"If we do not put this out as our highest priority, we can have the greatest programs in the world, and we're going to lose our talent," McGinley said. "We're already losing talent because they can't afford to live in the county."
Now let's read it again aloud together:
"If we do not put this out as our highest priority, we can have the greatest programs in the world, and we're going to lose our talent," McGinley said. "We're already losing talent because they can't afford to live in the county."
This, folks, is the statement of an intelligent person.
In this case, it happens to be Charleston County Public Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley, who told the Charleston Post and Courier that her number-one priority for next year's school budget will be
finding a way to give teachers the pay she said they deserve but haven't received the last few years. Teachers are key to achieving the district's academic goals, but they haven't had a cost-of-living adjustment in three years or a step increase for additional experience in two years, she said.
Has YOUR superintendent said words to this effect lately?
Close?
Remotely similar?
Let's look at it again and let it soak in. Imagine that, instead of the words "McGinley said," you insert the name of your own superintendent.
"If we do not put this out as our highest priority, we can have the greatest programs in the world, and we're going to lose our talent," YOUR SUPERINTENDENT HERE said. "We're already losing talent because they can't afford to live in the county."
How did that feel?
Without knowing much else about Superintendent McGinley, I know this: She recognizes that the education professionals who serve children in her district are her front line, her offense and her defense, her district's best hope for improving student achievement. Students don't learn in a district office; they learn in schools and classrooms.
A quick Google search reveals one more important thing about McGinley: She's a 2002 graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy. Broad's management philosophy is well-known, and what McGinley has said publicly doesn't align with the Broad philosophy. So, based upon her comments to the Post & Courier, I must draw some conclusions. Is it possible that McGinley has been in leadership roles long enough now -- 10 years -- that she's grown beyond the 10-month Broad indoctrination? Has she seen the fallacy of the management philosophy undergirding the Broad system?
I'm hopeful of it, given what else she told the Post & Courier this week:
She'd like to give all other district staff, including administrators and hourly workers, a cost-of-living increase, and the total cost for the districtwide pay boost would be $12.2 million.
That's a bargain. A steal.
McGinley made her pitch to the school board during a workshop. District officials presented more than $30 million in new or expanded initiatives they'd like to fund next year; the district's total operating budget this year is $334.3 million.
They talked little about from where the money for these efforts would come, and McGinley said she understands the district doesn't have "all the money in the world."
It's a good thing Charleston educators don't need all the money in the world; they only need an extra $12.2 million. That's doable. Assess an extra quarter-percent of property tax on homes valued at more than a million dollars in Charleston County, and $12.2 million will materialize quicker than Civil War re-enactors at a Secession Ball.
Other top priorities for next year include expanding the district's literacy academies and extending the school year for its lowest-performing schools.
Bread-and-butter issues, one and all.
There are a number of great superintendents across South Carolina, and all they need to kick-start a movement is to gain critical momentum with a proposal like McGinley's. Do us all a favor, and send your superintendent the link to this post.
Or, print this one out and ship it through the pony express to your superintendent's office with this bit highlighted:
"If we do not put this out as our highest priority, we can have the greatest programs in the world, and we're going to lose our talent," McGinley said. "We're already losing talent because they can't afford to live in the county."
Organize, y'all, organize.
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