The following statement is in response to a letter North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey sent on Feb. 2, 2022 to Charleston County School District leaders.
The issues Mayor Summey raised in his letter illustrate the systemic, long-standing challenges for many schools in CCSD that existed long before these last few months. We are very glad to see our elected officials vocalize the need for major change, even if our proposal is what generated that energy. Our goal is to call for change and see CCSD commit the resources to it.
Reimagine Schools is just one idea out of 71 proposals to address key goals the district identified in summer 2021 related to ESSER III funds following CCSD’s extensive community input process. Reimagine Schools itself is a strategy for community engagement. It establishes a fully-resourced process to gather input from the communities surrounding the schools in four areas including North Charleston, and then CCSD would fund improvement strategies that those community members identify.
While we all await a clear plan as to the next steps in this process, CCF remains open and willing to listen and engage with members of the community who are seeking greater clarity. To that end, we have posted our proposal online for public review, shared detailed responses to questions from educators and parents, and accepted numerous invitations to participate in community meetings. No matter what CCSD decides about Reimagine Schools, Coastal Community Foundation will support any new ideas or plans that will bring more balance and equity to the education of students in Charleston County — and we stand ready to invest in that change long-term.
