Bullet Proof Doors Surprise Charleston County School Board

We're not in Syria or Iraq.

Who's running the show? Isn't that the purview of the elected Charleston County School Board of Trustees?

Don't get me wrong: maybe bullet "resistant" classroom doors are the wave of the future in CCSD, but shouldn't the Board have some input? You could hardly blame the seller, Tony Deering, CEO of Goose Creek-based R2P Innovations, and at least he's local, but still. Deering hasn't actually "sold" anything yet, but he's hoping to get a contract for all the district's doors at a price between $30 and $40 million by contributing this free pilot program. Who could blame him?

CCSD would be his first customer in the school market. However, since the project is "free," the School Board got blind-sided by Jeff Borowy, the district's Chief Operating Officer. 

Surely common sense will prevail before $40 million goes down the drain. Well, maybe not, given the district's track record!

Kudos to CCSD for Resources Supporting Equity in Failing Schools

Those who agree that the status quo in the Charleston County School District is not good enough should applaud CCSD's initiative supplying $3.1 million "in incentive compensation for teachers to teach in our most challenging schools."

That's the bottom line from John C. Read, CEO of Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative (TCCC). As he said, "For equity to have meaning, resources (money and educator talent) need to flow to those who need them the most."

To coin a phrase, "Put your money where your mouth is!"

Together with renewed emphasis on early reading skills, such moves may make all the difference--until such time as CCSD figures out how to integrate its elementary schools.

Time will tell.

Year-round School a Nightmare, Not a Fix for "Summer Slide"

Who remembers being bored to tears in elementary school because the first half of the year was spent reviewing what you learned the previous spring? There's got to be a better way, but as long as "under-resourced" students experience the "summer slide" in skills, those mind-numbing days will continue.

So-called "year round" schedules are not a fix either; in fact, they cause a nightmarish maze of problems for students, teachers, and parents alike. Most of these schedules involve three-week vacations at intervals during the school year. Take it from one who's been there--you don't want to go down that slippery slope.

First of all, these schedules create the "three-week slide." Think I'm exaggerating? Not.

Second, what do employed parents do for kids left on their own at three-week vacations? Parents don't enjoy that kind of vacation time, so babysitters and activities must be paid for--or kids left to their own devices.

Third, try being a teacher struggling over months to teach students a particular subject or skill and planning around those interruptions. What happens? Less content to the year, that's what.

No, there must be a better way! In fact, no study has shown that these schedules fix the problem.

In fact, what these students need used to be called summer school.

"In a partnership between the Charleston County School District and the nonprofit Charleston Promise Neighborhood, students from Mary Ford and Chicora Elementary meet for four weeks early in the summer in a program that's free for families, with breakfast, lunch and snacks included."

"They spend the mornings in the classroom focused on reading and math. Students might spend time on computer-based assignments that tailor themselves to the students' precise academic levels; other days they might work on group projects. In Courtney Reed's classroom of rising fifth-graders Wednesday morning, students were collaborating on a television newscast, complete with cameras and a green screen. Along the way, they practiced their language skills by filling out "job applications" and conducting interviews with each other."

Summer school by any other name is--summer camp?

Mt Pleasant's Most Thankless Job: Drawing CCSD High School Lines

Want to make more than a few influential enemies? Take a place on the Charleston County School District's Constituent Board 2 for East Cooper. It's about to hazard a "knock-down, drag-out school rezoning fight" as it draws the line between Wando and Lucy Beckham High Schools.

"School rezoning is one of the few decisions delegated to Charleston County's constituent school boards, holdover elected bodies from the years before the school district consolidated." Actually, many other responsibilities have been taken away in the last few years. The consolidated school board probably hopes it never gets this one.

If 35 parents attend a meeting to draw lines for Moultrie Middle, imagine the coming furor. "The line, wherever it falls, could cleave neighborhoods in two. It could split friend groups from middle school, wreak havoc on morning traffic patterns, or send athletic talent to a soon-to-be rival football team." It took seven different maps and a 3-2 vote for the middle school.

