Charleston superintendent advocates for teacher pay raises

Let's read this silently once:

"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.

Will Mt Pleasant's gated communities secede from CCPS?

Mount Pleasant has a rich cultural history. It was once a mecca for African-American musicians from Count Basie and Louie Armstrong to B.B. King and James Brown. There's no sign of that now, as all those musical landmarks have been replaced by manicured right-of-ways and gated communities. Still, realtors in Mount Pleasant boast, "...[T]here is a certain look and feel to Mt. Pleasant that people seem to find attractive that is difficult to explain."

Mt. Pleasant is home to more luxury communities than other Charleston areas. Recently developed I’on has received natural acclaim for it’s [sic] blend of historic Charleston architecture, a historic district look, and integrated shopping and dining. In spite of zero lot lines and escalating prices, homes in I’on never stay on the market long. Mt. Pleasant in stretching northward past Hwy 41 with homes ranging in price from the high 200’s to well over $1 million.

Mm, tres chic.

The Charleston City Paper reports that some of Mount Pleasant newer residents are dissatisfied with being part of Charleston County -- more specifically, part of the Charleston County Public Schools -- and they're reaching into South Carolina's past for a solution to their dissatisfaction: Secession.

Parents at a public-input meeting for Charleston County School District Monday night proposed making Mt. Pleasant its own school district, an idea that has been bandied about in the past.

Lynn Franchak, who has children attending Cario Middle School and Wando High School, was the first to propose the idea of a Mt. Pleasant school district in her brainstorming group. She says parents have been talking about it since her family arrived in the town six years ago.

"We've worked hard to build a nice life and live where we do and pay the taxes that we do," Franchak said. "We feel that this town is large enough to support its own school district. I also feel as though being part of the Charleston County School District, it brings our standardized test numbers down, it brings our attendance down, it brings our graduation rates down, and so we hurt because of that."

Understandably, no one wants to be "brought down." Perhaps it's true that parents in Charleston's other municipalities aren't excited about having average or below-average standardized test scores, or attendance rates, or graduation rates. It may be that those schools 'cross the river need a few more resources to help raise their results. Might additional tax revenue from the gated enclaves of Mount Pleasant help lift all boats?

Coincidentally, one parent did propose raising taxes to support education, although his idea was not voted to be one of the top recommendations.

Apparently not. Easier to draw some new lines, keep in the luxury and keep out the needy.

The article notes that about 50 parents were split into two "focus groups" at the meeting, and the groups brainstormed a set of recommendations for the county board of education. After "narrowing" the list, it included these:

• Expand the elementary schools' third-grade academies.

• Keep a focus on literacy and expand professional development for teachers who teach reading skills.

• Expand pre-kindergarten programs.

• Stop over-testing to allow more time for instruction.

• Encourage vocational education as well as college-oriented instruction.

• Stop teaching to the standardized tests.

• Consider Montessori school models.

• Keep fine arts.

• Keep physical education.

• Consider improving technology to move toward paperless classrooms.

• Shrink class sizes.

• Improve teachers' pay.

More of these sessions are scheduled, so we may hear more talk of secession, and more about the Mount Pleasant residents suffering from being part of the Charleston County Public Schools.

The public is invited to attend sessions at James Island Charter High School (Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.), Stall High School (Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.), and Burke High School (Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.).