Transitional board appointed to oversee school district consolidation

Five people have been appointed to oversee the consolidation of Barnwell County’s school districts.

With the passage of the Barnwell County School District consolidation bill on April 25, Barnwell County’s school districts will officially become one on July 1, 2024. To lead this process, the Barnwell County Legislative Delegation (Sen. Brad Hutto and Rep. Lonnie Hosey) have appointed a new 5-member transitional board which includes:

• Terry Richardson of Barnwell will serve as chairman. The military veteran has been an attorney for 48 years. He previously served on the Barnwell District 45 board and currently serves on the Darnell Committee board, which helps prepare young children for school. His wife Gail is a retired teacher and librarian in Blackville. 

• Ronald Brown of Williston. The former teacher and coach is currently chairman of the Barnwell County Consolidated School District board, but served many years on the former Williston District 29 board. He served on the transition board that oversaw the first phase of consolidation in 2022.

• Abraham Sexton of Barnwell. He’s served on the Barnwell District 45 School Board since 2009. The U.S. Army veteran has been a school bus driver and aide for special-needs children. His wife Susie is a retired Barnwell school teacher while one of their three children is currently a teacher in Charleston. 

• Dr. William "Andy" Sandifer of Blackville. He has been an educator for more than 50 years, including 34 years at Blackville-Hilda Public Schools (teacher, assistant principal, principal, federal programs administrator, assistant superintendent, superintendent) and 17 years at USC Salkehatchie (director of human resources, maintenance & security, adjunct professor in division of professional studies). He is also a pastor.

• Becky Huggins of Barnwell. She has served on the Barnwell School District 45 board since 2017 and is chairman of the career center board. She is active in the community, including the Barnwell schools her two sons attend. She’s the daughter of Coach Mac and Sara Wier, both retired educators.

These five Barnwell County residents were selected after Hosey and Hutto met with the current school boards and superintendents, as well as other community leaders. More than a dozen names were collected.

“They are a well-rounded cross section of the community. Chairman Richardson is someone people look up to and he has a proven commitment to education,” said Sen. Hutto.

These five members will oversee the entire process of consolidating Barnwell School District 45 (BSD45), the Barnwell County Consolidated School District (BCCSD), and Barnwell County School District 80 (Barnwell County Career Center) into one district. This includes hiring a superintendent, setting a budget, and more.

"In order to facilitate the efficient consolidation of the three present school districts, the members of the districts' respective boards of trustees and their superintendents, administrators, and personnel shall cooperate fully with the Barnwell County Legislative Delegation and delegation staff, the initial five-member appointed Board of Trustees for the Barnwell County School District, and the South Carolina Department of Education officials assisting with the consolidation," according to the consolidation bill.

Richardson said he knows both David Corder, interim BCCSD superintendent, and Dr. Crissie Stapleton, BSD45 superintendent, who are both well respected. “There is great leadership and we have excellent board members,” he said.

Hutto said he and Rep. Hosey will be involved to help the board, but “it is not our intention to micromanage anything.” He said the local board will have full control over the decisions.

Once the new Barnwell County School District officially is formed on July 1, 2024, the three former districts and their respective boards will be abolished.

SMOOTH TRANSITION

For many decades, the talk of county-wide consolidation has evoked many emotions and opinions.

“There is no longer the debate of consolidation. The decision was made for us, and we move forward and work together in a positive light to do what is best for our children with as little disruption as possible,” said Huggins.

Sandifer remembers talk of consolidation when he was superintendent of Blackville-Hilda Public Schools. Now that it is a reality, he said it’s vital for all stakeholders to “work together to provide the best educational system for our children. It takes a village to raise a child, and we all must now become that village,” he said.

With a background in public relations, counseling, and ministry, Sandifer likes helping people. Regarding people’s negative feelings about consolidation, he said he will do his best to be a mediator to “hear and consider all concerns, issues, and opinions.”

“Negative opinions will be addressed in love. Together we can make a difference,” said Sexton.

Richardson wants to involve as many people as possible in the process. This includes setting up committees to explore specific areas, such as industries seeing what training is needed at the BCCC.

“We need the entire village to help in creating a wonderful school system for our children,” said Richardson.

SHAPING THE FUTURE

A lot of work must be done to prepare for consolidation. However, the transitional board members are ready to build the best school system for the county’s students.

“The basic guideline will always be to do what is best for our children, our future leaders,” said Sandifer.

He accepted the appointment to “help give structure to the future educational system in our county and believe each child deserves an equal educational opportunity. Every child can learn. It takes a variety of techniques to individualize a child’s educational program for success,” said Sandifer.

“Collectively, we will shape the future of Barnwell County School District by creating a positive learning environment by providing our students and staff with the tools, training, and facilities needed to promote continuous student growth. We do this by establishing strong communication structures to inform and engage both internal and external stakeholders in setting and achieving district goals,” said Huggins.

As chairman of the Darnell Committee, which focuses on preparing children for kindergarten, Richardson knows the importance of education. Data shows only 16 to 23 percent of children in Barnwell County are ready for kindergarten. He said data shows that larger schools have a better ability to provide a “solid foundation” for students.

“Ultimately, the goal is to develop each student to be good citizens and be part of the free enterprise. We want every student to finish school with a diploma and qualify for college or the workforce,” he said.

As an alumna of Barnwell High and mother of two boys who attend Barnwell schools, Huggins has a personal interest in preserving and improving the school system, which is the root of the community.

“My goals for the consolidated school board are no different than my goals for Barnwell District 45. We are advocates for our children’s education, that is our job and should remain our focus and goal. Where consolidation is concerned, the goal is for our students and families to experience a smooth transition,” said Huggins.

Sexton wants to “shape the future of our schools to help all students to be kind and productive citizens who can excel in any field they choose. In providing a quality education for our scholars, we must also provide the best tools and support for our administrators, teachers, and staff.”

Some priorities for Richardson include expanding child development centers and expanding the capacity of the career center so more students can be prepared for jobs. He also sees a need to encourage more people to become teachers, which would help with the nationwide teacher shortage.

“We should create a teaching mecca in Barnwell County so we encourage young people to go into teaching,” he said.

With a shrinking population, Richardson wants to work with economic development officials to see the impact on schools. This includes evaluating facilities.

Some of the board’s top duties over the next year includes hiring a superintendent, developing a district policy manual, developing a budget, conducting infrastructure and facilities needs assessment, providing support for curricular needs, providing support for professional development, and providing support for extra-curricular activities (band program, enrichment programs, athletics, etc.).

Brown declined to comment until he’s sworn in and receives information from the legislative delegation about the path forward.

The appointed transitional board will be sworn in soon and will serve until a permanent board is elected by the voters of Barnwell County during the 2024 General Election in November 2024. These seats will be based on five newly-formed voting districts.