South-Carolina

Retiring state superintendent Spearman shares her outlook on the future of education

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2023

Retiring state superintendent Spearman shares her outlook on the future of education

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) – Per week from Wednesday, South Carolina public faculties can be beneath new management in Columbia.

Republican Ellen Weaver is about to change into the subsequent state superintendent, heading South Carolina’s largest state company, with present superintendent Molly Spearman retiring after not searching for re-election for a 3rd time period final yr.

Spearman, who sat down for an interview shortly earlier than Christmas, mentioned the transition between her administration and Weaver’s has been going nicely.

At a gathering Tuesday, Weaver instructed a bunch together with academics, faculty directors, and lawmakers that she owed Spearman “a debt of gratitude” for her assist throughout this era.

“She’s already been assembly with workers. We ready books, books, and books of data, however then assembly one-on-one. She’s been right here within the constructing, and we’ve executed every part we will to assist her be able to go,” Spearman mentioned.

On the marketing campaign path, Weaver touted the relationships with lawmakers she had already established by her work with Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative assume tank, and because the former chair of the state’s Training Oversight Committee. She mentioned these connections had been crucial for a job that requires working with the Basic Meeting.

Spearman introduced these relationships to her two phrases as superintendent, too, having served as a state consultant for Saluda County earlier in her profession.

However, in contrast to Weaver, Spearman additionally labored as a instructor at first of her profession.

Lately, a divide has been rising between a lot of these within the classroom and a few of these setting coverage for the classroom from the State Home.

Laws to limit what will be taught in public faculties has been met with main pushback from educators — with Spearman herself cautioning a state Home of Representatives panel towards passing these restrictions — and a bunch of Republican lawmakers is at the moment suing a number of districts over allegations of educating “essential race idea” and inappropriate classes, although it has not offered definitive proof.

“Every individual brings their very own skills and expertise to this job,” Spearman mentioned. “I feel whoever sits on this position — and I’ve mentioned this to Ms. Weaver — you understand, when you get right here, it’s a must to notice that college students are your primary precedence, academics subsequent, and that you just signify each youngster on this state, each household, and it’s a must to make that atmosphere a secure place the place all of them really feel comfy. And each phrase you say is watched, so it’s a must to be very cautious, and it’s a must to keep away from the rhetoric.”

Weaver will enter workplace with different main challenges on her plate as nicely: notably, the state’s worsening instructor scarcity and pandemic learning-loss restoration.

“It’s sort of a catch-22 as a result of the true reply to restoration, educational restoration, is for these college students to be with a extremely robust instructor, facet by facet, and dealing collectively, and it’s more durable and more durable to seek out them,” Spearman mentioned.

In the beginning of this faculty yr, there have been extra educating vacancies throughout South Carolina than ever earlier than, with greater than 1,400 unfilled jobs reported.

Spearman famous efforts the state has made throughout her phrases to ameliorate the scarcity, together with incentives, paying off scholar loans, and growing academics’ statewide minimal wage to $40,000 this yr.

When Spearman first took workplace as superintendent, academics beginning their careers could possibly be paid lower than $30,000, although she nonetheless believes minimal pay must be bumped as much as the $45,000-$50,000 vary.

“It’s going to take utilizing business people, enterprise people, to possibly are available in and educate a category or two, actually monitoring nice digital studying however having these help folks,” Spearman mentioned. “However it’s a disaster, and I feel that is essentially the most difficult state of affairs that we’ve as a rustic as a result of it’s not simply right here in South Carolina. We would like docs. We’d like cybersecurity folks. We’d like army people. We’d like governmental people. We’d like nurses. Nevertheless it all begins with a classroom instructor, and I feel we neglect that typically.”

The outlook is extra optimistic for serving to college students with pandemic-related studying loss.

Current nationwide check scores point out that whereas South Carolina college students fell behind in that point, as these all throughout the nation did, they didn’t fall as far behind as college students in most different states.

“We’ve to assume out of the field and supply providers past the common faculties hours, early childhood schooling, all of the issues that we all know work, we simply must do it and provide it in abundance to the youngsters who actually need it,” Spearman mentioned, noting many districts have already began such packages.

