Without proper protection from disruptive students, those striving to do their best in school have a much more difficult time doing so, said Taylor Bryant.

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Taylor Bryant: Libertarian Party official says schools need to "work smarter, not harder" on finances and streamlining education.

The candidate for the Richmond County Board of Education's District 6 seat says that is the top challenge facing the school system.

"We have administrators that are doing a good job with these problems," said Bryant, an automotive technician and Libertarian Party official who recently ran for state Senate. "We need to figure out what they're doing right. We don't need to reinvent the wheel."

To keep students interested in school, and less likely to become discipline problems, the district should emphasize career and technical education and make students who are not inclined to go to college see there is another path, he said.

"I think vocational training will give students more interest in school," Bryant said, "and prove to be a light at the end of the tunnel for kids not wanting to go to college."

Bryant said the school district has itself to blame for its financial difficulties, at least in part. He said the process of taking bids on construction projects has "a lot of favoritism," and that there are "too many chiefs and not enough Indians" throughout the school system.

"I think we've got to work smarter, not harder," he said. "We have to get a hold of our mismanagement of money. We have to streamline the process of educating our kids."