Stapleton to lead county-wide district

Dr. Crystal "Crissie" Stapleton has been selected to serve as the superintendent of the recently formed Barnwell County School District (BCSD).

“Barnwell County School District Board of Trustees has carefully and thoroughly considered its options for selecting the district’s first superintendent, including the possibility of conducting a superintendent search with the assistance of an executive firm,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Terry Richardson. “We have now settled on a decision that in our opinion would result in an outstanding, experienced administrator being appointed who is very familiar with Barnwell County.”

“The board believes by selecting Dr. Stapleton as interim leadership as well as superintendent of Barnwell County School District, the consolidation of the county is in great hands,” said Richardson. “The board would like to publicly express our appreciation for Dr. Stapleton for agreeing to serve in these capacities.”

Dr. Stapleton is currently superintendent of Barnwell School District 45 (BSD45) and will now be serving in this capacity throughout the consolidation of BSD45, the Barnwell County Career Center (BCCC), and the Barnwell County Consolidated School District (BCCSD). She will also serve as the superintendent of the newly created district starting July 1, 2024.

“I am honored and humbled to have been selected to serve as superintendent of the new Barnwell County School District, and I look forward to working with our county’s students, staff, families, and our communities to create a unified team,” said Dr. Stapleton.

“I am excited about the wonderful things happening throughout the schools across our county and this will be a wonderful opportunity to embrace the opportunities before us, to celebrate our strengths and accomplishments, as well as identify challenges and create action steps towards addressing them,” she said. “I sincerely appreciate the board’s confidence in me and look forward to continuing the work our districts strive to do every day in providing our students and families with what they need to be successful.”

Dr. Stapleton has been superintendent of BSD45 since 2017. Before stepping into this position, she served as assistant principal, director of curriculum and assistant superintendent at BSD45. Prior to coming to BSD45, she worked as both a teacher and administrator at the former Williston-Elko School District 29.

“We have strong communities throughout our county who wrap their arms around our school districts. As we face this unique opportunity of consolidating our school systems, not only will we rely on the support of our communities, but we will also work towards forming stronger partnerships throughout Barnwell County,” said Dr. Stapleton.

She is currently serving as the chair of the S.C. Board of Education as well as on the S.C. Educator Preparation Report Card Task Force with the Commission on Higher Education. Dr. Stapleton recently served as a state judge for the S.C. Teacher of the Year selection committee and the S.C. Department of Accreditation Task Force.

Locally, Dr. Stapleton serves on the Board of Directors for the Palmetto Innovation Center in Barnwell, is President of the Rotary Club of Barnwell County, is a member of the Darnell Committee, and is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina and Leadership Salkehatchie.

As she and the board move forward in creating the new district, they will be committed to their families and communities to “ensure our students and staff members have equitable access to programs, resources, technology, facilities, and more,” said Dr. Stapleton.

“Throughout this next year, we will work together within our two school districts to combine resources in order to provide better educational opportunities for our students across Barnwell County,” she said.

“As part of this commitment, we are actively in the process of developing an effective and strategic consolidation plan that will allow us to create a strong school district. As I look across our county’s schools, I know we have many dedicated and talented employees who will be instrumental in this endeavor. I look forward to working alongside each of them to ensure success.”

Other topics discussed at the board’s August 2 workshop and following meeting include a recent facility study, determination of a meeting schedule, and approval of board member compensation.

Dr. Stapleton and interim superintendent of BCCSD David Corder explained they are discussing the next steps of consolidation with both the board members and BCCC director David Augustine.

This includes merging IT software, inventory systems, and laying the foundation to merge the districts financially. Combining the three districts also comes with standardizing technology, rebranding including signage and buses, as well as creating the new district’s website.

The district will be working with State Fiscal Accountability (SFAA), Compass Municipal Advisors, and other appropriate entities to modify current procurement practices, analyze debt for BSD45, BCCSD, and BCCC, and determine an anticipated millage for the new district, respectively.

During the work session prior to the meeting, the board discussed equalizing salaries across the new district. This does not indicate an increase in salary and will be based on an internal salary study set to be conducted in the fall. This study will include job descriptions, contract days, daily hours, and more. Implementing a recruitment plan was also discussed.

Facility Study

BSD45 requested proposals for a facility study to be conducted prior to the creation of this board. A facility study looks at the buildings on the school’s campus in-depth and notes areas in need of improvement.

“We went through that entire process,” said Dr. Stapleton.

Dr. Stapleton and Corder suggested instead of submitting another request for proposals for a facility study for all BCCSD buildings, that an addendum be added to the current contract with BSD45. This addendum would allow for facility studies to be done at both Williston and Blackville campuses.

“Under the legislation, this board has the authority to make those types of expenditures from the funds that have been made available to us,” said Richardson, who described this study as “a very critical step in the work we’re doing.”

This decision for an addendum was unanimously approved.

Meeting times

The board has voted to meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. with rotating locations between BCCC, BSD45, and BCCSD.

The next meeting will be held on August 22 at 12255 Main Street in Williston.

Board Compensation

Board members will be compensated $450 per month. This does not change if the board meets more than once a month.

“It comes out of a fund that has been set up, $3.125 million, that is given to a consolidated board all over the state to help with the transition for consolidation,” said Richardson.

“Those funds for this board will come out of those funds and not out of the budget that is supporting the children in this district.”