She hopes to see a few of her different work continued after she leaves workplace, together with efforts to maintain high-school college students on observe to graduate by participating them by profession packages and placing extra state {dollars} towards bettering rural faculty buildings.

This yr, the state legislature seems poised to once more attempt to set up a voucher program, which might give sure households public {dollars} to ship their kids to personal faculties.

That push fell quick within the remaining hours of the 2022 legislative session, stymied by a disagreement amongst Republican lawmakers over whether or not college students receiving this cash must be required to take a seat for statewide testing as an accountability measure for this system’s success.

“We owe it to each youngster to offer them an opportunity to succeed, and if a toddler is struggling and never start in a position to reach a standard faculty, sure, let’s open up the choices to them,” Spearman mentioned. “However with the choices and the general public cash comes tasks, and that duty is a report again to the folks of how nicely did they do. So I personally imagine there must be a uniform testing.”

Superintendent-elect Weaver can be sworn in Jan. 11, through the governor’s inaugural ceremony on the State Home.

Shortly after that, Spearman plans to get some relaxation and rest along with her husband on a visit to Hawaii earlier than beginning work with the John Maxwell Management Basis, the place she is going to deal with creating management amongst younger folks.

After eight years in workplace, she leaves parting phrases of recommendation for all South Carolinians.

“Individuals must chill out slightly bit and have slightly extra religion in our fellow people,” Spearman mentioned. “We’ve received nice youngsters on the market. We’ve received some implausible academics and directors, who’ve given their lives to those kids, and we have to help them in each manner we will and make their lives simpler by giving them extra help.”

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South-Carolina

Dawn Staley confirms she would never leave South Carolina despite clause in new contract

Published

4 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Dawn Staley confirms she would never leave South Carolina despite clause in new contract

Dawn Staley says a clause in her new contract means nothing about how long she’ll be at South Carolina.

Following Sunday’s win over Oklahoma, Staley addressed a section of her extension that she signed to end last week. The deal, which made her the highest-paid coach in the history of women’s basketball at approximately just over $25 million over five years, included a portion where she’d owe them nothing if she were to immediately leave for another job in the NBA or WNBA. When asked about it postgame yesterday, Staley had a little fun with the question.

“I don’t know. I might up and leave,” Staley joked.

In seriousness, Staley explained that everything within the contract, like that clause, was just part of the negotiation for both her and for South Carolina.

“Nah, I mean, you got to have something. It’s a give and take, you know,” said Staley. “Like, like, if, you know, there was – it was important for me to have a guaranteed contract. It’s important, you know. But, in having a guaranteed contract, you got to give them something, you know.”

Still, while she could leave Columbia at any time now because of it, Staley has no interest in doing so. She stated that she’d never leave their program for another college team. She also said, if she had wanted to go to the pros, she would have done so long before now.

“I will never leave here to go take another college job. It’s nothing. Like, I have the best of the best here,” Staley said. “And I really don’t have, um, any – like, I don’t have a passion for the next level. I don’t. I would’ve been gone. Like, seriously, like.”

Staley is in the middle of her 17th season with the Gamecocks with her having posted a winning percentage of .771, including a current record of 18-1. That resumé includes 630 total wins, sixteen conference titles, and a dozen straight berths in the NCAA Tournament with five appearances in the Final Four and three national titles.

With that, Staley is one of the best coaches, regardless of level and men’s or women’s, in basketball. She’ll keep coaching at South Carolina from here on, though, despite that wording in her extension.

“So, to have it in there was – it was just something fancy to have you ask me that question,” again laughed Staley.

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South-Carolina

Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball's next opponent, the Florida Gators

Published

12 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball's next opponent, the Florida Gators

South Carolina basketball is five games into its 2024-2025 SEC schedule. The Gamecocks are 10-8 and 0-5 in conference play coming off of a 20-point loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.

The upcoming week represents a massive (and, perhaps, the last) opportunity for Lamont Paris’ team to save their season. As is life in the SEC, Carolina will welcome two NCAA Tournament-bound teams to Colonial Life Arena. First up is a date with the Florida Gators.

