State Representative Marvin Pendarvis, SC House #113 has released a statement calling on the Charleston County School Board (CCSD) immediately initiate an open, public process to select from the dozens of community proposals already submitted to be funded by the 32 million dollar appropriation of federal Covid education recovery funds. On Monday, following a press conference in which Pendarvis objected to the rushed effort to force approval of the school privatization plan Reimagine on the community, the Charleston County School Board removed approval of the controversial plan to privatize 23 predominantly African American schools serving 11 thousand students.
On January 10, Pendavis held a press conference to object to the rushed decision process on the reimagined schools privatization plan. A video has been posted on Facebook
The full statement released by Rep. Pendarvis today follows:
“A Public Plan to Select the Best Use of our 32 Million Dollars in School Covid Recovery Funds in Charleston County is needed.
By State Rep. Marvin R. Pendarvis, SC House Dist. 113
Legislature Phone (803) 212-6716
A rushed effort to privatize Charleston County Schools has been stalled. Now the entire community must step up and choose options for helping our schools in N. Charleston recover from the impact of Covid 19 using our share of the 32 million dollars in funds provided by the federal government.
I am Marvin Pendarvis. Father, Attorney and the elected representative of the Lowcountry's most diverse legislative house district, 113 which runs from the Macon in N. Charleston, through Park Circle, Ladson, and Lincolnville to Brownsville in Summerville. Great and struggling schools are found within it.. All our children and families are important. All suffered from classroom days lost to Covid. Education, always behind the times here, needs to move faster to catch up.
We cannot move so fast that we discard community participation and democracy while isolating ourselves from Covid.. Local government has begun abandoning real public hearings, in person freedom of speech where all are heard and hear each other. That is the citizen’s democratic participation vital to the power of our Republic. We can rebuild North Charleston’s schools, successful and struggling back better now, when we have to, together.
The Charleston County School District should publish online a list of all the different proposals by community groups, nonprofits and school organizations about how these federal funds can be used to help our students recover from covid. This list should include a link for each proposal to the online plans those organizations have developed, their phone number, email list and address.
The school board should appoint a commission composed of their professional staff, retired educators and community leaders to lead a public evaluation of these proposals at their next meeting, after publishing a list of all the people able to obtain a nomination endorsed by two members of the board.
After a short period for consideration, this commission should hold a public hearing where an hour is allowed for presentations on each of the over a dozen proposals which have been submitted, including reimagine schools. The presenting organizations should have 15 minutes to share it's proposal. The commission should have 15 minutes for Questions. There should be twenty minutes for public comment. A parallel internet comment facility should also be offered. This process should be conducted in person, in a socially distanced public space with masking. Democracy in a Republic should be open, safe and available to all. Citizens should not merely be heard, but be able to see and hear each other.
After all the presentations have been made the commission should score them and submit their scores to our elected school board. This entire process would take about three full days.
The Board should meet, hear more public comment and select a subset of the proposals for possible adoption at one of their meetings. Those nominees should be subjected to legal and economic investigation by the district's staff while public comment continues.
Finally, at the end of this open process, the board should meet, deliberate and select the proposals to be implemented.
This can be done in less than a month. With diligence, every school in N. Charleston that has suffered from covid and every community that wants to restore and improve it's schools can move forward together.
Everyone’s frustrated by the state of North Charleston’s public schools.. In November, we elect a new school board from new, single member districts.. That will produce a more responsive school governance. However, N. Charleston can't want that long to recover from Covid in the Classroom and regulations for the use of these funds won't allow us to.
North Charleston can lead the effort and heal divisions made by the poorly timed attempt to force approval of Reimagine Schools. All Charleston can unite in an atmosphere of hope and trust. When the election for the new school board comes in November, N. Charleston can select our leaders from a place of optimism and lay the foundation for enduring and trans-formative success.
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