Note to Constituent Board 2: No matter what you do, the unsatisfied parents will be much louder and more vicious than those who are happy. 

Good luck with that!

SC: If You Can't Read, You Should Not Be in Fourth Grade

Common sense says that a fourth grader who cannot read will not feel good about himself, so why is keeping him back a year bad for his psyche? It's a lose-lose phenomenon unless someone addresses his lack of skills. What if the non-reading fourth grader is then passed on to fifth grade to avoid hurt feelings?

Think this scenario doesn't happen? Then you haven't read about the entering ninth graders at North Charleston High School who read below the fourth-grade level. In the past if a student couldn't read, he or she was passed on to the next level to become someone else's problem. 

Now, why would a non-reader drop out of high school?

Duh.

That's the premise behind South Carolina's Read to Succeed Act. No one should be surprised that some non-readers must comply with its guidelines. Summer reading camp is a must for them.

"Put another way: In a representative class of 30 third-graders from across the state, two children would face the prospect of getting held back."

Sounds about right, actually. The problem is, that's not what's happening.

What's disturbing is that all but four of Charleston County's 51 students affected by the law attended Title I schools. 

How long, oh Lord, how long will it take CCSD to do what's necessary for these failing schools? 

To suggest, as one expert did at the Charleston Forum, that standardized testing has been a "major setback" for black students is incredible. Standardized testing has revealed what school districts have tried to hide. Not knowing that a student can't read would be better? Nonsense.

"It also remains to be seen how many students will really have to repeat the third grade. The 2014 Read to Succeed Act, which set the new cutoff this year, includes a list of seven "good cause exemptions" that could allow students to progress to fourth grade even if they scored "Not Met 1" — the lowest failing grade — on the reading sub-test of the SC READY assessment in the spring."

"Students who have been in an English for Speakers of Other Languages program for less than two years, who have certain learning disabilities, who have received two years of reading intervention and were previously retained, or who submit a "reading portfolio" that demonstrates adequate reading skills can all be passed on to fourth grade."

Too many exemptions, but at least it's a start. And the camps are using phonics.😃

African Liberation School Receives Support for Education in Summerville

Better known for his detente with SC Secessionist Party leader James Bessinger, Black Nationalist Shakem Amen Akhet (aka Johnathan Thrower) has initiated a 15-student youth academy this month at the Summerville Resource Center run by DD2 gadfly Louis Smith. Pastor Thomas Ravenell is assisting as a mentor at the school.

The school, named for  Black Lives Matter activist Muhiyidin Moye, murdered in New Orleans last February, uses a curriculum named "From the Block Up," written by Akhet and Moye. "The 32-year-old Moye, who also went by the last name d'Baha, led Charleston's chapter of Black Lives Matter. He rose to local fame through his work in the wake of the 2015 shooting of Walter Scott by a white police officer, Michael Slager, and became known for activism that sometimes got him labeled as disruptive by the Holy City's establishment."

The man his friends sometimes called "'the black hippie'" had a master's degree and was interested in education. "Ultimately, Akhet, Ravenell and Duncan [Moye's sister] hope that the youth academy will help empower young, black youth to succeed in life as well as give them a firm sense of their cultural history. 'We understand that if a person doesn't know their history, they don't understand their future,' Akhet said. 'And the history of the Gullah Geechee people is that of overcoming difficulties, resistance (and) being able to form their own colonies.'"

"By teaching this history, in conjunction with emphasizing academic achievement, he said he hopes to give the students an understanding that black people emerged from the terrors of slavery to found their own, thriving civilization. 'We want to give them that sense of hope, that sense of direction,' Akhet said. 'We're not just thugs and drug dealers and gangbangers. We want them to understand the culture and the beauty of it so we can have a legacy of excellence that they can look forward to.'"

