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<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
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<p>People interested in helping Polaris Tech Charter School in Ridgeland improve are encouraged to become candidates for the Board of Directors. The deadline for board candidate applications is 4 p.m., April 6, and the online election will be held May 10-11.</p>
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<p>Candidates must apply online and the application is available directly at https://forms.gle/5bKiiyFU44eayLtq6 or via the school website at www.polaristech.org.</p>
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<p>Board members serve two-year terms. There are six seats open, three through the election and three to be appointed by the current Board of Directors. To ensure a fair and confidential election, the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina will oversee the board election process.</p>
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<p>Meetings are held monthly, usually at the school campus in Ridgeland, Jasper County, or by Zoom. By law, at least half the board must have experience in business or education and all board members must be South Carolina residents.</p>
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<p>The Polaris Tech Governance Committee will select a slate of three candidates to appear on the ballot and recommend those to the full Board. All prospective candidates must complete the official Polaris Tech board application on the school website, www.polaristech.org.</p>
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<p>Applications must be completed and submitted online no later than 4 p.m. April 6. Incomplete or late applications won’t be accepted.</p>
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<p>By April 28, the slate of candidates with profile information will be posted on the Polaris Tech website for the election. In early May, families of enrolled children and staff will receive special instructions on how to vote online using the same process as last year.</p>
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<p>During the candidate recruitment process, Polaris Tech continues to accept student applications through March 31 for the upcoming school year. Rising 5th through 12th grade students are welcome. Applications close March 31 and are available online at <a href="http://www.polaristech.org" data-type="URL" data-id="www.polaristech.org">www.polaristech.org</a>.</p>
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