Approved Slate of Candidates for 2025 Board Election
Dear Polaris Tech Charter School Parents/Guardians and School Associates,
On April 8, 2025, the Polaris Tech Board of Directors approved the slate of candidates for the 2025 Board election. The candidates and their biographies are listed below.
Please review the information on each candidate and be prepared to vote on April 29 & 30, 2025.
Per South Carolina Charter Law, elected board members are elected by the families of the charter school students and school employees. Voting will take place online via computer or mobile devices. School Associates with NO students enrolled in Polaris Tech are given one vote. Families and school associates with students enrolled in Polaris Tech are given one vote per student enrolled in the school. If a family or school associate have multiple children enrolled at Polaris Tech, they will receive an e¬ ballot for EACH student. Please ensure the school has a current email address on file. Each ballot will have a unique PIN number to ensure confidentiality and integrity of the process. Computers will be available at the school for voting during normal school hours for families with no internet access or for those who seek additional help. The official e-ballot will be available beginning April 29 and 30, 2025 with a link sent to valid voters. All eligible voters are strongly encouraged to vote. Voting will close on April 30, 2025 at 4:00 pm. Votes will be counted, the election will be certified, and results published on May 1, 2025.
Questions regarding the board election process may be directed to [email protected] or [email protected].
Sandra Chavez holds a Masters of Public Administration from Clemson University and is pursuing her doctorate in policy studies with an emphasis on education policy. She is one of Polaris Tech’s founders and wrote much of the original charter; she later served as the school’s first chair for the Board of Directors.
Her experience on boards includes the SC Association of Non-Profits (now Together SC) (2011-2013), United Way of the Lowcountry - Chair of the Board, Education Committee Chair (2011-2014), and the Lowcountry Human Development Center - Chair of the Board (2002-2004). She lives in Okatie, SC.
Her experience on boards includes the SC Association of Non-Profits (now Together SC) (2011-2013), United Way of the Lowcountry - Chair of the Board, Education Committee Chair (2011-2014), and the Lowcountry Human Development Center - Chair of the Board (2002-2004). She lives in Okatie, SC.
Lloyd Newton, currently the board chair, is a Jasper County native and founder of Polaris Tech. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in aviation with a minor in industrial education from Tennessee State University and a Master’s degree in public administraiton from George Washington University. Gen.
Newton retired in 2000 from the U.S. Air Force as a four-star general. Serving in the military for more than three decades, he flew combat missions in Vietnam, performed with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, and led the Air Education and Training Command. He says his 34 years of experience in the US Air Force and in a Forturne 500 company lends itself to the mission of Polaris Tech, and he has a good knowledge of charter school operations and of Polaris Tech.
He lives in Bluffton, served on the Polaris Tech Charter School organizing committee and has been on the board since the school opened in 2018.
Newton retired in 2000 from the U.S. Air Force as a four-star general. Serving in the military for more than three decades, he flew combat missions in Vietnam, performed with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, and led the Air Education and Training Command. He says his 34 years of experience in the US Air Force and in a Forturne 500 company lends itself to the mission of Polaris Tech, and he has a good knowledge of charter school operations and of Polaris Tech.
He lives in Bluffton, served on the Polaris Tech Charter School organizing committee and has been on the board since the school opened in 2018.
Charles Stone is Director of Government Affairs with the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina and certifications in executive leadership from Cornell University and economic development from the University of Oklahoma. He and his family live in Okatie and he is completing his first term on the Polaris Tech board.
He also serves on the Beaufort County Open Land Trust’s Land Committee. He says he brings to Polaris Tech strengths in project management, building funding frameworks for diverse projects, and executive leadership.
He also serves on the Beaufort County Open Land Trust’s Land Committee. He says he brings to Polaris Tech strengths in project management, building funding frameworks for diverse projects, and executive leadership.