Charleston Co. School Board rated “Ineffective” in teacher survey

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School Board has been rated “ineffective” by teachers in the state’s second-largest school district.

The survey, conducted by the Charleston Teacher Alliance, polled 718 teachers and found the board earned a 1.80 out of 4.00. That’s a decrease from last year when the board earned a “minimally effective” score of 2.05.

Top concerns for teachers include pay, class size, discipline, retention and curriculum changes.

More than half of teachers responded, saying discipline is not being taken seriously and describing it as a major problem; 53% of teachers say they believe student referrals are being altered by administrators to make the offense appear less serious.

The curriculum has also proven to be a topic of great concern. Exactly 71% of teachers say they do not think the district should be using the current math curriculum, with teachers generally believing no curriculum should be one-size-fits-all. They believe schools should be able to use any state-approved curriculum that fits the specific needs of the school and its students.

CTA conducts this survey annually, and then a meeting is arranged to discuss the results with the superintendent. Jody Stallings is a director with CTA. He says they did not poll teachers on the superintendent’s performance because he was in the interim role for much of the year. Stallings says he hopes teacher concerns will be heard.

“Teachers are eager to work with new superintendent Don Kennedy to help our district reach every student under our supervision,” Stallings said. “Though the board received an overall rating of “ineffective,” there were moments this year where some board members sought to listen to teachers and support us through trying times.”

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