The school floor issue should be taken up by elected officials, not county voters, Paul Rush said Sunday.

The four-term member of the Scotland County Board of Education made the statement at the NAACP-sponsored candidate's forum.

"I would not agree to have a referendum," he said. "We are not a state run on referendums."

He pointed to a pair of county issues – the proposed landfill and a recreation center – that he said would likely also never come before county voters.

The school floor is the minimum county contribution required by state law to Scotland County Schools. County officials attribute 56 cents of the $1.02 county property tax rate to the mandated funding.

Scotland is the only county in the state with a school floor.

His answer was meant to preempt any questions on the school-floor issue, Rush said, as it was an issue at the candidates forum sponsored by the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce.

Rush, who is running to keep his Stewartsville District seat, was the only school board candidate to discuss the topic at the forum.

Seven other school board candidates attended the forum: Mary Evans, Darrell "B.J." Gibson and Rodney Hassler, candidates for the two Stewartsville District seats, and Charlie Fipps, Calvin Newton, Jennifer O'Donnell and James Underwood, Jr., candidates for the two At-Large seats. Three did not attend: Jimmy Bennett and Vicki Jackson, candidates At-Large, and Teresa Chavis Locklear, a Stewartsville District candidate.

The candidates also reacted to the dropout rate, which the school system released last week.

In the 2008-2009 school year, the dropout rate edged up 0.4 percent with 85 students leaving school. The top reason for students dropping out was attendance, which accounted for slightly more than half of all dropouts.

Underwood was the first to bring up the issue, decrying the increased rate in his opening statement.

"I believe there should be an outcry," he said, pointing blame at the community for not adequately supporting its children.

The first question was from Mike Galloway, who asked about the attendance issue.

The candidates all agreed that the issue with attendance starts in the home, with several mentioning initiatives the school system could take on.

Gibson called for a dedicated dropout prevention coordinator to help the system stave off student departures.

Evans suggested recruiting additional attendance liaisons. Scotland County Schools currently has four.

Rush and Newton, both incumbents, pointed to current methods being used to prevent dropouts. Newton said the high school redesign will reenergize the student body and increase attendance while Rush pointed to $150,000 already being spent on dropout prevention.

Rep. Garland Pierce asked the group if they would like the state to penalize parents whose students have issues that could lead to layoffs.

Evans opposed the idea outright, fearing such laws could negatively affect parents' abilities to care for their youth.

The other seven candidates supported the courts getting involved, but made statements against parents being jailed.

Rev. Jesse Brunson asked the candidates how they felt about uniforms, with the every candidate sounding favorable towards the measure.

Each candidate said the school system would reap benefits from a uniform dress code, but all cautioned against a hasty approach as the issue of uniforms is often divisive and requires support from parents, students and schools alike.

The six Democratic candidates for Scotland County commissioner were also present: Daniel Dockery, Carol McCall, Guy McCook and J.D. Willis, candidates for the two Stewartsville District Seats, and John Cooley and Betty Blue Gholston, candidates for the Spring Hill District Seat.

Bill Owens, a Republican seeking a Stewartsville Seat, attended the forum but was not invited to speak as he is not facing primary competition.

The commissioner candidates discussed the landfill, county possibilities for Base Relocation and Closure and lobbying efforts for the airport.

Other candidates who spoke were Philip McRae and Pat Fields, candidates for Clerk of Superior Court, and Shep Jones, candidate for Scotland County Sheriff.

Mike Webb, Jones' primary challenger, did not attend the meeting. According to organizers, he was the only person not to respond to his invitation.