By Kenna Coe kcoe@postandcourier.com
At its annual Nehemiah Action gathering, Charleston Area Justice Ministry members called on Charleston County School District leaders to promise more transparency regarding the school board, whose actions in recent months have sparked repeated controversies.
CAJM asked CCSD leaders to support an audit of the board and district departments, mandated ethics and conflict resolution training for board members, and independent evaluation of the superintendent.
Three school board members who are considered part of the besieged minority — Darlene Roberson, Daron Lee Calhoun II and Courtney Waters — pledged to support all calls for action on the table. Board Chair Keith Grybowski, who is part of a conservative majority, supported none.
Education was the focus of this year’s Nehemiah Action in light of the school board’s decision to suspend former Superintendent Eric Gallien and dismantle the Health Advisory Committee last fall.
“There have been a variety of concerns that have come out of actions from our school board that have not felt transparent to too many of us,” the Rev. Adam Shoemaker, co-president of CAJM and rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, said ahead of the event.
CAJM negotiators called each board member and the superintendent to the stage to respond individually to each proposed action item. The CCSD leaders received specific pledges ahead of time.
Anita Huggins, who became superintendent in January, was asked for her support of the same action items. Huggins endorsed a proposed assessment of the school board’s policy compliance and increased training for board members.
She did not support the idea of conducting an independent audit of the district’s human resources, finance and operations departments, stating there is a process in place for audits, which does not fall under her purview.
Huggins rejected a call to have an outside firm conduct an evaluation of her performance as superintendent. She told the audience she wants to be held accountable, especially when it comes to student outcomes, but she will work with the board to evaluate her performance instead of an independent group.
Board member Carol Tempel, who is a longtime CAJM supporter, did not attend the event in order to avoid Freedom of Information Act or quorum issues for CCSD’s board, she said in a statement sent to The Post and Courier. If five members had showed up to the meeting, that would have constituted a board gathering without prior notice to the public, an FOIA violation.
Tempel also said she supports CAJM’s effort to “address the school board’s governance issues identified in their six questions,” which she said had potential to increase transparency and ethical governance, leading to better schools and more equitable student outcomes.
The Nehemiah Action is a large-scale public event hosted by CAJM — a network of congregations working together to address systemic issues in the Charleston area. The goal of the event is to get public officials to commit to specific solutions.
While this year’s event centered on education, CAJM provided an update on the group’s continued advocacy for more affordable housing, restoring Gadsden Creek and eliminating racial bias in policing.
CAJM leaders celebrated Charleston County Council’s vote to allocate 15 percent of the accommodations tax revenue for a housing trust fund. County Council members Rob Wehrman and the Rev. Kylon Middleton received certificates for this accomplishment. They were not asked to support additional initiatives.
CAJM leaders hoped to hear pledges from Charleston Mayor William Cogswell to support the revitalization of Gadsden Creek without displacing residents and to meet with CAJM about its research on reducing racial disparities in police departments, but he didn’t attend the event.
Throughout the evening, CAJM leaders prompted the audience by saying “press forward,” with the audience responding “for change.”
Each leader had the opportunity to go back and forth with the negotiator to suggest other solutions.
The nearly 1,100-person audience also had the opportunity to get involved. Volunteers held up “silence” or “cheer.” While the audience was discouraged from booing, there were some snickers and comments when they disagreed with a leader’s remarks.
Grybowski cited school board policies and a “bias issue” as reasons for declining the proposals. He said CAJM is one of many organizations involved with the school district, so as chairman, he doesn’t want to collaborate with just one.
He said he has created an ad hoc committee to conduct the audit and assessment of the superintendent, which is the responsibility of the board. He does not support additional required training for board members because he said the board follows state-mandated requirements.
The three other school board members in attendance championed all of CAJM’s ideas, showing support for engaging an independent auditor and third-party training organization.
“I can surely say that the board is the No. 1 impediment to progress in this district,” Waters said.
Valerie Nava contributed to this report