Lexington One teacher running for Lexington Two Board

West Columbia, SC (Paul Kirby) - Lexington School District One teacher Paige Salonich is running for Lexington County School District Two's Board of Trustees. Salonich Is currently an educator at Gilbert High School where she works as an instructional coach. 

Salonich is married to Stephen and the couple live in the Pine Ridge area of the district. “When my husband and I are blessed with children, they'll attend Lexington District Two schools. It's important to Stephen and me that they have the very best opportunity for a quality education there can be,” she stated Monday during an interview. The couple have two, “adorable” dogs named Hemingway and Ellie.

Prior to moving to Lexington District One to teach, Salonich taught in Lexington District Two at the middle school level. She said that her passion as an educator for students and teachers played a large part in her decision to file as a candidate for school board. “As I got more involved in educational issues, I began to involve myself more in policies at the South Carolina State House. I quickly learned that some policy decisions come from the state, but many others are developed at the local district level. Sometime, neither wants to claim policy as theirs and that can be confusing. I feel having educators on the board develop local policy is very important. I know that I can really help to make a difference in not only how we educate students, but also in how we support our teachers.” 

Salonich says that since she has now taught in another district, she sees how much disparity there can be in teacher support. “Teachers need to get all the support they can. Without a good support system at district level, we won't be able to recruit the best teachers.” She also wants to ensure that the district is doing everything it can to retain teachers once they have found and hired them. 

“If I’m elected, I’d like to see the school district’s budget revised so that it more directly impacts the student,” Salonich said during a recent interview. She also feels that District Two should work to improve communication between the board and all its stakeholders. This includes students, their parents, the faculty, and the community.  

“I want to be a voice for the whole district,” Salonich stated. “Every student should be treated equally no matter where they live or what abilities they have.” She also said that listening to parents and teachers is extremely important and would be one of her top priorities. “I also want to see the district work toward increasing their academic program offerings so that our students can compete with other students from anywhere once they graduate.”

Salonich says that she hopes that voters will take the time to become informed about each candidate. She is more than willing to take calls from the public so that she can answer any questions they may have. You can reach her by email at paigeforsc@gmail.com or by telephone at 803-238-7383. You can also find her on Facebook at Paige Salonich for Lexington Two School Board.