SC Superintendent of Education Candidates Respond to Critical Education Policy Questions

United Way of the Piedmont and Spartanburg Academic Movement crafted questions for the three candidates running for SC Superintendent of Education; Lisa Ellis (Democratic Party), Patricia Mickel (Green Party), and Ellen Weaver (Republican Party). The candidates were invited to respond in 150 words or less.  We have responses printed below, in full, from Lisa Ellis and Ellen Weaver listed in alphabetical order by last name. Patricia Mickel did not submit a response.

United Way of the Piedmont and Spartanburg Academic Movement are non-partisan, 501(c)(3) organizations that do not endorse or oppose any candidates running for elected office.

The second week of early voting in Spartanburg County is open and operates from 8:30-6pm until Saturday November 5th 2022. The general election takes place on Tuesday November 8th, 2022. We encourage you to confirm your voter registration, polling location, and sample ballot at scvotes.gov.

---

Q&A

Question 1

For our students and families who may not be familiar with the role of State Superintendent of Education, can you summarize what the role will entail and how you plan to improve education for all students? 

Candidate Responses

Ellis: The role of the Superintendent of Education is to oversee all the public schools in South Carolina and to make sure that they are providing a quality education for students. The Superintendent oversees the budget and policies and implements those policies into school districts to be carried out. Every student deserves a high-quality education, not just a “minimally adequate education.” This starts with the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. Until we get highly qualified teachers in every single classroom the other issues are secondary.

Weaver: The State Superintendent of Education is an executive leadership role responsible for directly managing a multi-billion-dollar state agency and over 1,000 staff. The key duties of the job include serving as the secretary/administrative officer for the State Board of Education and administering policies and procedures adopted by the Board, overseeing public school funds, running the State Department of Education, communicating with the public about the needs of public schools, certification and professional development for teachers, and many other responsibilities delegated by law or the State Board. As State Superintendent of Education, I will serve as the “quarterback” in Columbia, visiting regularly with students, teachers, parents, and community leaders across the state and putting my strong relationships, leadership, and management skills to work every day to turn their feedback into action and advance the ball for education in our state!

Question 2

We know that most of a child’s brain development happens by age 5, what is your vision for preparing kindergarteners for success in reading and learning? 

Candidate Responses

Ellis: I believe in universal pre-K where our children have access to high-quality pre-K and kindergarten programs that are licensed and fully funded. I also believe that learning should be developmentally appropriate for that age, where students are focused on exploration through play and exposure to different opportunities. This will help students to be more prepared as they move through their elementary education. When students can begin learning and exploring with other children at a young age it bodes well for their success later in their educational careers.

Weaver: Reading is the foundational skill of all other learning. Despite making important progress in expanding early childhood education, South Carolina students have struggled to maintain early learning gains over time. Sustaining our early childhood investment requires the same laser-focus in K-3rd literacy that we have seen move the needle in Florida, Mississippi, and other states. This means early identification and intervention for students with reading challenges, as well as a universal emphasis on phonics and knowledge-building, the proven science of reading.

Question 3

Even with in-person learning, our students need access to the internet to complete homework, access learning resources, and connect to opportunities. What role does access to broadband play in education and how can we prepare our students for success in the digital world?

Candidate Responses 

Ellis: Access to broadband is a state-wide infrastructure issue, however, the Superintendent of Education can play a role in pushing it as a priority for all areas of South Carolina. This will help so that when students must deal with inclement weather or other issues that prevent the school building from being open, they are not losing their access to learning. We know that there is a gap between rural and urban schools when it comes to access to broadband and educational opportunities. Ensuring that all students have internet access regardless of their zip code is the best way to begin bridging this gap.

Weaver: With enormous recent federal and state investments, and the great work of SC Broadband Office under the direction of Jim Stritzinger, South Carolina is making tremendous strides towards closing the digital divide in every corner of our state. As Superintendent, I will collaborate closely with Director Stritzinger, Governor McMaster, and the General Assembly to ensure we completely close our broadband access gap. While technology plays a vital role in a 21st century education, we must not pretend that technology is a silver bullet to all our education challenges, nor can we ignore the dangers of technology addiction, online predators, and cyberbullying. South Carolina students deserve a safe, balanced approach that harnesses the power of technology while not losing a focus on the vital importance of highly-qualified teachers and the need to develop important skills such as interpersonal communication, refining motor skills developed by things like cursive writing, and more. 