Dorchester District 2 has encouraged the program by donating 15 laptops for students' use as well as a program that keeps track of their progress over the summer. "The school plans to teach basics, such as reading, writing and math, and also cover politics, methods of direct action, civil disobedience and the Gullah Geechee culture."

The reporter had little curiosity regarding how the 15 students were selected or even their ages.

CCSD's Stono Park: "Educating Children Where They Live"

Thanks to concerted efforts by parents and the District 10 School Board--and a CCSD Board that finally listened, a new building for Stono Park Elementary is under way. Although next year its student body will occupy the old St. Andrew's High building on Wappoo Road, by the 2019-20 school year the district hopes to have the new building ready.

Meanwhile, Stono Park suffers from the same integration problems plaguing many of Charleston County's middle- and lower-middle-class neighborhoods: white flight. How else to explain its  present statistics? "Located in a racially balanced middle income attendance zone, Stono Park has a student population which is 83% black and 5% Latino, with 91% of students living in poverty."

The unpalatable truth is that school's culture reflects these statistics. White middle-class parents, while sympathetic to others, won't make their children's educations into an experiment in the dominant black culture. Fixing that perception will take more than a new $25 million building.

"The school has significantly better student performance than other CCSD schools with similar demographics. When the school re-opens in its new building, it hopes to attract more students from the surrounding neighborhoods. [Charleston Mayor] Tecklenburg spoke about the importance of quality neighborhood schools and remarked that 'the new building will bring about a new spirit of excellence.'”

If we could wave a magic wand, the school's present 300 students would be joined by 200 neighborhood white students when the 500-student building opens in August 2019. 

What a blessing that would be to all concerned--but how would it ever be achieved?

Dorchester County May Soon Get Charter School

At present, 14 charter schools have opened their doors in Charleston County and one has in Berkeley County. Now the state charter school governing board has approved GREEN Charter School's forming two more locations--one in the rapidly growing areas of  the Lowcountry. Dorchester County is in the bullseye.

The school districts in the three counties have no say in whether this new charter will enter, since it's a creation of the state charter district.

"The school uses a curriculum written by the National Energy Education Development Project, whose sponsors and partners include major petroleum and utility companies like BP America, Citgo, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy.The charter school opened its original location in Greenville in 2013 and became the first charter school in the state to replicate its model when it opened a Midlands location in Irmo in 2017." 

"GREEN Charter School's name is an acronym for Greenville Renewable Energy Education, but New Schools Coordinator Jodi Isaacs said the school teaches students to weigh the pros and cons of both 'renewable and nonrenewable energy.'" Founders hope to open in the fall of 2019 with up to 280 students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade.

Does a need exist for a charter elementary school in Dorchester County? We'll find out.

Remember: SC's Governor Has No Power Over Education

As we consider the results of this year's gubernatorial primary, it might be wise to remember what many voters don't understand: our state's Governor cannot affect our educational system, thanks to our state constitution. As Republicans McMaster and Warren move into a run off, their statements about education at best should be considered "cheer leading." 

Actually Democrat gubernatorial loser Willis had the best attitude on the education issue:

"Rather than put forth education policy proposals, the third leading Democratic candidate, 67-year-old lawyer Marguerite Willis, instead focuses on the fact that South Carolina is one of 13 states with an elected, not governor-appointed, superintendent. With the Department of Education not part of the governor’s cabinet, Willis has focused on the departments directly under the governor’s control."

“'I love these guys, I really do,' Willis said of Smith and Noble at a May 15 debate. 'But they haven’t read the South Carolina constitution. Education is not a job that belongs to the governor in this state. … Constitutionally it is not the job of the governor. The governor has got to bloom where she is planted — the Department of Commerce, the Bureau of Prisons, [the Department of Health and Environmental Control], and health care, that’s the bottom line.'”

She should have said, "It 's the legislature, stupid."

Let's start by voting to change the Superintendent of Education's office to an appointed one. That will be on the ballot in November.

