SC for Ed founder Lisa Ellis secures Democratic schools chief nomination, avoiding runoff
Lisa Ellis, a Richland 2 educator and founder of grassroots teachers organization SC for Ed, has secured the Democratic nomination for state superintendent of education in what projects to be one of the more consequential contests in the state this year.
The South Carolina Election Commission on Friday certified Ellis’ outright victory in a three-way Democratic race that had been too close to call on election night.
“South Carolinians are counting on the office of the State Superintendent to pull our state, our students, and our teachers out of the depths of the lowest ranking states for public education,” she said in a statement. “I am humbled and enthused that South Carolina voters expressed their belief in me and my vision to run for State Superintendent in November’s general election.”
Ellis picked up exactly 150 more votes than she needed to avoid a runoff with former Anderson 4 superintendent Gary Burgess, finishing with 50.1% of the vote to Burgess’ 31.2%. Orangeburg state Rep. Jerry Govan came in third with 18.7%.
Burgess said he contemplated challenging the razor-thin election margin in hopes of forcing a runoff election in two weeks, but ultimately decided against it.
“It’s just time, in my opinion, to move on and let the process play itself out,” said Burgess, who does not currently plan to endorse Ellis or any other candidate in the general election.
Ellis will face off in November against the winner of the Republican primary runoff between Kathy Maness and Ellen Weaver.
Maness, a Lexington town councilwoman and executive director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, finished first in the Republican primary Tuesday, but did not capture enough votes to avoid a runoff with second-place finisher Weaver, who serves as president and CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative think tank.
The Republican candidates go head-to-head for their party’s nomination on June 28.
Who is Lisa Ellis?
Ellis, who teaches a leadership course and serves as student activities director at Blythewood High School, is best known for founding SC for Ed, a progressive teachers group that in 2019 marched on the State House to demand better pay and working conditions for South Carolina educators.
The group, which has more than 34,000 members on Facebook, also advocated for school mask requirements and extended virtual learning options due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ellis’ top priority as state superintendent would be improving teacher recruitment and retention.
South Carolina has for years struggled to attract and retain qualified teachers, with educators citing low pay, burnout and lack of support among the reasons why they leave the profession.
As of February, school districts reported a record 1,121 vacant teacher and service positions statewide, according to the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement, which conducts annual educator supply and demand surveys.
Ellis’ organization, which generates its own tally of teacher vacancies by adding up publicly available school district job postings, announced in late May it had counted more than 3,400 such listings.
Increasing teacher pay and improving work conditions so that more educators stick with the profession are paramount for Ellis, who wants South Carolina teacher salaries to meet or beat the Southeastern average.
The state currently ranks 42nd nationally in starting teacher pay and 39th in average teacher pay, according to the National Education Association.
A state spending plan passed earlier this week that increases minimum teacher salaries to $40,000 should bring South Carolina closer to the middle of the pack nationally in that category.
In addition to upping teacher pay and support, Ellis wants to hire more school-based mental health professionals, school nurses and support staff.
“Without improving those aspects of a child’s whole personhood, it makes it more challenging for them to have a strong educational outcome,” her spokesperson Leesa Danzek said. “It’s about the whole picture for children.”
Ellis also supports eliminating standardized testing not required by federal law and wants to give districts more guidance on using formative assessments
She opposes the redistribution of public money to private schools in the form of school vouchers or educational savings accounts, and said teachers should be free to teach to state standards without fear of politically-motivated punishment or censorship.
Can Ellis make history?
As a Democrat running in a bright red state, Ellis faces long odds in November.
If she’s elected state schools chief, she would become the first Democrat popularly elected to statewide office in South Carolina since 2006, when Jim Rex narrowly edged out Republican Karen Floyd in that year’s education superintendent race.
Ellis is aware of the history, but as an active classroom teacher has a unique understanding of what students, teachers and parents have endured during the pandemic and knows best how to address the challenges it has presented, her spokesperson said.
Danzek said Ellis makes up for what she lacks in political and district administration experience with her ability to motivate and mobilize educators to take action, as the success of her grassroots teachers organization demonstrates.
“That’s something a lot of families and teachers resonate with,” she said. “That she was able to look at a problem that everyone is talking about … and identify a way to bring teachers together through her creation of SC for Ed to rally in front of the State House and start to bring those conversations to the forefront.”
While Republican state lawmakers don’t afford the grassroots group the same consideration as they do more established teachers groups, such as Maness’ Palmetto State Teachers Association, Danzek said Ellis is open to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to improve the state’s education system.
“Just like most teachers have to do every day with students in their classroom, (Ellis) believes in having a team conversation and really coming together with different stakeholders and communities to talk about the best way forward,” Danzek said. “And should she be elected, I know she is ready, willing and able to work with whomever that might be to get the job done.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 2:55 PM.