Question 4

Mental health is a pressing concern for students, parents, and teachers alike. What will you do as Superintendent to improve access to school-based mental health services?

Candidate Responses

Ellis: Mental health is an incredibly important issue for our children and should be addressed in schools. However, with the underfunding of schools most districts and schools are not able to fully fund those programs and personnel. While a lack of mental health programs and staff is an issue throughout the state, schools in rural or low-income areas are especially impacted by this matter. As Superintendent, I will work with the General Assembly to push for total funding of public schools and push those mental health services into the schools and classrooms for our students. 

Weaver: A recent audit requested by Governor McMaster found that mental health services are currently available to fewer than half of public schools, with a ratio of one counselor to approximately 1,300 students. As Superintendent, I will work with Governor McMaster, Department of Health and Human Services Director Kerr, and the General Assembly to address barriers to access (such as existing pay disparities identified by the audit) in order to close this gap. We must support and expand access for students and teachers by harnessing the services of DHHS, private, and telehealth counselors. I want to also stress that we must create meaningful resources to engage, equip, and partner with parents to support their children’s mental health needs: the school can never replace the family in this critical arena.

Question 5

What policies and programs in the K-12 setting can best prepare students for college and career readiness and future success? 

Candidate Responses

Ellis: A highly qualified teacher is the best resource for preparing students for college and career readiness. When you have a highly qualified teacher in the classroom, they are able to understand the needs of their students and utilize multiple different programs to reach their students and help meet those needs. These teachers facilitate college and career readiness by providing options and opportunities for students to explore the different avenues available to them at the end of their high school careers. Giving students age-appropriate work-study opportunities and internships can be just as important in helping a student figure out what they don’t want to do in life as it is in helping them figure out what they do want to do in life. Both scenarios give students the chance to make more informed decisions as to their post-high school path.

Weaver: College and career readiness always begins with a laser focus on the fundamentals: literacy and math. From there, expanding access to AP and other advanced offerings to students in every community in our state by expanding VirtualSC into a full Online Course Access program like we see working in many states is one exciting way to increase college readiness. Apprenticeship Carolina, readySC, and other CTE initiatives such as the Anderson Institute of Technology have also distinguished South Carolina as a national leader in providing students with opportunities to engage in hands on application of learning: we must support and expand these opportunities, especially in our rural communities. From partnering with industry leaders to creating in-school opportunities, we must elevate, celebrate, and expand multiple educational pathways—whether that means college, career, or the military—in order to equip every student to pursue their individual talents and goals with excellence.

Question 6

From your perspective, what are the biggest daily challenges facing teachers in public education?

Candidate Responses

Ellis: The biggest daily challenges facing teachers in public education include underfunding, low teacher salary, tough working conditions, and having to be mental health outlets for both children and adults. What many people don’t realize is that the second a teacher walks through the door at the beginning of the day until they leave the building at the end of the day they are performing. That can take both a physical and mental toll on the teacher’s wellbeing. And when they are not given supportive working conditions and a salary that allows them to rest and recuperate that really makes it a challenge to do the job effectively. 

Weaver: In my many listening sessions with educators throughout the years (including teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school staff) several key themes have emerged: laborious red tape and paperwork that eat into planning time and distract from teaching students; an avalanche of changing standards and technology trends; the feeling of lack of support in matters of discipline in the classroom; the desire for meaningful, high-quality professional development (not just box checking that wastes time); and the need for more parents to be engaged in their child’s learning journey. We all know salary matters, but working conditions are just as important. As Superintendent, I will fight to immediately cut red tape, review discipline policies to give teachers a safe place to share what is happening in their classrooms, as well as simplify and prioritize our standards. I will also work with teachers and principals to identify top professional development needs and high-quality resources.

Question 7

Childhood poverty is a reality for many families in South Carolina and the stressors of living in poverty can adversely impact learning outcomes. How would you advise the South Carolina Department of Education to meet the needs children experiencing poverty while at school? 

Candidate Responses

Ellis: I believe that the Department of Education is already meeting the needs at a minimal level. But without proper funding we are not able to meet the needs of these students to the extent that we could. I will push for the General Assembly to better fund programs that assist students experiencing poverty. I believe we also need to look at what is developmentally appropriate for students at different ages and how we can best support all the issues that come with students experiencing poverty, not just issues that are academic in nature.

