Ronnie West with his wife and sons, photo courtesy Facebook.
By Larry Wood, courtesy Aiken Standard
A School Board member announced his resignation, and the board approved on first reading revisions and additions to the district's Code of Conduct on Tuesday, May 23 at its regular meeting.
The board also approved service credit for bus drivers.
Ronnie West, who resides in Wagener and represents District 1, will resign effective July 18. A special election to fill his seat will be August 22.
West read his resignation letter to the board, saying he will "continue my service in the education field in a different capacity."
"I leave with a sense of excitement and dream of things to come and the promise of tomorrow," he said, "I am very excited about this upcoming opportunity in education and the chance to further my career. I feel we have made many positive changes, and we are headed in the right direction for our schools, faculty and students."
Following a standing ovation and extensive applause from the audience, Board Chairman Levi Green thanked West for his service. "You have served your area extremely well, and we appreciate what you've done," he said, "We're going to miss you."
District Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford read a quote from West, which he said he shares daily: "We're not looking for bosses. We're looking for leaders."