SC's ESSA Changes Presented in CCSD

What ever happened to NCLB (No Child Left Behind)? Evidently, too many were left behind. Under President Obama it morphed into ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). Only time will show if every student succeeds.

Meanwhile, early in May the US Department of Education approved South Carolina's submission to meet the newest strictures of ESSA. and later that month those affected met to find out how Charleston County schools will change. "Kendall Deas, co-director of the project and a College of Charleston adjunct assistant professor of education policy, said the Every Student Succeeds Act gives states and local districts more responsibility and authority, while another big component is aimed at getting parents more involved in their children's education."

According to Education Week, 

"South Carolina is planning to consider science and social studies achievement, along with the more traditional math and science, in rating its schools. The state will also be looking at college- and career-readiness for high schools. South Carolina got a shout-out in a 50-state look at how states are using practices backed by research to fix low-performing schools by Results for America's Evidence in Education Lab."

"The Palmetto State has also developed a catalogue of state-approved, evidence-based interventions that schools will be required to choose from. And "transformation coaches" will help schools select and implement these interventions."

Ah, bureaucracy! South Carolina's plan is 200 pages long.

Charleston's Deep State Takeover of School Board

They can't stand it: people keep being elected to the Charleston County School Board that they didn't personally select! Now Charleston County's version of the deep state has decided to take concerted action. "Some of Charleston County's wealthiest and most politically connected figures — including three mayors — plan to endorse a slate of candidates and overhaul the school board in the upcoming November election."

You see, the School Board controls so much money and so many jobs, not to mention contracts, that the selection of members simply can't be left to the hoi polloi. What do they know anyway?

This self-selected aristocracy of power doesn't believe in democracy. Look what happens: we get a [shudder] Chris Collins elected, and those individuals don't go along and get along. They aren't prepared to rubber stamp everything the superintendent wants.

We wouldn't be in this situation if we had (1) single-member districts and (2) partisan seats. Our local version of the deep state believes those are the worst things that could happen. Why, if we had single-member districts not swamped by the Mt. Pleasant vote, the North Charleston members might demand improvement to North Charleston's schools. Horrors!

And if we had partisan races, voters might actually know what candidates stood for, unlike now (and apparently into the future) where they mainly stand for self-aggrandizement, and a safe venue for Democrats who otherwise wouldn't be elected.

Think there's no difference in how Republicans and Democrats view educational goals? Naive, aren't you?

The poorly-named Charleston Coalition for Kids should be renamed the Charleston Coalition for Political Power. Mayors have no authority over school boards, although maybe they should. They should keep their noses clean. The wealthy don't always know what's best for the poor. Director Josh Bell's experience with Teach for America hardly qualifies him to select Charleston's school board.

Be critical, be very critical of candidates supported by this group.

Academic Magnet Seat for Sale: Just $300 Spent in Charleston County

You're a resident of Charleston County. Your eighth grader is at the top of his class and placed in the 99th percentile on his latest MAP test. He's on the waiting list at Academic Magnet. Don't you wonder how many residents of other counties got accepted before him?

You should.

This is an old story, fifty-six years old to be precise. Yet it didn't make much difference until the Charleston County School District created the Academic Magnet and School of the Arts. Now if you live in Berkeley or Dorchester Counties, or anywhere else in the state, for that matter, you can scour the listings of dilapidated housing or arcane empty lots to buy a seat. The minimum price is $300, peanuts. And it appears that state legislators are on your side. Otherwise, why hasn't the law been changed? 

Money talks, that's why.

Forty residents of Charleston County were denied seats at the schools last year because outsiders took their place. Nonresidents can argue all they want that their students are qualified; that's not the point. 

At least consider raising the cost of property to $300,000. Then the student will be paying taxes to support his education. Who can buy a Charleston County property for just $300? Even 56 years ago that amounted to only about $2500. What piece of property in Charleston County would go for even that low a price?

