Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Berkeley CSD Honors Daniel Island Commitment: Why Doesn't CCSD?

Imagine. Ten years ago the Berkeley County School District agreed to keep a K through 8 school on the property donated to it on Daniel Island. Superintendent Thompson recently was reminded of the agreement. That means that Daniel Islanders have won their battle, at least temporarily, to keep those grades on the Island.

Too bad that the Charleston County School District doesn't stand by its commitments in a like manner. The property that contains Memminger Auditorium, now used by the city for performance events, was given for the purpose of educating students in perpetuity. In fact, the remaining auditorium was built as part of the original Memminger School.

Let's hope there's more long-term honor in Berkeley County!

1 comment:

Memminger Alum said...

As one District 20 Board member once put it: "CCSD is a moving target. You can't pin them down on any promise made."

Hooray to Spoleto Festival leaders for considering including the present Memminger Elementary School in their plans for use of the recently renovated facility. Shame on CCSD, Bill Lewis and the superintendent's office for leaving them out. It was the Spoleto group and the neighborhood that insisted the school be included in the use plan. Spoleto officials readily agreed. CCSD negotiators at the time didn't speak up for the school at all.

CCSD would have just preferred to tear down the auditorium and make it a parking lot. Bill Lewis said exactly that in 2005.