Next South Carolina education superintendent needs a connection to our classrooms
Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman recently announced she will not seek re-election in November 2022.
Her decision marks the end of a remarkable career in public service spanning more than forty years, with the vast majority of that time focused on education, starting with her work as an elementary school music teacher.
While much has been written about Superintendent Spearman’s accomplishments in office, they can only be fully appreciated in light of the depth of the challenges facing public education when she was elected in 2014.
At that time, too many students were being deprived access to the education they deserve because of factors ranging from a broken school bus fleet to a funding system that was failing to adequately deliver dollars to classrooms.
As a state, significant problems persist and we cannot be satisfied with where we are today, but important gains and improvements were realized under Superintendent Spearman’s leadership.
The challenge now facing voters is identifying a new Superintendent equipped to build on those gains over the next four years.
If there was any doubt about the importance of the office of Superintendent in the past, it has been erased for the students, families, and educators that have directly experienced 20 months of COVID-fueled educational disruption.
The pandemic has also highlighted the critical role of schools in supporting the current workforce while preparing the workers and citizens we will need in the future.
Regardless of what the “new normal” looks like in a post-COVID world, it is crystal clear that the future prosperity of our state is directly tied to the quality of education students receive today.
The next Superintendent will lead during a generational opportunity to transform education.
Since the start of the pandemic, Congress has appropriated nearly $3 billion dollars to local school districts in South Carolina, a total representing more than half our state’s annual education budget.
As a result, our state needs strong and innovative leadership to ensure these funds are used to address immediate needs while strategically investing to address the structural challenges threatening the long-term health of our education system.
Among these challenges, none are greater than the growing teacher shortage that resulted in 699 classrooms without a teacher at the start of last school year, a 26% increase over the prior year with the strong likelihood this year could be even worse.
As a result, voters should look for a candidate for Superintendent that meets a few key criteria.
First, it is imperative for the next Superintendent to have rich and meaningful experience working with students, families, and educators.
As Superintendent, Spearman demonstrated there is no replacement for school-based experience, but it is equally, if not more, important for the next Superintendent to have the humility to seek the input of the professional educators engaged in daily work with students.
Our next Superintendent must also have a commitment to educational opportunities for all students, not just a select group based on electoral politics.
This type of commitment is shown by prioritizing educational options that are accessible and affordable for all students while also ensuring a well-rounded system of accountability for any school setting that receives taxpayer dollars.
Finally, our state needs a Superintendent of Education that realizes the key to a world-class education is found through investment in people, not in programs or partisan priorities.
Education research consistently shows the number one in-school factor on student achievement is the quality of the teacher in the classroom, so our next Superintendent must be committed to the creation of a culture in our state that respects, supports, and elevates the work of educators.
Patrick Kelly is the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association and has been teaching in South Carolina schools since 2005.