Destroying Garrett and a Football Stadium in CCSD

If the Charleston County School District wants the good opinion of its inhabitants, destroying schools should not be on the agenda. Garrett Academy has been a cornerstone of technology in North Charleston for decades. "Garrett, a county-wide magnet school that already offers technical programs including pre-engineering, cosmetology and architectural design, draws most of its 401 students from North Charleston attendance zones." And North Charleston likes it that way.

As reported last March, " Beverly Gadson-Birch of the Charleston Area Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance said she supported the idea of a North Charleston CAS, but not at the expense of closing Garrett and razing the stadium."

"'Now that (Garrett) is predominantly black and no longer one of your showcase schools, you want to close it, merge it with North Charleston High, close down a stadium that's important to that community, build another stadium somewhere else, spend more taxpayers' money to construct a new stadium,' Gadson-Birch said. 'Stop using these children as pawns.'"

You have to ask yourself, why do administrative staff in the district wish to eliminate Garrett? No one at the Taj Mahal consulted those affected when they devised the 2014 county ballot item. Apparently it never occurred to them that the lowly peons in North Charleston might want to keep what was theirs.

"One proposal was to build the CAS on the current site of a football stadium beside North Charleston High. Another option was to build the CAS by adding on to the campus of Garrett Academy of Technology."

"District staff recommended that the board stick with its original plan, which would involve eliminating Garrett Academy, and build the center next to North Charleston High. Several Garrett Academy alumni implored the board to keep their school open and move the CAS to its campus in the Waylyn neighborhood."

The school board "voted unanimously Monday to put off a decision and instead create a steering committee with North Charleston community leaders and elected officials."

Forming another committee hardly solves the problem. The vote postponed last March and now postponed again this September will never buy enough time for those most affected to change their minds.

Time to bite the bullet. Put the Center for Advanced Studies with Garrett and keep your hands off their beloved football stadium. 

Is it too much to ask that district administration do what the people want for a change?