Mayor Summey addresses proposal to remove North Charleston schools from CCSD

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey on Thursday addressed a proposal that would pull schools located in North Charleston out of the Charleston County School District.

State Representative Marvin Pendarvis presented three options for the future of North Charleston schools, one of which would pull them away from CCSD if the board voted to pass the controversial ‘Reimagine Schools’ initiative.

Mayor Summey said he feels the schools have not been getting the attention they deserve.

“The public schools of North Charleston have not got the amount of material and activity investment that they should have,” said Summey in his one-on-one interview with News 2.

Leaders within the community are now looking to chart a new course for education with it comes to the city’s youth.

“I’m not sure what that is yet,” Summey said. “I think you have to look at all sides, but I do think that our future is in the hands of our young people.”

The Reimagine Schools proposal has ignited a debate between lawmakers, city leaders, and educators. 

The multimillion-dollar third-party proposal promises to improve more than a dozen schools within the district through a ten-year plan by creating three community-based innovation commissions. The schools in question have student populations that are predominately minority.

“It’s not about the adults, it’s about getting our kids education, getting them prepared for the jobs that are coming in,” he said.

Mayor Summey said leaders need to look at every outcome when it comes to the future of the city’s schools and how it would impact students.

“We are open to whatever we can do to make sure that our kids have a greater opportunity to learn,” said Summey.

The answer remains to be seen. But Mayor Summey said changes need to be made.

“We should not be satisfied until we make the weakest link stronger,” he said.

No decisions have been made about the ‘Reimagine Schools’ initiative. The proposal has not been discussed since Rep. Pendarvis made his announcement.