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CENTRAL - The superintendent of Pickens County schools made a financial contribution to Anderson District 4's board chairman in September, according to Ethics Commission reports.

Dr. Lee D'Andrea, as well as the law firm that advised Anderson District 4 in its superintendent search, gave money to Thomas Dobbins' effort to win a seat in the state House of Representatives.

Childs & Halligan is also the law firm that represents the Pickens County school board.

D'Andrea, of Cental, contributed $50 to Dobbins' campaign on Sept. 1, according to an individual campaign disclosure report Dobbins filed with S.C. Ethics Commission on Oct. 17.

D'Andrea said she has known Dobbins for many years in a professional and personal capacity.

"I do not believe my donation to him - for an office he was seeking unrelated to his duties as an outgoing school board member - created any conflict," she said.

The law firm made two $500 contributions to Dobbins, one on Oct. 17 and the other on May 28, the reports state.

Anderson District 4 board members took recommendations from Childs & Halligan attorneys when making their decision to hire D'Andrea, Dobbins said.

D'Andrea said, however, the law firm did not represent her or her interests at any time.

"Dr. Dobbins contacted me personally to discuss my interest in the position, which eventually led to my speaking individually with the other board members who desired to hire me as superintendent," she said.

"Once the Anderson 4 board decided to offer me the position, which I agreed to accept if released from Pickens, Childs & Halligan assisted Anderson 4 only with the preparation of an employment contract for my review."

Pickens School board member Jim Shelton said the political contributions were not a big issue since D'Andrea and Dobbins had been friends for years. He also said Childs & Halligan attorneys would natural contribute to candidates they felt worthy.

However, he called the law firm's representation of both school boards a conflict of interest.

"They're playing both sides," he said. "They should have disclosed to us when Lee asked to be released from her contract that they were helping Anderson District 4 in its superintendent search."

D'Andrea announced her intentions last month to leave her position in Pickens County to take the superintendent job in Anderson.

The Pickens board voted unanimously to accept her request to be released from her contract early.

Shelton said the matter would have been handled differently if the board had known Childs & Halligan's role with both districts at the time of the vote.

D'Andrea left a position in 2006 as assistant superintendent for Anderson District 4 to take the top leadership role in Pickens County.

She is set to leave her current job June 30, 2009. However two board members, Judy Edwards of Easley and Alex Saitta of Pickens have said publicly she should leave by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, a candidate for a board seat in District 4 has withdrawn because of the superintendent's appointment there.

Powell Hickman decided to withdraw because D'Andrea is his sister-in-law.

However Hickman will have to be temporarily seated because the other candidate, Cory Watson, has been deemed ineligible because of residency requirements, according to Dobbins.

Since D'Andrea will not formally work for the district until July 1, Dobbins said he hopes Watson can resolve his residency issue and replace Hickman on the board by that time.