Oconee County Board of Education.

Both said they are seeking to improve transparency in the schools, to guarantee that the school environment is a safe one, and to make sure the schools serve the social and emotional needs of all students.

The two said that Oconee County has great schools, but it is possible the schools can be even better in the future.

Thompson is seeking Post 3 on the Board, and Wellnitz is seeking Post 2. Republicans Kim Argo and Amy Parrish, respectively, hold those spots at present.

The School Board contest is the only strictly county race on the ballot this November, but Watkinsville will have candidates for three council seats on the ballot and Bogart will have candidates for one seat.

Dan Matthews, one of the City Council candidates in Watkinsville, joined Thompson and Wellnitz as speakers at the Oconee County Democratic meeting last month.

The North Oconee High School Young Americans for Freedom Chapter last week asked help from both parties and of the community at large to replicate last years’s commemoration of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by placing flags on the front lawn of the school on Sept. 9.

For more on this story, with a video of the Democrat Party meeting, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Thompson and Wellnitz