Gov. Mark Sanford's recent endorsements of Beaufort County school board candidates in nonpartisan races may scare off future candidates considering a run for the seats, some members of a local citizens group say.

Members of Citizens About Better Schools, a group that formed last year to find and encourage candidates to run for the board, are divided on what they think the impact of the endorsements will be, group leaders say. But some say it will be tougher to find candidates because people who don't have the governor's endorsement won't want to waste their resources campaigning in a race that they aren't likely to win.

This fall, Sanford supported Hilton Head Island resident Stu Rodman in the District 3 race and David Chase of Sun City Hilton Head in the District 10 contest. Both candidates won Nov. 2.

Last November, Sanford supported Richard Tritschler in a three-way race for the Lady's Island District 7 seat. Tritschler also won.

Chase and Tritschler have been members of the citizens group, as has board member Al Stern, Chase's opponent in last week's election.

Tom Conner, chairman of the citizens group, said it will meet next month to talk about the impact Sanford's involvement and discuss strategies for the 2006 school board races.

"There are some people who are upset the governor got into it," he said. But he thinks "the governor's endorsement will take a back seat to a good candidate."

Joan Deery, the group's vice chairwoman, is a bit more skeptical. When group members recruit candidates, "people will ask us what the governor is going to do," she said.

But "I'll go to the meetings and I am keeping my mind open," she said.

Conner and Deery said that Citizens About Better Schools is a nonpartisan group. If it ever becomes partisan, they said, they will no longer be part of it.

According to the South Carolina School Boards Association, 81 of the state's 85 school boards are nonpartisan.

"We prefer that school board elections be held in a nonpartisan manner," said Scott Price, an attorney for the association. "Public education issues should not be driven by partisan politics."

Price said he can't say whether Sanford's endorsement represents partisanship, but he thinks partisan politics "could chill some candidates from coming forward to serve."

Stern said the governor's endorsements have "changed a nonpartisan board to a partisan board."

When he ran in 2000, Stern said both parties stayed out of things. But this year, the Beaufort County Republican party supported Rodman, Chase and Jane Kiser, who ran against incumbent Laura Bush for the District 4 Bluffton seat. Then, he said, in a newspaper advertisement, the Beaufort County Democratic Party supported Laura Bush.

But even if the parties continue to weigh in, Conner said, Citizens About Better Schools "certainly isn't going to throw in the towel on this."

The group has had a great deal of success, he said. Uncontested school board races historically have been a problem in Beaufort County. But of the four seats up for election this year, only Earl Campbell, who represents Sheldon, Dale and Lobeco in northern Beaufort County's District 6, ran unopposed.

In addition, group member Bonnie Smith held an 11-session training for candidates, he said.

Even though the next election is two years away, Conner said the group will begin preparing for it now.

"We've got some momentum," he said.