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PICKENS COUNTY — The Pickens County Office of Registration and Elections said Wednesday that so far three people have filed as candidates for the school board election on Nov. 4.

The candidates are Dale Cantrell, Herbert Cooper and Alex Saitta.

Dale Cantrell, a retired teacher with 29 years in the profession, believes that teachers are being required to spend too much time “teaching the tests” and not enough time “teaching survival skills” to students who are facing an increasingly complex world, she said.

“I believe in accountability, but teachers are under a lot of pressure to perform in the classroom, and it is causing a morale problem,” Cantrell said. “Superintendent (Lee) D’Andrea is doing a good job bringing the schools into the technical age, but she may be moving to fast. Teachers deserve to be trained properly in how to use specialized equipment like the Promethian Board, and they tell me they are not properly trained.”

The Promethian Board, Cantrell said, is a computerized projection system that combines DVD, projection and classroom instruction in a touch-screen, all in one piece of equipment.

“There are things that I may need to learn to do this job, but I cannot help the students if I am not there,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell is running for the position held by James C Brice.

Brice, an 8-year incumbent representing the Easley area, said in a telephone interview that he may not run for re-election.

“I am going to see who might run for my position and decide then,” Brice said Wednesday.

When asked his reaction to Dale Cantrell seeking his seat Brice said, “I do not know her.”Cooper, who is from the Clemson area, has been a school board member since 1992. A physician by training, Cooper owns the Pendleton Medical Clinic. He said he promises to “improve educational opportunities for children in Pickens County” and to improve school facilities.

Saitta, a current school board member from the Pickens area, is an incumbent who has released a statement critical of Superintendent Lee D’Andrea’s performance. Saitta’s experience mainly is on Wall Street, where he was a financial analyst. He is in favor of cutting wasteful spending and setting spending priorities to put the money directly in the classroom, he said.

The filing deadline for School District of Pickens County Board of Trustees seats is Aug. 15, according to the voter registration office.