A pair of motions aimed at the closing schools were passed by the Williamsburg County School District Board of Trustees during their March 2, meeting. One motion passed allowed the district to refrain from closing up to three elementary schools in 2010. A second motion was passed allowing the board to meet with communities prior to May 1, and then announce which school(s) will close in 2011-12.
The debate whether to close St. Mark, Cades/Hebron or D.P. Cooper Elementary schools has been a long and at times heated affair as arguments in defense of each facility have been brought to the table. In a past meeting, board member Norma Bartelle questioned why St. Mark was placed at the top of the list. “Why would you pick a school that has soaring academic excellence?” She asked. Board member Kent Evans offered his opinion. “There is no way statistically possible that those scores can come out of St. Mark,” he said. “That’s not statistically possible. Get any statistician you want. They’ve been cheating.”
The debate continued into Tuesday’s meeting as Bartelle argued that the district can save through other means, rather than closing schools. “I contend we could save 2.1 million in the budget by using some of the other strategies given to the board,” she said. Bartelle claimed $300,000 could be saved through furloughs. “It would be better to give up a tiny portion and give up to the larger good.” She added that realignment of staff, travel and supplies would also contribute in monetary savings as well.
Interim Superintendent Linda Huell presented the board with a comparison list, performed by the finance department along with information compiled from a 2009 facilities study conducted by the Caldwell Group. St. Mark and Cades/Hebron were compared and options were specified.
St. Mark experiences the lowest student enrollment of the three schools, will face the 2010 retirement of its principal, have the lowest number of personnel incorporated into other schools and findings in the Caldwell Group results were the reasons given for its potential closure.
The rationale behind closing Cades-Hebron was determined by a non-functioning cafeteria, cost of transporting food, a roof in disrepair, the condition of the drinking water and teachers up for retirement. As for transportation of its students, grades 3 -5 would be absorbed into Kingstree Elementary and Kingstree Junior High would house grades 6-8. It was also stated by a board member that 45 percent of the students who attend Cades-Hebron do not continue on as students of the Williamsburg County School system.
Other issues debated in the meeting were bussing, maintenance, and personnel but before anything is set in stone the board will follow through with community meetings. “I think we have a responsibility to the community to have them comment on what we are doing,” said board chair Norman Gamble after the meeting. “After all, we are elected by them to make decisions. So we owe them more information. I don’t think the community as a whole understands what is happening with budgets cuts, the population of the schools and the entire county, and I think they should be informed of those things.” But according to board member Charles Garner, postponing the inevitable is a mistake. “We can’t wait and look at next year. If we wait till next year to take a look at it then we’ll be sitting here next year at this time going over the same thing because these communities, for whatever their reason aren’t going to say yes to looking at consolidating their school,” he said. “We were never elected to go along with what is popular. We were elected to look out for the boys and girls of Williamsburg County.” The vote has been cast and meetings with the respective communities are being organized, but the writing seems to already be on the wall. In order to maintain the operations of the school district the board will have to face some tough decisions.
Schools saved for now
3/15/2010 Michaele Duke
3/18/2010
A prime example that Williamsburg County School District can't govern itself and in desperate need to consolidate the entire county with Georgetown. You had a board member instead of promoting schools or at least, provide a suggestion as to how he could make St. Mark better, he had the nerve to mention that there was cheating. I bet Mr. Evans didn't know that there are district employees who are being place in all schools to monitor teachers as well as students. I bet that Mr. Evans probably did not know that if there is cheating on-site and this is really the truth, the teacher will be placed under arrest for violating state's law as well as that particular teacher will lose his or her teaching certificate from the state! As a former WCSD educator, I knew of St. Mark to be a very family oriented school simply because of its size.
People of WC take a hard look at Mr. Evans and remember him when it comes time for election. Or you should do what I do if you want to have a better quality of education for your child, just move cross county lines.
3/18/2010
I DON'T UNDERSTANT WHERE WE ARE GOING THE CONCERND FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS IS NO WHERE IN VICINITY IT HAS BECOME AN ACCUSING FORUM FOR BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATORS WE ALL NEED TO STAY FOCUSED ON OUR MAJOR CONCERN THAT IS CHILDREN FIND OUT SOLUTIONS TO STOP SCHOOLS FROM CLOSING RAISE FUNDS TO MAKE SOME ALTERATIONS SPECIALLY AT CADES RAISE FUND TO HAVE THEIR OWN KITCHEN.HELP THE BOARD TO WORK ON SOME VIABLE LONG LASTING SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN POINTING AT THEM.
3/17/2010
“I think it is inappropriate for school board members to make negative, personal comments about schools in the district. It is a violation of school board policy.”
Board members need to remember to be professional, passionate about education, and express a genuine interest in the achievements and work of the district’s students and staff members.
It is my opinion that Mr. Evans is a poor board member.
3/16/2010
Mr. Evans surely used poor judgement in making the comments that he made. As a board member he should know that federal dollars are involved and he could expose the district to a claim of fraud. The falsification of test scores would have been done by administrators, is he calling them cheaters!
Now, on the subject of closing schools, Cades Hebron should be closed by DHEC due to the physical condition of the building. St. Mark has less than 200 students, it should be closed also. Delaying the closing of these two schools is only costing the district money in administrative salaries and operation of the building.
3/16/2010
I think the comment that Evans made was uncalled for. It just goes to show all the parents who have children that attends these schools the limits they are willing to take to do something that will benefit the board and not the children. The children work so hard to get where they are at all of these schools no matter what the score. When you accuse the schools of cheating that includes our children. How can someone with that attitude be on the board. That is a prime example of why our funds aren't getting where they need to be. We don't need people that want to throw accusations, anyone can accuse. We need people who will take the time, put the numbers together and get the facts. A man who can accuse a school of cheating with know facts to back him is no man to me and definitely should not be on the school board. I'm a parent of three that attend Cades Elementary. I do not have children at the school he was referencing but a child is a child and no matter whose child or what school that was ridiculous. We as parents of these schools will not set back and take this. We want to save our school and at the same time the others. No school should be closing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3/15/2010
If Evans thinks that there has been cheeting just fire everyone there and close the school, but the main question is........does he have PROOF or is he just a flustrated man!