BY MAURA TURCOTTE
mturcotte@postandcourier.com
Greg Mathis Charter School serves some of Charleston’s neediest students — those who don’t qualify for an individualized education plan but need help, students at risk of dropping out, students who have experienced trauma and students with behavioral issues. Still, as my colleague Devna Bose reports, the school faces a challenge many charter schools across South Carolina are familiar with — the school district doesn’t give Greg Mathis access to any of its buildings.
As a result, in a rented space next to the Lowcountry Food Bank in North Charleston, students at Greg Mathis squeeze through small hallways and sit in cramped classrooms. Laurianne McKoy, a teacher at the school, said her students frequently ask to use the bathroom just to stretch their legs.
“One of the things that I think our kids desperately need is a space to move around and blow off steam,” she said. “When they get to go outside and play just 15-20 minutes of basketball, it makes a world of difference.”
Greg Mathis administrators have asked the Charleston school district for a new building a total of four times now. Whether the school will receive one with this most recent request remains to be seen though.
A narrow hallway is seen at Greg Mathis Charter High School on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 in North Charleston. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
And with that, welcome back, readers! The new year is just a little over a week old, but there’s already a lot of news to cover, from the new requirement that schools must display “In God We Trust” and state mottos, to the crowd that showed up to Richland 2’s board meeting fearing the board was going to fire the superintendent. Plenty of stories, such as the piece on Greg Mathis, also published while this newsletter was on break for the holidays, so make sure to check out that story and these other education news headlines from the last couple weeks.
Beaufort’s traveling preschool existed long before the pandemic, but now that many young children are starting school with limited social experiences due to following safety precautions and dealing with other disruptions from the pandemic, the district is doubling down on the effort. The classroom on wheels offers a place for young children to play and a space for educators to do developmental screenings and to connect families with social services.
A recent report from the University of South Carolina explored why three districts — Charleston, Fairfield and Pickens — were losing teachers and what they were doing to recruit and retain them. From districts creating affordable housing options like “teacher villages,” to local colleges offering teacher residencies, recruitment efforts have expanded. But the report found there’s still little to no impact on the profession. Researchers also concluded that teachers should be treated as experts and given leadership opportunities.
Struggling students in Florence 1 might be enrolled in a class after school. They might have to meet with a small group to go over class material. Or they enroll in an online content recovery program to revisit a section they struggled with during a particular course. What is important, said Gregory Hall, assistant superintendent for secondary education for the district, is that school leaders act quickly. They don’t want to wait months and then later realize several seniors aren’t going to graduate because they haven’t completed the credits they need.
With the gentrification of Charleston’s peninsula, many Black communities have been displaced and many Black barber shops along with them. But the College of Charleston’s Cougar Cutz Barber Shop, which opened this academic year, hopes to be a resource for the area. Currently, only students can come in for a haircut, but school officials plan to soon open the shop’s doors to all community members.
The federal spending package includes more money for struggling students and schools, as well as money for projects at several community colleges and universities in South Carolina.
LEADERSHIP AND POLICIES
- Aiken County Board of Education to discuss $10,000 teacher sign-on bonus
- SC legislation would exempt tampons from sales taxes, provide free access in schools
- Columbia school district could shift to ‘year-round’ calendar in next 2 years
- Candidate drops out of special Charleston board election
- Fort Mill schools expected to keep $54M in new home fees after dispute with York County
- Aiken County Board of Education share goals for 2023
- Judge dismisses SC school board member’s defamation suit against Facebook page administrator
SECURITY AND INCIDENTS
- New details, conflicting narratives offered in Tanglewood school shooting hearing
- No charges coming in 2021 Clemson University hazing incident
- More than 30 Clemson buildings damaged by pipes burst in cold snap
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Back to school: Berkeley County duo reach their goals decades later
- Wando’s yearbook staff makes history with national award
- Crown Leadership Academy named Cognia School of Distinction
- Aiken Scholars Academy ranked one of top high schools in South Carolina
STUDENT LEARNING AND ACTIVITIES
- Charleston horticulture program now taught by former student
- Exceptional education students serve up smiles in classroom cafes
- Teachers, students return to boundless forests of Savannah River Site
HIGHER EDUCATION
- SC agencies, universities to combat alcohol and drug addiction through partnership
- Aiken Tech offers tower technician certification program
- Clemson’s battle against online disinformation gets $7M grant
- USC Upstate plans $21M library enhancement to expand student services
- USC Aiken dean receives recognition from General Assembly
- Upstate tech school workforce development program graduates first class
- Fourth cohort of Nuclear Operator Apprentices graduate from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Aiken Tech
- Eatery built into USC campus closes its doors, to reopen under new management
- CSU grateful for late donor’s generosity
That’s it for this week! If you have any story tips, questions or thoughts, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at mturcotte@postandcourier.com or 843-806-6772. You can also find me on Twitter @mcturcotte. I also recommend you give the Education Lab’s Twitter a follow too — the handle is @PC_EdLab — or join the Education Lab’s Facebook group here.
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