Who will be SC’s next Superintendent of Education? Here’s who may run in 2022
After South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced Wednesday she will not seek reelection in 2022, the competition to fill the position as the head of schools has opened up wide.
Only one person so far is raising money for a run for state superintendent, but filing to run doesn’t begin until March 2022.
In the meantime, several other candidates are considering tossing their hats in the race.
Here’s what you should know:
Kizzi Staley Gibson
Kizzi Staley Gibson is, so far, the only candidate who is raising money to run for state superintendent in 2022. She ended the third quarter with $3,568 in her campaign account.
Staley has experience working in education. She has served as a visual arts teacher, a truancy interventionist, a teacher mentor, a teacher evaluator and a student mentor a public schools across the state for more than 18 years.
She is also an executive board member at the South Carolina Connections Academy, the largest virtual public charter school in the state. She also serves as the president of the board of directors for the virtual public charter school Lowcountry Connections Academy.
“I believe our state deserves a vibrant leader, who will take a unique community approach to find solutions to the educational challenges our educators, students and communities face,” Gibson said. “I understand the impact of intentional listening, transparency, collaboration and accountability; these actions cultivate trust, growth and valuable partnerships that will ultimately catapult our students and educators into greatness.”
Gibson, a Lexington Republican, said if elected, she would like to increase support for vocational and technical programs, introduce a law enforcement and veteran mentorship programs and increase support for character building, self-reliance and entrepreneurship programs.
Gibson would also like to increase school choice options, she said. She is also in favor of continuing the process of consolidating some of South Carolina’s school districts.
S.C. Rep. Neal Collins
State Rep. Neal Collins, R-Pickens, told The State he was “exploring” his options when it comes to a run for superintendent.
During his last eight years at the State House, Collins has focused on education.
In the past, he served on several different committees on education, including the House Education Committee and the Education Oversight Committee. Collins has also served on the Education and Cultural Affairs subcommittee of the House Oversight committee and chaired the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children.
He has also served on the board of directors for the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement.
Ellen Weaver
Ellen Weaver, the president and CEO of the conservative think tank Palmetto Promise Institute, told The State she is considering a run for state superintendent. She is a former aide to Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. Weaver also chairs the Education Oversight Committee and is on the board of the Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities.
Weaver, a school choice advocate, would not give a timeline on when she would make a decision and said she people reached out to her about possibly running after Spearman’s announcement.
“I fully anticipate a crowded primary, I fully anticipated a very dynamic and energetic primary (with) lots of debate,” Weaver said.
Reporter Joseph Bustos contributed to this article.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 9:12 AM.
