Quagmire for CCSD's Downtown Middle Schools

Keep Burke Middle School at Burke High in order to keep the building full?

Move Burke Middle to the Rhett Building?

Add middle grades at Sanders-Clyde?

Add middle grades at Memminger?

Create an entirely new middle school on the Fraser campus?

What is going on with multiple proposals from Superintendent McGinley to mend the community's dislike of downtown middle schools (with the exception of the Charter School for Math and Science)?

She's trying to get enough projects going in District 20 that its voters will approve of the next referendum on the one-percent sales tax for a new district-wide building program.

Hence, James Simons third floor remains unfinished, even though the school was listed on the last referendum.

Meeting Tuesday night will reveal what is really the Superintendent's choice, despite being labeled for community input.

James Simons Move Delayed Again?

The Charleston County School District can't blame this further delay on either parents or rain.

James Simons Elementary, which CCSD announced last summer would be in temporary quarters until October, will not be moving until at least Thanksgiving. We can't wait to see what creative excuse the district proffers to parents this time.

Meanwhile, the district is keeping this further delay under wraps as long as possible: administration doesn't want the parents to know until the last minute. Maybe the delay involves coming up with an excuse.

As they say, is this any way to run an airline, that is, school district?

James Simons Construction Delays?

It's June. Now what excuse does the CCSD superintendent give for lagging construction on the new James Simons building?

CCSD Blames James Simons Community for Building Delays

Anyone paying attention knows that construction has been going great guns on the new Buist building slated to open next August. Neighbors have even complained regarding noise on the building site at night since March of 2012. Not so the three other District 20 buildings being seismically redone, in particular, not so for James Simons Elementary. While the new building is constructed, those students are getting up at 6 a.m. to be bussed to the old Brentwood campus near the intersection of Ashley Phosphate and I-26 and arriving home who knows when.

Now it turns out that Superintendent McGinley blames slowness at the Simons building site on its community. (You can't make this stuff up.) Any changes to original plans should be laid squarely at her doorstep, since she never listened to what the community desired in the first place.

And what caused the hurry at Buist? Those well-connected parents will raise hell if the school isn't finished on time; James Simons parents don't possess that amount of clout.

Will the delay hurt development of the Montessori program at James Simons? Well, it won't help.

CSSD To Peninsula Parents: Trust Us

CCSD does not know where students from six peninsula schools will be sent while earthquake reinforcements are made. Nor does it know when they will return. Also, it doesn't know how the district will pay for it.

Wow, isn't it well thought-out? [See Peninsula Parents Skeptical of Move in Thursday's P&C.]

Buist parents can rest easy in their strong organizational support, knowing full well that the magnet school, if moved off the peninsula, will get what it wants. Parents at neighborhood schools such as James Simons aren't so sure--and why should they be? As one parent said,

"she came to find out why the district seemed to be pushing to relocate students as soon as possible without a plan for when they could return. She left with the same question. She said no one explained why, after decades of use by students, the buildings were now being declared unsafe, and she believes the district intends to close more downtown schools. 'I'm all for safety,' she said. 'The whole thing is, why all of a sudden is it such a rush?'"

Isn't that what we're all asking?

Meanwhile, the state legislature is planning to cut even more funds from school districts, cuts that may affect funds for busing. And McGinley's plans will demand more busing.

Why, Thank You, P & C! How Kind of You

I wonder when the editors of the P & C realized that their investigation into disparities in discipline between black and white students would force them to publish a list of the CCSD schools that are de facto segregated. My guess is, too far into the process to turn back.

[See Statistical Analysis for Sunday's article.]

Manigault must be on his way to the hospital with a heart attack after seeing CCSD's List of Shame published, especially as the comparable lists for Berkeley and Dorchester 2 were so short.

Statistics. In the course of the investigation, schools that had fewer than 40 black or 40 white students were eliminated from analysis. According to a companion article on the statistical methods used,

"The sample size eliminated nearly half, or 37 of 82, of the schools or programs from analysis in Charleston County. Students in three programs — the Special Day School, Septima P. Clark Corporate Academy and Montessori Community School — were counted separate from any school, which led to Charleston having 82 different schools rather than 79.

