No doubt other aspects of life in Berkeley County annoy the residents, but what really stirred the hornet's nest was the belief that, if they voted for a tax increase for its schools, another school would be built on Daniel Island. Then the Berkeley School Board said, well, maybe it will be in Cainhoy. Residents see this as bait-and-switch, and they may be correct.
Yet leaving Berkeley for Charleston County is not the same as leaving the Berkeley County School District for the Charleston County School District! No one seems to focus on the parameters involved: will CCSD agree to build another school on Daniel Island? Will CCSD purchase the Daniel Island School from Berkeley County? Where will the money come from?
Where will students from Daniel Island go to high school? the already-overcrowded Wando or the nearer, and nearly empty, North Charleston High School? If a middle school is not built on Daniel Island, where will middle schoolers go? Moultrie (overcrowded), Cario (overcrowded) or Northwoods?
Perhaps the rising talk and indignation will be used to force the Berkeley County School District to put the new school on the island, the best possible outcome for those parents who want their children to walk or bike to school.
Busing, and as much of it as possible, is the preferred mode of transportation in CCSD.
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In response to the question of where the money will come from. It's very simple. CCSD will simply assume the debt from BCSD in an amount equal to the value of the school and the other purchased county facilities. The principal and interest on the debt will be paid by the new tax revenue generated by the annexed property. Boom. Done.
You can bet CCSD will be working late in an effort to show how making the temporary penny sales tax permanent can further their "build baby build" policies, now to include Daniel Island. The really tough question is how will Daniel Island fit politically into the Act of Consolidation which provides for 8 constituent school governing and attendance districts. Is Daniel Island to become part of District 2 (Mt.P) or District 4 (N.Chas.)? Or will it become a new 9th constituent district? Does anyone involved with the Charleston County legislative delegation care to comment? Why not just break up CCSD and turn the whole mess over to county council?
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