Weaver: In addition to effectively managing the many state and federal programs already in place to support the mental and physical needs of children living in poverty, we must build on existing partnerships such as First 5 South Carolina to break down educational silos and increase collaboration across agencies and age groups. But schools and teachers can’t do this work alone, so as Superintendent, I will work hard to forge new and deeper partnerships between schools and our local businesses, faith communities and non-profits, such as SAM and the United Way. We must harness the time and talents of concerned citizens across this state to create an army of mentors and tutors who go into schools to support our teachers and provide real-world role models for our students!

---

The Four Schools

Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) launched The Four Schools Project in 2018 to focus resources and support to address the unique factors influencing success for children living in poverty.

Two superintendents, former Spartanburg County District 7 Superintendent Russell Booker and Spartanburg County District 6 Superintendent Darryl Owings, called on SAM to drive strategies to help educators in the county’s highest poverty schools: Cleveland Academy of Leadership, Mary H. Wright Elementary School, Lone Oak Elementary School and Jesse Bobo Elementary School.

When the Four Schools Project began, those schools were collectively at a 14.66 percent proficiency rate for third grade reading. At that time, SAM set a goal to improve early grades reading proficiency to 30 percent by 2021.

In researching success models working in other communities’ facing similar challenges, empowering teachers and students with Continuous Improvement strategies was used as a strategy to increase student achievement.

Using SAM’s strong partnerships in the schools, early training in the CI methodology, also referred to as rapid PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycles began over the spring and summer of 2018 in the four schools.

In October 2019, SC READY assessments showed that the number of students in the four schools that had met or exceeded proficiency were climbing.

COVID hit in 2020, and there was no statewide testing.

SAM announced during the Wardlaw Institute of Continuous Improvement Conference in October 2022 that the

Four Schools collectively exceeded their goal of 30 percent reading proficiency

as 32.36 percent of students are third grade proficient readers as benchmarked by SC READY testing.

For the first time in 23 years, Cleveland Academy of Leadership is no longer considered a low performing school. Cleveland Academy Principal Marquice Clarke said equity was the paradigm shift the school needed.

“When COVID hit, we thought about ways that we could take advantage of the time we had been given,” Clark said. “It allowed us time to refine our practices and gave us time to bridge to our families.”

Clarke said smaller class sizes, resources and a commitment of service has allowed Cleveland students to succeed.

“We’ve had an extraordinary amount of interventions like Americorps that has given us an additional person in the classroom for support so the teacher can focus on teaching,” he said. “They focus on reading, math and attendance support.”

Clark said he’s found that when you provide more to children who need more, you get positive results.
Jesse Bobo Elementary School Principal Catherine Pogue said her staff’s commitment to “passion, people and planning” has driven positive results.

“More than test results, we’ve built relationships and have made it a priority to get to know our students and families as individuals,” Pogue said. “The work is hard, but we’re changing kids’ lives.”

At Jesse Bobo, there is a team of coaches and support staff who dig into test scores and data to provide each student with an individualized plan for instruction and/or intervention.

Listening to the coaches talk about each student’s “recipe for success” is similar to watching scientists mix concoctions in a lab.

“We have a collective vision,” said Literacy Coach Allie Thrower. “We’re here for the children and all children matter. We’re focused on equity and standards and the best opportunities for our students.”

Coaches and teachers focus on research-based methods for reading, including understanding how the brain learns to read, and there is a renewed focus on grade-level planning.

“This team is intentionally aligned with PDSAs, and we’ve seen huge growth with SC READY, and we believe it’s because there’s accountability at all levels,” Pogue said. “The students are involved in goal setting and we have test-taking strategies. We believe we’re on the right path and we’ll continue to push so that all students are succeeding.”

Data-Driven vs. Data Justified

WJWI - EdRedesign Summer Institute Blog

Midas Hampton, founding executive director of Strategic Spartanburg, SAM Executive Director Dr. Russell Booker, Spartanburg’s City Manager Chris Story and Michael Williamson, chief executive officer of the Northside Development Group, joined leaders from 16 other community-based organizations from across the country for a five-day summit called

Transforming Place through Neighborhood Leadership

Co-sponsored by the EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), the summit delved into research and on-the-ground action around place-based, cradle-to-career efforts to close opportunity gaps and create pathways to educational achievement and economic mobility.