[Win tickets: South Carolina-Florida MBB]

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Resume Check: Florida Gators

Record: 16-2 (3-2 in SEC)
AP Ranking: No. 5
Last Week: Loss to Missouri 82-83 in Gainesville; Win over Texas 84-60 in Gainesville
Previous Meeting: South Carolina won 82-76 in Columbia during 2023-2024 season

Florida has been ranked in the AP top 25 all season for a reason. Todd Golden’s team is really good and could challenge for one of the top seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The Gators went 13-0 during their non-conference schedule, including a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte. Though they have two losses in conference play, they’ve come by a combined seven points. UF also knocked off the then-No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in dominant fashion, 73-43.

Heading into this week, Florida is 4th in the SEC in scoring (85.9 points per game). They also are 3rd in the league in scoring defense (65.6 points per game). The Gators are the best rebounding team in the SEC and tie for the top rebounding margin in America. They do send opposing teams to the free throw line at a high rate, something that plays into the Gamecocks’ strong ability to get to the charity stripe.

Florida boasts four double-digit scorers as all three perimeter starters (Walter Clayton, Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard) and big man Alex Condon each average at least 10.8 points per contest. Clayton and Martin lead the way at 17.9 and 16.2, respectively. Clayton ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers made, as well.

Both of Florida’s starting post players (Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu) sit in the SEC’s top 10 in rebounding as they each pull down better than seven rebounds a night. However, the Gators are a balanced rebounding group with six different players averaging at least 4.5 boards per game.

Coming into the game against South Carolina, the Florida Gators are pretty healthy. Thanks to a broken leg suffered last season, 7’1″ post player Micah Handlogten is redshirting this year (along with 7’9″ center Olivier Rioux). Other than those expected absences, UF hasn’t dealt with many players missing games. Coach Golden didn’t include any Gators on his SEC-mandated availability report last week.

The Gamecocks and Gators will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday, January 22nd. SEC Network will broadcast the game, and the ESPN app will stream it.

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South-Carolina

Biden thanks South Carolina on final full day in office – Charleston City Paper

Published

20 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Biden thanks South Carolina on final full day in office – Charleston City Paper

President Joe Biden on Sunday marked the final full day of his presidency by visiting South Carolina, the state that propelled him in 2020 to the presidency.

After a tour of the International African American Museum with his friend, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., Biden thanked South Carolinians for their support and spoke on themes of faith and community, history and memory, sacrifice and service.

“Let me close where I started — gratitude for all you’ve done for me,” Biden told an invitation-only crowd at the IAAM. Then he went on to quote a passage from Psalm 37:25, saying, “‘I have been young and now am old. I have not seen the righteous forsaken.’ And after all these years working alongside you [in this state], I know that’s true.”

White House officials said the visit — on the eve of the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — reflected Biden’s commitment to the civil and equal rights movements. That the president chose South Carolina underscores his deep ties to the state, the place that “brought him to the dance,” as he likes to say.

A swansong tour

Biden began his swansong in South Carolina at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, where he attended a worship service and addressed the congregation. The president spoke about a range of topics, from King’s legacy to the Israel-Hamas cease fire to the challenges facing the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, before taking his seat in the front pew alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Clyburn. Trump is to be sworn in at noon Monday inside the U.S. Capitol after an outdoor ceremony was moved due to cold weather.

After church, the Bidens toured the IAAM, located in downtown Charleston on Gadsden’s Wharf. The site once served as the single largest point of entry for enslaved people in the United States.

After the tour, Biden prepared to address a small crowd of invited supporters and members of the press while a combined choir called Voices of Liberation performed gospel songs.

IAAM President and CEO Tonya Matthews welcomed attendees. The Rev. Joseph Darby delivered an invocation. Dr. Jill Biden offered her own words of gratitude for the state of South Carolina.

And then Clyburn enumerated the president’s extensive contributions to the state in the form of economic investment, saying “from interstates to infrastructure … [Biden] has benefited this state like nobody since Lyndon Johnson.” Clyburn also presented the president with a special commemorative award made of sweetgrass.

Others joining the president during his Charleston visit were daughter Ashley Biden and son Hunter Biden.