Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

Berkeley County School District, South Carolina

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Berkeley County School District
School Board badge.png
Berkeley County, South Carolina
District details
Superintendent: Anthony Dixon
# of school board members: 9
Website: Link

Berkeley County School District is a school district in South Carolina.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Anthony Dixon is the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District. Dixon was appointed on November 15, 2022 immediately after the Berkeley County School Board voted to terminate then-superintendent Deon Jackson.[1][2][3]

Past superintendents

  • Deon Jackson served as superintendent from July 1, 2021 until November 15, 2022, when the Berkeley County School Board voted 6-3 to terminate Jackson's employment "effective immediately."[1]
  • Eddie Ingram was the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District from August 8, 2017 until June 2021, serving in a consulting role until August 2021.[4] Ingram's previous career experience includes working as the superintendent of the Darlington County School District, the superintendent of Franklin County Schools in North Carolina, and a high school English and Latin teacher.[5]
  • Deon Jackson was the interim superintendent of the Berkeley County School District in 2017. Jackson's previous career experience included working in the district as its chief administrative officer, a teacher, and an assistant football coach.[6]
  • Brenda Blackburn was the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District from 2015 to 2017.[6] Blackburn's previous career experience included working as the superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia.[7]
  • Rodney Thompson was the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District from 2011 to 2015.[8]

School board

The Berkeley County School District school board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. One member is elected at large and the other eight members are elected by district.[9]

Elections

See also: Berkeley County School District, South Carolina, elections

Members of the Berkeley County School District school board are elected to four-year terms. Four or five seats are up for election on a staggered basis every even-numbered year in November.[10]

Five seats on the board were up for general election on November 5, 2024.

On May 18, 2022, a new state law went into effect eliminating the District 9 seat and adding an at-large seat to the school board. Each of the existing eight seats were scheduled for election in 2022. The at-large seat did not appear on the 2022 ballot. According to the law, the school board chairperson would serve as the at-large member from the 2022 election until the 2024 election. At the 2024 election, an at-large member would be elected to a four-year term. Odd-numbered seats were scheduled to be up for election in 2024, meaning that members elected in 2022 would serve a two-year term, rather than the regular four-year term.[11][12][13]


Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


Join the conversation about school board politics

Hall Pass

Stay up to date on school board politics!

Subscribe for a weekly roundup of the sharpest commentary and research from across the political spectrum with Ballotpedia's Hall Pass newsletter.


Public participation in board meetings

The Berkeley County School District school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[14]

“

In order that the board may conduct its meetings properly and efficiently while assuring that persons who wish to have input may be heard, the board will follow these procedures and rules pertaining to public participation.

  • Any person wishing to address the board must register prior to the board meeting by completing a form which includes name, address, phone number and topic to be addressed.
  • Groups addressing the same issue are advised to select one spokesperson.
  • The board has set aside 30 total minutes for public comment. To maximize participation, comments will be limited to three minutes per speaker. Additional time may be allotted at the discretion of the board chairman. Any exercise of discretion will not be based on the viewpoint of the speaker(s).
  • The speakers will be invited to the podium in the order in which they have registered.
  • Comments must be issue-oriented; complaints against any employee, with the exception of district-level executives, or references to students other than the child/children of the speaker will not be heard in public session.

All regular board meetings are public meetings; however, a public meeting is not an open forum. Public participation is limited to the concerns of citizens section of the board meeting only. The board vests in its chairman or other presiding officer the authority to terminate the remarks of any individual when he/she does not adhere to the procedures established above.

Members of the board, its legal counsel and the superintendent may question a speaker or make comments in response to a speaker's remarks.

The board typically will not respond to nor take any immediate action on the concerns publicly expressed, but all concerns and comments will be appropriately considered.

Persons appearing before the board are reminded as a point of information that members of the board are without authority to act independently as individuals in official matters. Thus, questions may be directed to the board, but answers may be deferred pending proper background investigation and formal consideration by the board.[15]

”


District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[16]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $47,544,000 $1,300 10%
Local: $220,588,000 $6,031 44%
State: $234,449,000 $6,410 47%
Total: $502,581,000 $13,741
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $440,423,000 $12,041
Total Current Expenditures: $388,580,000 $10,624
Instructional Expenditures: $210,557,000 $5,756 48%
Student and Staff Support: $51,835,397 $1,417 12%
Administration: $47,836,000 $1,307 11%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $78,351,603 $2,142 18%
Total Capital Outlay: $31,269,000 $854
Construction: $25,744,000 $703
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $438,000 $11
Interest on Debt: $19,783,000 $540


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[17] $38,720 $113,236
2023-2024[18] $37,219 $102,366
2020-2021[19] $31,965 $85,723
2018-2019[20] $30,156 $80,871