SAM asked Midas Hampton to share his thoughts, takeaways and his experiences to better understand place-based work and how data can be used to improve outcomes.

---

Long before you were born, many of your realities were already set in place. Your access to a quality K-12 education, healthy food options, post-secondary opportunities, and even how long you would live. This predictive indicator is your zip code. Where you are born has the power to shape so much of your lived experience. Like many of our community members, I was born to a struggle as old as time itself but draped in a fresh robe to cover the scars of inequity. The battle between the few at the top and the many who find themselves stuck at the bottom. The disinvested neighborhood where I lived was one of extreme poverty. The system seemed to condemn residents for its necessity but offered no meaningful alternative that would genuinely help them achieve upward economic mobility.

During the week in Boston, I was face-to face-with people engaged in what Michael McAfee called "soul work" (i.e., work that feeds the soul). Specifically, placed-based systems change work to address this disparity by zip code. A star-studded lineup curated by the William Julius Wilson Institute and Ed Redesign Lab included Raj Chetty, Michael McAfee, and Geoffrey Canada were central components of my week at Harvard during the "Transforming Place through Neighborhood Leadership" Summit. As I think about the space in the community that Strategic Spartanburg will inhabit, I am reminded of a quote by Alan Cohen, CEO of Child Poverty Action Lab. He said that we must be "data-driven, not data justified."

Spartanburg County has an opportunity to leverage what Raj Chetty calls "big data at the neighborhood level" to improve resource allocation, educational attainment, economic vitality, and overall quality-of-life. We can use the data to support our preconceived ideas and initiatives, or we can use the data as a guide toward impactful solutions that move the needle. One impactful organization is Spartanburg Academic Movement, which has been data-driven from its very beginning. Utilizing key academic indicator data, Dr. Russell Booker and his team are improving economic mobility across Spartanburg County by examining the root causes of educational disparities and their intersectional nature. This lens provides the space to innovate, implement, evaluate and improve programming. However, this is only possible when we are all invested in the process of being data-driven.

So how do we infuse a community with the resources, so they don't have to move to access opportunities? The one thing that I can come up with is simply place matters. The individuals that make the community vibrant, eclectic, nuanced, enveloping, and inspiring matter. Though we are not new to this work. In 1987, Strategic Spartanburg's forerunner, Community Indicators, was established under the leadership of the Spartanburg County Foundation's Board of Trustees, whose vision was to measure the quality of life in Spartanburg County. The board formed a team of volunteers to gather data and, in 1989, published the first Critical Indicators Report. Today, 35 years later, we are still committed to leveraging data to improve the lives of the residents in communities across the county.

Irrefutably, Strategic Spartanburg needs to be the kind of organization that learns as much as possible about the areas of opportunity through data and research and provides evidence-based alternatives to address them. Toni Morrison once said, "When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else." This moral imperative is what fuels my commitment and passion for public service and why I am excited to work with all stakeholders to improve the quality-of-life in Spartanburg County.

---

Meet Midas Hampton

Midas Hampton is the Founding Executive Director of the Strategic Spartanburg, Inc. Midas Hampton has a background in direct service, youth and community development, mixed methods research, state and local policy, and measurement & evaluation. He has a passion for participatory methodologies and centering equity in every aspect of the work. Midas received his BS in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina-Upstate and MPA from Seattle University. He is a doctoral candidate in the Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship program at the University of the District of Columbia. His research focuses on the process of neighborhood change, community indicators, collaborative governance, data equity, community development, gentrification, and stakeholder engagement. Midas lives in Spartanburg with his partner, two daughters, cat and dog.

