Lexington, SC 10/22/2024 (Paul Kirby) –Community activist, father, husband, and champion of public education Nicholas Pizzuti has filed to run for one of the 4 seats that will soon be open on Lexington One’s School Board of Trustees. These will be on the ballot in November during the general election. 2 board members have chosen not to run again as their 4-year term expires and 2 board members are running for reelection to try and win another 4-year term.
Lexington District One is the largest district in the county and has over 27,000 enrolled students that attend 5 primary attendance areas. Each of those includes 1 high school and multiple feeders schools as students work their way toward graduation through kindergarten, elementary, middle and then high school. Those attendance areas include Lexington, River Bluff, Gilbert, White Knoll, and Pelion. The district includes both large urban centers and multiple rural areas. Family incomes and parent’s education vary widely depending upon what region of the district a student comes from.
Pizzuti is married to Lori and the couple have 2 daughters who currently attend Lexington One Schools. One of his children is a junior at Gilbert High School and his youngest is attending the 8th grade this year at Gilbert Middle. He has been extremely active in his community having served on the Board of Directors for Mission Lexington, as the Vice-President of the Gilbert Athletic Booster Club, served as Chairman of the Gilbert Middle School Improvement Council, is Past-President of the Rotary Club of Lexington, and the Past Master of the Batesburg-Leesville Lodge 138, AFM.
Pizzuti works with the SCDOT and is currently their interim director of local government service. He says that his experience in his work at the DOT plus his education have prepared him to work with a School District that is growing so rapidly. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Finance and Management.
Pizzuti says that capital projects are one specific way his expertise will serve him well if elected. When asked in an interview if the district’s growth in regard to building schools as they currently are is appropriate, he said, “They appear to have adopted a cookie cutter design that saves them money on engineering services, and I think that’s a good thing. I do question how they decide where to put new schools. I think that the property the district buys is often on roads that requires us to make too many improvements before opening the schools. If a property requires a million-dollar interchange improvement, a massive retaining wall, or massive amounts of soil to be mucked out or trucked in, perhaps we should look a little longer for a site. I realize that the SC Department of Education plays a large part in site selection, but this is certainly an area we could revisit with a trained eye toward holding cost down,” he stated.
“I also believe we need to do a better job of recruiting and retaining our teachers and staff,” Pizzuti said. “Although raising their pay is certainly a great idea, it’s not the only thing we can do to keep or attract good people. We need to do a better job of disciplining students who cause disruptions and bring the learning process to a halt. I hear teachers complain about this issue and it really isn’t theirs to deal with. I also think there are ways we can reduce the amount of paperwork they have to do and cut some of their professional development hours. I know the teachers need to continue professional development, but I would like to ask them if they are getting material that they feel is beneficial during these days. I feel I am uniquely qualified to listen to the teachers, students, and staff and ask if they are getting everything they need to do a good job.”
When asked about the district’s current strategic plan, Pizzuti said, “We have a phenomenal district, but there’s always room for improvement. The district’s strategic plan appears to be a draft at this point. Board members need to be vigilant at meetings and ask hard questions of the staff and each other as the plan continues to be developed, used, and updated. I really don’t think we need a board that always agrees with one another. If the board members are constantly in lockstep with each other, I don’t think they are freely exchanging ideas. I don’t think you should take disagreement personally and if you end up having your ideas turned down or left out of what the board is working on, everyone should continue to be friends and colleagues. You aren’t ever going to prevail 100% of the time but that doesn’t mean your ideas were bad. Listen to the input of the other board members and consider adapting some of their ideas with yours.”
Pizzuti continued by saying, “We seem to have a capable administrative staff. Still, it’s important for us to remind that staff that we were elected to guide the district as we listen to the people who elected us. We should be setting the course and not letting the district’s administrative staff do that. We should set the goals for the district and the staff should then develop a plan to get us there. For those of us who have children attending the district’s schools, we probably see and informally meet with the district’s stakeholders much more often than the District Office’s staff. Certainly, the administrative staff members are important, well educated, and equipped to set a direction for the district but they aren’t the people who’s supposed to be doing that. They aren’t going to hear what board members hear because they are the bosses of the staff in our local schools. I don’t care what people say, you just are not going to be as open, forthcoming, and honest about issues that are happening while you are around your boss.”
Pizzuti said if elected, he’d like to see a list of priorities set and adhered to. He believes that list should include things such as adding more career opportunities at the Lexington Technology Center and the high schools, considering if the attendance lines are in the right place, and financial transparency that a common person can see and understand. “More than anything else, I feel one of my top priorities will be to make myself available to everyone to just listen. I will return phone calls and make myself available so that everyone, staff, parents, and students, can come talk with me and know that I am listening and taking their questions, comments, and concerns seriously. Everyone needs to know they will be heard and respected as we go through the process of governing these schools,” he concluded.
If you would like to know more about Nicholas Pizzuti, you can check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pizzutiforlexingtondistrictone/, on his webpage by following this LINK, or by emailing him at pizzutiforlex1@gmail.com.