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[21]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 35 60-64 17 23 30-39 37 46
2018-2019 43 66 25 33 45-49 47 54
2017-2018 45 68 27 36 40-49 44 56
2016-2017 44 70 28 36 30-39 43 54
2015-2016 45 66 29 38 50-59 46 55
2014-2015 49 69 34 39 40-49 50 57
2013-2014 70 87 56 64 60-69 76 77
2012-2013 71 87 57 69 60-69 72 79
2011-2012 72 87 59 70 60-69 74 80
2010-2011 72 85-89 60 69 60-69 73 79

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 48 70-74 32 33 50-59 47 60
2018-2019 50 67 34 36 50-59 56 61
2017-2018 47 61 32 36 35-39 50 58
2016-2017 48 68 32 38 30-39 51 58
2015-2016 47 64 32 42 40-49 48 57
2014-2015 43 62 31 33 40-49 44 51
2013-2014 74 87 62 69 70-79 78 81
2012-2013 77 88 65 74 80-89 81 83
2011-2012 75 88 62 72 80-89 77 82
2010-2011 73 85-89 62 71 50-59 74 80

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 84 90-94 86 79 >=50 84
2018-2019 83 85-89 85 75-79 60-79 82
2017-2018 84 90-94 83 75-79 80-89 85
2016-2017 83 >=90 84 70-74 >=80 84
2015-2016 82 90-94 83 65-69 60-79 83
2014-2015 84 90-94 86 75-79 >=80 82
2013-2014 80 85-89 79 75-79 70-79 82
2012-2013 77 80-89 76 70-74 75-79 78
2011-2012 74 75-79 74 65-69 80-89 75
2010-2011 75 70-79 76 65-69 80-89 74


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 37,932 2.3
2021-2022 37,074 1.3
2020-2021 36,575 -1.8
2019-2020 37,219 2.9
2018-2019 36,135 2.9
2017-2018 35,105 1.4
2016-2017 34,628 3.8
2015-2016 33,303 2.2
2014-2015 32,565 2.5
2013-2014 31,766 2.6
2012-2013 30,942 2.8
2011-2012 30,085 2.3
2010-2011 29,400 1.0
2009-2010 29,104 0.5
2008-2009 28,957 1.7
2007-2008 28,467 1.0
2006-2007 28,185 1.9
2005-2006 27,649 -2.7
2004-2005 28,387 1.7
2003-2004 27,899 -2.5
2002-2003 28,585 6.1
2001-2002 26,836 0.7
2000-2001 26,635 -0.9
1999-2000 26,879 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Berkeley County School District (%) South Carolina K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.5 1.8
Black 27.0 31.6
Hispanic 17.2 12.7
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 8.3 5.8
White 45.8 47.8

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Berkeley County School District had 2,302.25 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.48.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 34.00
Kindergarten: 87.00
Elementary: 1,496.90
Secondary: 684.35
Total: 2,302.25

Berkeley County School District employed 15.00 district administrators and 132.50 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 15.00
District Administrative Support: 224.50
School Administrators: 132.50
School Administrative Support: 254.60
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 508.20
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 71.75
Total Guidance Counselors: 102.50
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 65.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 37.50
Librarians/Media Specialists: 49.00
Library/Media Support: 45.00
Student Support Services: 139.60
Other Support Services: 972.00


Schools

The Berkeley County School District operates 47 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Berkeley County Middle College High10111-12
Berkeley Elementary619PK-5
Berkeley High1,7769-12
Berkeley Middle1,4036-8
Boulder Bluff Elementary633PK-5
Bowen'S Corner Elementary779PK-5
Cainhoy Elementary154PK-5
Cane Bay Elementary1,263PK-4
Cane Bay High2,1589-12
Cane Bay Middle1,4875-8
Carolyn Lewis School0
College Park Elementary833PK-5
College Park Middle7146-8
Cross Elementary348PK-6
Cross High2947-12
Daniel Island School1,170PK-8
Devon Forest Elementary970PK-5
Foxbank Elementary1,028PK-5
Goose Creek Elementary945PK-5
Goose Creek High1,9819-12
Hanahan Elementary923PK-5
Hanahan High1,0409-12
Hanahan Middle7936-8
Henry E. Bonner Elementary828PK-5
Howe Hall Aims Elementary418KG-5
J. K. Gourdin Elementary119PK-5
Macedonia Middle3836-8
Marrington Elementary430PK-5
Marrington Middle School Of The Arts4006-8
Moncks Corner Elementary597PK-5
Mount Holly Elementary555PK-5
Nexton Elementary1,025PK-5
Philip Simmons Elementary525PK-4
Philip Simmons High7719-12
Philip Simmons Middle4285-8
Sangaree Elementary659PK-2
Sangaree Intermediate5683-5
Sangaree Middle8266-8
Sedgefield Middle9866-8
Stratford High2,6539-12
St. Stephen Elementary291PK-5
St. Stephen Middle2096-8
Timberland High7049-12
Westview Elementary5603-5
Westview Middle8866-8
Westview Primary668PK-2
Whitesville Elementary1,031PK-5