The rich look out for their own.

Demand action from your elected state legislators. They're on the ballot next week.

J J Watt Helps CCSD's Jerry Zucker Middle School

Twenty thousand dollars may seem like mere peanuts when considering the overall budget of the Charleston County School District, but for a North Charleston middle school, it's like a gift from heaven. 

Too bad some of the millions being spent on CCSD's glamour football stadiums can't be spent on such necessities as middle school uniforms. You see, stadiums are built with capital funds.

That means football players and their families must somehow pay for individual equipment. Now thanks to J.J. Watt Foundation, "Money. . .  has been used for uniforms and equipment, and to pay for supplies for soccer, volleyball, football and basketball. Specifically, $9,360.20 was used for football uniforms, shoulder pads, leg pads, helmets, and footballs. Another $1,206.50 went toward soccer uniforms and balls. Volleyball uniforms, balls, knee pads, and line flags will account for $1,862 of the donation. And boys’ and girls’ basketball will get $4,000 for uniforms. The school also used $2,389 to buy football/soccer combo goals."

It's a wonderful gift but also a sad commentary on how Charleston County schools are financed.

"Be A Mentor" Chance to Help CCSD Students

One adult can make a difference in a student's life.

That's the idea behind Be A Mentor, a nonprofit that has made a difference to local students for almost a decade. Now it hopes to recruit another 125 volunteers for the next school year. While its elementary programs extend into Summerville, most of its 250 volunteers meet with students in the Charleston County School District and mentor through high school. 

Rather than identifying "students at risk," this nonprofit names them "youth on the brink of success." Volunteers meet weekly with these students for one hour.

"The group is also trying to figure out what’s working. It’s working with the College of Charleston to survey mentors and students to hone its training, and it’s angling to bring their families into the fold — to make mentoring about more than an hour a week."

"The group is recruiting prospective mentors through early June. Volunteers have to be at least 21, pass a background check and participate in training."

More information and registration can be found at www.beamentornow.org/volunteer.html 

CCSD Prepares More Than Cakes at "Stallbucks" Bakery

Thanks to a grant three years ago from the SC Developmental Disabilities Council some Stall High School students can take pride in their role as the "bakery kids." Their proudest accomplishment? Providing cake pops, "cheesecake, rice cereal treats and a chocolate fountain with fruit" for the prom.

"Throughout the school year, students took online and paper orders from teachers. They even hand-delivered coffee to classrooms when teachers were having a 'coffee emergency.' Even some of the teachers have taken to calling the Recipe For Success Bakery 'Stallbucks.'"

In a cultural atmosphere that demands every student attend college it's rare to find some real-world job training that makes sense. These students not only have learned how to bake, they also have learned how to work as a team. 

"Something positive to be proud of" should be the aim for every high school student's day.

CCSD's Early College High School Reveals Failure to Offer Workforce Courses

It's not unique if Charleston County's Early College High School (ECHS), just finishing its inaugural year, copied a program in Horry County touted by Superintendent Postlewait. However, this program could fulfill a need that CCSD graduates paid for in previous years: 60 hours of free college credits. Given the burden of debt most college attendees suffer, that's not small potatoes.

CCSD has correctly selected students scoring between 40 and 60 percent on eighth-grade tests. These students are most likely not to take AP courses and likely to enter a two-year college or technical school prior to attending a four-year institution (if ever). Those initial students have struggled in the hard sciences in this compressed program but mostly succeeded. 

Sadly, most students graduating from CCSD schools must pay for credits they should have taken for free in high school. Our technical colleges have taken over the responsibility to prepare students for work. They've even taken over the responsibility to prepare students for college--check out what percentage of Trident Tech students enrol in remedial courses in any given semester!

Without saying so, this latest program attempts to bridge that gap, especially for those who should succeed in completing a degree or certification program and who come from "under-resourced" families. 

Let's hope that ECHS continues to attract the numbers needed to succeed.