Politano said [. . . ] In Charleston, 30 of the schools had fewer than 20 students who were in the school's racial minority, and 22 of the excluded schools had fewer than 10 students in the racial minority." [italics mine]

No surprise to frequent readers of this blog. Did any schools in District 20 (besides Buist) make the cut? See for yourself.

The List of Shame: SCHOOLS ELIMINATED FROM ANALYSIS

Berkeley:

Cainhoy Elementary/Middle, J.K. Gourdin Elementary, St. Stephen Middle

Charleston:

Baptist Hill High, C.C. Blaney Elementary, Brentwood Middle, Burke High, Edmund A. Burns Elementary, Charleston Development Academy, Charleston Progressive Academy, Chicora Elementary, Septima P. Clark Corporate Academy, Matilda F. Dunston Elementary, East Cooper Montessori Charter, Wilmot J. Fraser Elementary, Edith Frierson Elementary, Garrett Academy, Haut Gap Middle, Malcolm Hursey Elementary, James Simons Elementary, Jane Edwards Elementary, Lincoln High, Mary Ford Elementary, McClellanville Middle, Memminger Elementary, Military Magnet Academy, Minnie Hughes Elementary, Julian Mitchell Elementary, Montessori Community, Mount Pleasant Academy, Mt. Zion Elementary, Murray-LaSaine Elementary, R.D. Schroder Middle, Sanders-Clyde Elementary, Special Day School, St. James-Santee Elementary, St. Johns High, Sullivan's Island Elementary, Susan G. Boykin Academy, Greg Mathis Charter High

Dorchester District 2: None

If housing patterns in Charleston County really were this segregated, the list wouldn't be so shameful. Contemplate where Memminger Elementary is located, for example.

McGinley:Deja Vu All Over Again

Welcome to Goodloe-Johnson redux.


New Superintendent McGinley did not promise change to get her position; in fact, she had to indicate that her tenure would be more of the same. If the days between August 21st, the first day of school, and September 21st, the first day of fall, are a leading indicator, she's holding true to that promise.


Let's look at the record.

• Is CCSD still throwing everything but the kitchen sink in the path of the new Charter High School of Math and Science?
• Are meetings being held in CCSD in violation of the Freedom of Information Act?
• Has any progress been made on the details of the phantom "AP Academy" at Burke or the phantom "High-Tech High" at Rivers?
• Has any progress been made on ending de facto segregation in District 20?
• Does Fraser still have half a principal and multiple substitute teachers instead of permanent ones?
• Has Charleston Progressive received any of the resources that would make it a true magnet school instead of a magnet in name only?
• Is Buist Academy still hiding vacancies in its upper grades while a thousands-strong waiting list, well, waits?
• Have the Superintendent and Bill Lewis surprised an unsuspecting District 20 with the planned destruction of two neighborhood schools?
• Is the District now channeling resources that should have gone to CPA into a school it plans to destroy?
• Has the overflow of disgruntled Buist applicants channeled by fiat into St. Andrews Elementary caused multiple ongoing problems and an overcrowded school?
• Has the Superintendent allowed a free flow of conversation with any constituency in CCSD besides the school board?
• Is CCSD still channeling dollars into non-profits that don't produce?
• Is the Mayor still meddling in CCSD and claiming not to?

Apparently the one constant here is NO CHANGE.

No trust, either.

Surprise? CCSD Board Violates FOIA

Whatever happened to transparency needed in CCSD to improve public trust? Unfortunately, Superintendent McGinley seems to believe secrecy is her friend.

For example, her "conversations" in the districts this fall turn out to be staged opportunities to answer questions from index cards carefully culled to showcase topics she wishes to address. Her meetings with constituent district boards, except for the one in District 20, have all broken the FOIA. In District 20 the constituent board refused to break it by meeting with her behind closed doors.

Now we learn that she and the school board again broke the FOIA by discussing the restructuring of associate superintendents' responsibilities for one and one-half hours in executive session--claiming they were going over "personnel matters."

