School board gets an earful
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Parents Upset
Some parents get a little upset about their school possibly being closed by the schoolboard at Burke High School
Security officers, shouting, and booing. It was a heated battle over keeping schools open in downtown Charleston Tuesday night.
Parents stood in line for more than an hour to make sure the Charleston County School District hears their concerns about the district’s school consolidation plan.
It didn’t take long for the drama to unfold at the fourth community hearing on the matter at Burke High School Tuesday night.
Community leader Dr. Wilmot Fraser stormed to the front of the auditorium demanding the Charleston County School District hear every person concerned about the possibility of schools closing down in the downtown Charleston community and demanded they not turn off the microphones after the 30 minutes allotted on the agenda.
The crowd booed as security officers escorted him away. Meanwhile Superintendent Dr. Nancy McGinley tried to calm the irate crowd.
“People will be heard,” she insisted.
Once order was restored and the school consolidation plan presented to the crowd of more than 300, parents and school supporters lined the isles.
“Dr. McGinley I’m talking so please give me your undivided attention,” shouted one woman.
“Don’t sugarcoat anything. Just tell the truth. Be honest,” another added.
Their message: listen up and don’t close schools like Charleston Progressive.
“Give these parents the time to be heard and please listen,” pleaded one parent during the public comment session.
We caught up with Superintendent Dr. Nancy McGinley after more than an hour of parents and school leaders venting and some finger pointing.
“A lot of people said ‘are you listening?’ Are you and the board listening and will these people’s concerns really be considered when you go back and look at the options presented?” I asked the superintendent.
“We are absolutely listening. I took about seven pages of notes so that I made sure I got very clear details about what was being said tonight,” she told News 2.
But these parents still want two things, more options and more time to fight to keeps their children’s schools open.
Some of the biggest changes to the downtown district under the consolidation plan include possibly closing Charleston Progressive Academy, moving Fraser elementary students to Sanders Clyde, and eventually moving James Simons to the Rivers campus.
Again, no decisions are final. The school board is scheduled to take a vote in January.
Dr. McGinley says if the district doesn’t close schools, programs and teachers will have to be cut to make up for state budget cuts.
You have one more chance to weigh in on the issue.
The next meeting takes place Wednesday at Baptist Hill High School at 6:30 p.m.
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