O.P. Earle Staff Receive Trauma-Informed Training

The Center for Resilient Schools and Communities, spearheaded by Dr. Jennifer Parker, worked with 75 educators this summer to provide education on adverse childhood experiences, unconscious bias, self-care, and trauma-informed practices. On August 9, 50 educators from District 1’s O.P. Earle Elementary School participated in a CRSC Level 1 training as part of their professional development ahead of the 2022-2023 academic year. Three educators, who share 70 years of education experience between them, shared insight into their Level 1 experience.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

From Left: Brian Murray (Principal), Ashley Foster (Assistant Principal), Angie Hatchette (Teacher)

Principal Brian Murray taught in the classroom for 13 years, served as an assistant principal for five years, and has been O.P. Earle’s principal for the last 10 years. During his tenure, he has fostered a resiliency-minded culture in his school environment. O.P. Earle began implementing trauma-informed practices four or five years ago and the training served as a refresher for veteran staff and as a foundation for new staff. When asked about the overall benefit of this training to his staff, Murray said it served a dual purpose. It brought his staff together as a collective and helped oriented everyone in the same direction.

“It got everyone on the same page. Hearing the same words, the same speakers…we can have great conversations over this next year that can help drive what we do,” Murray said, acknowledging the empathy teachers oftentimes have, but aren’t always sure how to channel.

“It got everyone on the same page. Hearing the same words, the same speakers…we can have great conversations over this next year that can help drive what we do.”

“As teachers, we are very empathetic, and we see things, but we don’t always know how to address it,” he said. “And we want to be inclusive of all the different children that come in.” The training provided not only an awareness of what students might be experiencing, but a common language for talking about those experiences.

Assistant Principal Ashley Foster, a veteran educator who has served O.P. Earle as assistant principal for two years, said the training gave everyone a common language so when administrators walk into the building, they know all teachers share the same foundational knowledge. The ACEs portion of the training resonated with Foster.

“That’s vocabulary some of us had heard and understood, but now when we walk into our building, we know that all of our teachers know the kids bring extra ACEs to the table,” Foster said. “This training in Level 1 has given us more resources to use because we all have our own ACEs, it’s just understanding those ACEs that everyone brings to the table.”

“This training in Level 1 has given us more resources to use because we all have our own ACEs, it’s just understanding those ACEs that everyone brings to the table.”

In the classroom, special education teacher Angie Hatchette, who has taught for 25 years and won O.P. Earle’s Teacher of the Year this year, shared it was initially hard to get on board with the trauma-informed practices. It felt like an extra load on the teachers at first but the “teacher perspective has changed.” She said the mindset has shifted to a teamwork mindset.

“I think in the past we’ve all been very aware, but it’s like today we’re here all together and we’re in this together, hearing the same things, working together for this common goal, to look at ourselves and what we’re doing and how we approach things,” Hatchette said.

“We’re in this together, hearing the same things, working together for this common goal”

Murray made sure to set the tone for this work ahead of the academic year: “We had our first faculty meeting [this week] where I really just sort of set the stage and said: ‘This is what we will be doing,’ and this training gives us reinforcement as to what we said we wanted to see taking place. I think it gives us motivation and is a great way to start the year.”

Key takeaways from the training included a sense of shared energy. Hatchette shared that “as a special ed teacher, I especially think it’s important for all teachers to realize all of our kids are coming from different backgrounds and our brains work in different ways. I really like the piece about the brain and how the brain is working. And when you add in the special ed factor, it adds another whole lay or dimension of problems that our children encounter. I also think that having everyone here, having our principal and assistant principal here, is very motivating for the rest of the staff. We have a common goal.”

Administrators do not always have a presence at the Level 1 trainings, but Foster shared it was important for her and Murray to attend “because we are a family. Because we hold the title as administrators. They’re in the trenches every single day, but we want them to know they have our support and where our hearts are. All of our hearts are working toward the same piece. So, it’s important for them to see us fully engaged in the same expectations we set for them. We want to model those expectations for them.”

“It’s important for them to see us fully engaged in the same expectations we set for them. We want to model those expectations for them.”

CRSC Training Associate Jasmine Stewart shared that the Level 1 training is critical for school staffers. Not only does it provide “a foundational basis of understanding of ACEs, unconscious bias, and self-care, it helps to develop a framework on how we approach the classroom to better relate and discipline our students.” Dr. Parker added: “It provides a new lens with more context about student behavior and learning, while also addressing the strong system of support educators need to be able to sustain the trauma-informed practices.”

To register for an upcoming training, educators can use the button below or get in touch with their principal for more information. Each Spartanburg County school district is represented on the CRSC Advisory Council and the representative shares dates and registration links with each of their school principals. Upcoming Level 1 training opportunities are scheduled for September 14, October 13, and November 16.