Postlewait Announces Garrett Closing Without School Board Vote

The Charleston County Superintendent of Schools decides on school closings without an official vote from CCSD's elected Board of Trustees.

Now you begin to see what the Coalition for Kids (aka for the Status Quo) was all about: handing power from the school board to the superintendent. Will this school board object? Of course not. The superintendent makes the decisions in Charleston County. The elected board is there for show purposes only.

As Lowcountry News reported recently, 

"a Charleston County School District (CCSD) official told Garrett Academy of Technology faculty members last week that the school would be closing at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. The teachers were advised to apply for other jobs. Garrett became a countywide magnet school for vocational training in the mid-1990s. The school initially had 17 career offerings and an enrollment of more than 700 students. The career programs have been cut in recent years, and the enrollment has declined. The Charleston County School Board has not yet voted to close Garrett.

The Garrett faculty was also told that none of the existing career programs at the school will be continued at the $42.7 million North Charleston career school scheduled to open in August 2020. The school is slated to be built across the street from North Charleston High School at the existing football stadium and will serve all of the North Area high schools. CCSD has not yet listed the career offerings that will be provided or the cost to staff the career school faculty.

Most Garrett students live in the North Charleston High School attendance area. If the school is closed, students enrolled there at the end of the 2019-2020 school year would be transferred to their home schools. Business partnerships and internship opportunities have declined at Garrett in recent years at a time when local contractors are struggling to find workers. The Dorchester County Career School places 75% of its students in apprenticeships and has business partners in each of its 18 career programs. Rumors are swirling that a real estate developer wants to build apartments on the current Garrett facility.

Probably the CCSD official thought it good to let Garrett teachers look for other jobs. Another example of how poorly the dedicated teachers fare in this school system.