District 7 School Board Trustee resigns

EASLEY — Alice Vander Linden has resigned her seat as the district 7 representative for the School District of Pickens County Board of Trustees, effective last Monday, according to a statement from the former school board member.

The move came after a legal opinion from the State School board attorney had been sought when it was revealed Vander Linden had sold her house, putting her permanent residency — and legal ability to continue to represent district 7 — into question.

According to state law, a Board member must have a permanent residence in the district which they represent at the time of the election, but the language is not clear when it comes to maintaining that residency.

Originally, Vander Linden informed the Board she would not be resigning and that her ability to represent the district was not impacted.

“I feel to resign at this point would be a disservice to both the school district and the students,” she said in a prior interview with The Sentinel-Progress. “The area would be disenfranchised to a great degree and I don’t want to do that to them.”

Vander Linden had lived in her home for the past 56 years and it had been in her family for well over 100 years, she said.

A prior Board of Trustees policy did require school board members to maintain a residence within their district but it was later revealed a prior Board’s policy isn’t binding once a new Board is elected.

She was also trying to save 10 grand in taxpayer money, she said.

“A special election can take place only after 13 Tuesdays from the day of a resignation,” Vander linden said back in April. “If I were to resign today, it would require a special election in the middle of July. A special election would cost approximately $10,000 — which we can ill afford.”

Vander Linden said she was building a new home, but at the time the house was still in the design phase and she wasn’t quite sure where the house’s final location would be. As it turns out, the house will be constructed in Greenville County.

“It’s the same area, I’m basically overlooking where my district was,” she said on Monday. “But, it’s on the other side of the (county) line, so that’s that.”

By waiting until mid-July to post her resignation, the special election to replace her will be held in November — along with all the other municipal elections — eliminating the need to spend extra money.

“I’ll miss it, it was an honor serving the residents of my district and I’m very proud of all of our accomplishments — especially with how we’ve handles the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “Pickens County was an example, we set the standard with how to handle things. I’m quite proud of the district’s success and adaptability during those trying times.”

When asked if she had plans to run for the Greenville County School Board now that she’s determined what her address will be, she laughed.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “But it was an honor.”