Former Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Board Chairman Dr. Kalu Kalu is eyeing a return to the boardroom in the Nov. 3 election.

Kalu must beat out either Board Chairman Julius Page or trustee the Rev. Nathaniel McMillan to regain the seat he lost two years ago. The three are seeking the two at-large Seat 3 positions on the board. The top two vote getters will be elected to four-year terms.

After Kalu lost his seat to Lisa Jenkins in the 2007 election, he filed a protest motion with the Orangeburg County Election Commission. He said his name didn’t appear on the ballot in some precincts. His protest motion was denied by election commissioners.

More recently, his name surfaced in relation to the $84,000 payout Superintendent Melvin Smoak received in July for his 137 days of unused leave. Kalu signed off on the 2006 amendment to Smoak’s contract authorizing the payment.

Kalu said he never intended for Smoak to be paid that much. He said the current board misinterpreted the agreement and that Smoak should have only been paid $40 for each day of unused leave, not $540 a day.

Page said Kalu was the “one who signed the document” and no one else on the 2006 board knew about the amendment.

“I don’t understand how Kalu can take an issue with this when he brought it up,” Page said. “It’s water over the dam.”

Both men agreed that Smoak was due money for his unused leave.

In the near term, the board’s biggest responsibility will be replacing Smoak, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

Also up for re-election in OCSD 5 are Seat 1 incumbent Susan Cade Gleaton and Seat 5 incumbent Melvin L. Crum. Both are running unopposed.

* Julius Page

Page has been on the OCSD 5 board for the past 24 years and has been its chairman for the past two years.

“Time is very important on a board. I’ve always been willing to give time,” Page said.

He believes that has put him in touch with the needs of parents and children.

Page said he’s led the board by being respectful and accepting of others’ ideas. Most important, he said, is putting student achievement above all else.

Going forward, he favors focusing on early childhood development to give students a good foundation and curb the drop-out rate.

He also wants to enlist support from the community and businesses to ensure each child can start their education the right way.

A decline in state funding has left the district scrambling to keep its academic programs financially unscathed.

Page believes the district must keep the classroom first when addressing budget cuts. He noted the district has relatively new schools.

“If we can just hold and make annual repairs, keep everything in good shape and have enough money to operate, we’ll make it all right,” he said.

He said the next superintendent must be able to blend into the community. Page noted the board will only be there to set policy for the district’s next leader.

“If we can make policy and make sure they are followed, we are going to be a tremendous board,” he said.

Page graduated from South Carolina State University, served in the U.S. Army and is a member of Williams Chapel AME Church. He is married with two children.

He enjoys playing golf and attending all of OCSD 5’s sporting events.

“In essence, I would like to continue to serve the people with dignity, honor and objectivity,” he said.

* The Rev. Nathaniel McMillan

McMillan is a 12-year veteran of the board.

“I’m running for re-election to bring greater emphasis on student achievement,” he said.

McMillan first ran on a platform of making technology accessible to students and educating the community. He said the district is now excelling on both fronts.

McMillan was instrumental in establishing the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative at OCSD 5 schools.

“Character helps students to stay focused and on task,” he said.

Now, he wants to see higher graduation rates and improved student performance throughout the district.

McMillan believes the district should emphasize career clusters to get students prepared for their professions of choice.

“They will be successful and, in turn, our district will be successful,” he said.

To enhance OCSD 5, he says he will strengthen partnerships within the community.

He did admit budget restraints will force the district to find alternative ways to fund its programs.

“I want to get more community partners to meet these gaps where state budget cuts are impacting our district,” McMillan said. “I want to bring the community to school districts.”

He feels OCSD 5’s next superintendent should be centered on academic achievement.

McMillan is a pastor at Petra Community Church. He likes to work with other people to bring positive results to the community. He serves on several boards, including the Community of Character initiative and Orangeburg County Gang Intervention Project 20/20.

He is married with six children and six grandchildren.

“All my children graduated from the district,” he said.

* Dr. Kalu Kalu

Kalu says he will bring cooperative leadership and experience to the board. Kalu said it is a historic time in the district as it seeks a new superintendent.

“This district must explore a new vision to accomplish its mission through the efficient and effective use of district and community resources. We can no longer do business as usual,” Kalu said.

He said OCSD 5 is going downhill in terms of its curriculum and student performance.

“Someone must be held accountable for the low student achievement,” he said.

Kalu favors strengthening the accountability of administrators. In addition, he wants to “scrub” the OCSD 5 budget to find areas where the district can save money.

He said the district’s performance must improve “even if it means personnel restructuring.”

He says a unified OCSD 5 board is the avenue toward accomplishing goals.

“I can work toward extending the new direction of some current board members who are clearly about the education of our children and effectively create policies that will ensure the educational success of our children,” he said.

Before being voted out in 2007, Kalu was on the OCSD 5 board for eight years, serving as both its vice-chairman and chairman.

Kalu is a clinical pharmacist at the Regional Medical Center. His wife is a teacher at Mellichamp Elementary School. They have four children, with three graduating from OCSD 5 schools.

“It is our duty to make sure our students have the opportunity to succeed in our society,” Kalu said.

Individuals living in the following precincts are eligible to vote for at-large Seat 3 in OCSD 5: all of Nix, Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 5, Ward 6, Ward 7, Ward 8 and Ward 9; most of Brookdale, Suburban 1, Suburban 4, Suburban 5 and Suburban 6 precincts; and portions of Suburban 2, Suburban 3 and Suburban 9 precincts.

* T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.