Oh, Nancy, Nancy, you have such big plans to improve the district, but you still don't get it. Such incidents combined with your sudden announcement that Memminger and James Simons Schools will be destroyed (yes, that's the correct word) are going to be your downfall. Do you want to improve the district or not?

Outsourcing for Principals: How About South Carolina's Talent?

While the state focuses on creating principals who have the skills to create master teachers, CCSD seems locked into appointing as many out-of-state principals as possible. What is the rationale behind poor treatment of respected and proven leaders from the Lowcountry and South Carolina?

Take, for example, William Dixon of James Simons Elementary School. Dixon came to CCSD from Columbia in 2004. He previously was an AP and coach at Dreher High School, where he was on a track to become a principal. He was brought in as the assistant principal at Buist (the accepted slot for Buist's one-and-only black teacher/administrator in recent years). His background in administration was solid, and he was obviously overqualified as the AP at Buist.

According to a reliable source, in early 2005 Dixon was among the finalists interviewing for the opening as principal at James Simons. He was the top choice of both the District 20 constituent board and the school committee, but Goodloe-Johnson bypassed the recommendations to appoint someone from Springfield, Mass. Her choice resigned after fewer than three months in the position. She then gave Dixon an "interim appointment" (after having passed him over previously) at less pay and no guarantees beyond the remainder of the 2005-06 school year. CCSD and HR refused to consider his position as permanent and refused to immediately readvertise the opening so that Dixon could be more quickly provided some guarantees.

Only after the District 20 board protested, G-J eventually relented to allow an "early" posting of the vacancy for 2006-07. In February 2006, Dixon was allowed to "reapply" and interview for the position that he was then holding as "interim." Needless to say, it was a degrading and insulting process that he was forced to repeat as if he had "come in second," when everyone knew that G-J had derailed his selection after he had been vetted and approved. She refused to admit her mistake in not appointing him outright. Many in District 20 believe she was playing with Mr. Dixon to remind him that she was in charge; she also left the other candidates hanging. He was finally chosen but not approved by the superintendent or the CCSD board until many weeks later.



From District 20's viewpoint, another advantage arose from reopening the James Simons principal's position for interviews in February 2006. Since CCSD and its agents, such as Earl Choice, habitually waited to advertise until April or May (when all the best applicants had been snapped up by other districts) despite repeated requests from District 20 constituents, for the first time in years, District 20 could see potential downtown principal applicants before many had been eliminated by CCSD.



You may be wondering after such treatment what record Dixon achieved in his 17 months as Principal at James Simons. Here are a few examples:

• Met AYP in all 13 targets in May


• Front office and door cameras installed in May


• Security gate installed in May


• Murals painted by the College of Charleston in January


• $2500 donated to the school by a businessman in Mt. Pleasant and the Intertech Group


• Washer and dryer donated to the school in December


• First yearbook published for the school in May


• Proficient and Advanced scores increased from 19 to 27 percent


• MAP scores increased by double digits in for categories, one of only eight schools in the entire county


• Recognized with Home School Reading Award in May


• Lt. Governor's Award winner: Jasmine Dais in April


• Governor's Citizenship Award winner: Talea Clark


• School Nurse Ms. Washington was a Golden Apple Award recipient in April


• The school's gospel choir sang by invitation at the Stingrays hockey game in March


• Sixth-grade boys won the region championship in basketball for the Tri- County Area in March


• Terry Washington was Trident Basketball Coach of the Year in March


• SuperPetz donated a fish tank to the school in August

Some of these highlights are thanks to Simons's relationship with the business community and with CCSD residents outside of District 20; some are due to his school leadership.

Now, I ask you, who's more likely to understand the needs of James Simons Elementary--a native of South Carolina or a native of Massachusetts? Maybe we'll discover that the "chosen one" who disappeared after three months was a graduate of the Broad Fellows program. I'll bet he or she didn't even know how to spell or pronounce "Simons."

In addition, there's CCSD's treatment of several respected principals, such as Jeanette Whaley at Fraser, who were unceremoniously dumped mid-year by Goodloe-Johnson and replaced with interims who were G-J's "people." But that's another story.