Noteworthy events

2014: Outside legal spending

According to a report by The Post and Courier in 2014, Berkeley County School District led the state in outside legal spending. A large contributing factor was that, since 2011, the district had spent $1.7 million on legal fees as a result of the investigation into ethics violations in the 2012 Yes 4 Schools building referendum campaign. Collectively, South Carolina school districts spent $22 million on legal assistance since 2011 as of March 2014. This was an average of nearly $100,000 per year per district. The legal-related data was gathered by The Post and Courier through Freedom of Information Act requests filed with South Carolina's 81 county-level school districts.[22]

2013: Lawsuit against Board Chairman Kent Murray

In June 2013, Nancy Corbin, Linda Riney, and former board member Terry Hardesty filed a lawsuit against Board Chairman Kent Murray, stating that their first and 14th amendment rights were violated at a school board meeting when Murray prohibited comments about the district's ongoing investigation regarding its 2012 Yes 4 Schools referendum campaign. Murray said the move was an attempt to "protect the integrity of the board’s decision-making process and ensure the ability to provide due process to our employees.” Murray also stated that the change to the meeting agenda was at the discretion of lawyers involved with the case. In September 2013, the board made the decision to lift the ban on comments about the campaign. The time for public commentary was also doubled, speakers were allowed to talk about district-level executives, and a provision allowing the chairman to let people speak longer than three minutes was modified. According to Hardesty, "the change in policy, from [his] perspective, means that they figured out there’s something wrong."[23]

2012: Yes 4 Schools referendum campaign investigation

The State Law Enforcement Division investigated Berkeley County School District officials as a result of a 2012 referendum campaign meant to build five new schools and renovate 29. The $198 million referendum, which was approved by voters, added "$60 to the tax bill on a $150,000 house for three years starting in 2013, [double] that amount from 2016 until 2023, then [go] back to $60 for three more years," according to a district report. The investigation targeted district employee Amy Kovach, Superintendent Rodney Thompson, and Deputy Superintendent Archie Franchini, stating that during the development of the campaign there were ethics violations and other misconduct occurring throughout. Allegations made also stated the three violated the law by working on the Yes 4 Schools campaign during district time and using district resources.

Kovach was indicted by a Berkeley County grand jury on five ethics charges. In August 2015, Kovach pleaded guilty to two charges. She was sentenced to five years in jail but the judge suspended the sentence to two years of probation. She was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. Rodney Thompson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. His sentence was reduced to a year of probation and a $2,500 fine.[24]

Contact information

Berkeley County School District SC Logo.png
Berkeley County School District
107 East Main St.
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
Phone: 843-899-8600


About school boards

Education legislation in South Carolina

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

South Carolina School Board Elections News and Analysis
Seal of South Carolina.png
School Board badge.png
Ballotpedia RSS.jpg

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Live 5 WCSC, "Berkeley Co. School Board fires superintendent, names replacement," accessed September 6, 2023
  2. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "Our Team," accessed September 6, 2023
  3. ↑ Count on News 2, "Dr. Anthony Dixon speaks after controversial hiring as BCSD superintendent," accessed September 6, 2023
  4. ↑ ABC 4 News, "Berkeley County Superintendent Dr. Eddie Ingram announces retirement," accessed September 6, 2023
  5. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "Superintendent," accessed November 12, 2019
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County Schools Superintendent resigns in wake of FBI probe," March 10, 2017
  7. ↑ The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County chooses Brenda Blackburn as superintendent," August 11, 2015
  8. ↑ The Berkeley Independent, "Thompson to resign as school superintendent," September 23, 2014
  9. ↑ South Carolina General Assembly - 124th Session, 2021-2022, "A251, R177, S910 - Act No. 251," effective date May 18, 2022
  10. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "Policy Manual: Board Member Method Of Election," accessed April 27, 2021
  11. ↑ Count on News 2, "Berkeley County elections: Who is on the ballot," October 7, 2022
  12. ↑ Live 5 WCSC, "Minority leader positions at risk on the Berkeley Co. School Board," July 9, 2022
  13. ↑ South Carolina General Assembly - 124th Session, 2021-2022, "A251, R177, S910 - Act No. 251," effective date May 18, 2022
  14. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "Policy Manual: Public Participation In Board Meetings," accessed April 27, 2021
  15. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  17. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed April 16, 2025
  18. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed February 1, 2024
  19. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "Teacher/Professional Salary Schedule 2020-2021," accessed April 27, 2021
  20. ↑ Berkeley County School District, "Berkeley County School District: 2018-19 Salary Book," accessed April 27, 2021
  21. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  22. ↑ The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County leads state in outside legal spending by school districts," March 29, 2014
  23. ↑ The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County school board changes policy, allows public to speak freely again at meetings," September 25, 2013
  24. ↑ The Post and Courier, "Former Berkeley schools chief admits guilt in Yes 4 Schools campaign," December 16, 2016
v • e
South Carolina school districts
Flag of South Carolina
v • e
State of South Carolina
Columbia (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Berkeley_County_School_District,_South_Carolina&oldid=10447169"