SUMTER, S.C. — State Superintendent Ellen Weaver stopped in Sumter Friday morning to see the county's first charter school.
Weaver visited with students, parents and teachers at Liberty STEAM Charter School, which continues to expand in the area as charter schools grow throughout the state.
The South Carolina Public Charter School District (SCPCSD) said it's now the sixth-largest district in the state. As its popularity increases with students and parents, it's also gaining attention from state leaders.
"It has been the best decision that we've made for Henry," Parent Teacher Association President Jamie Lotts said about her son attending Liberty. "We love the public school system, but we just really thought 'Wow, let's try this charter school. What do we have to lose? If he doesn't like it or we don't like it, we'll move him into the elementary school down the road from us,' but I just really fell in love with Liberty since day one and we've been here ever since."
The school is getting attention now from leaders like Weaver.
"I think we're building the education ecosystem of the future here in South Carolina," Weaver said. "We know that flexibility and customization is how we approach every area of our life, and it's so important that parents have that same level of customization and flexibility when it comes to their children's education. So I'm so excited to see schools like Liberty steam taking off all over South Carolina."
"The reason is, is because what we saw coming out of COVID is that all parents want their best educational opportunity for their children. So the South Carolina Public Charter School District just continues to grow," SCPCSD Superintendent Chris Neeley said. "Charter schools are local community schools that are publicly funded by the state of South Carolina. And they are open and free to all children who can get access to them."
Neeley said there are 38 public charter schools in the state.
He said there will be over 50 in two years with about 22,000 students.
"Charter schools are actually not privately run. They're they're publicly run. And it's set up in the state law that they would be run like this. They're public schools, and the boards are public bodies," Neeley said. "So they're actually not much different, structurally-wise when it comes to the governance of the school. It's just that our boards are a lot more closer to the parents. And I think that's why you're seeing the results that we have."
Liberty's founding board member Marion Newton agrees.
"I think one of our strong points is community. I love the school because the school involves community," Newton said. "Parents, grandparents, pastors, leaders, corporate world leaders, community."
But that's not always the case regarding charter schools, South Carolina Education Association (SCEA) President Sherry East said.
"Different charters have different board regulations. They have different board setups. They have different ways in which the board is established in these charter schools," East details. "I hope parents pay attention to that. If you choose to pull your student out of a traditional school setting and put them in a charter school, that you're asking all the right questions as a parent to make sure that you're going to feel comfortable sending your child there."
As a high school science teacher in Rock Hill, East said she's an advocate for the traditional public school system. She says that as more parents start turning to the charter school system, it's important to understand how each specific school is run.
"Go visit that school. Go ask the questions. How many certified teachers do you have? What's your teacher turnover here? What's your class size? What kind of offerings do you offer, course offerings? Do we have electives? Do you have a sports program?" East recommends parents ask. "Let's look at charter schools overall and make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing for our students because we really need to make sure that all of our students in South Carolina get the quality education that they deserve."
SCPCSD said none of the schools in its district are for-profit, although East said she has seen interest in for-profit charter schools owned by businesses entering the state.
Local Sumterite Greg Thompson and board members like Vice Chair Dexter Davis lead Liberty STEAM.
"With a lottery, you have an opportunity where it's just totally equal," Davis said about the system for admitting students. "You can… doesn't matter what your complexion is, doesn't matter what community you grew up in. If you get into the lottery, your scholar has an opportunity to be a part of something special where education is second to none here."
"We are trying to reach out to solve generational poverty, to really do something about the wealth gap and try to give the children of Sumter County opportunities to succeed," Director of Finance and Development Gifford Shaw adds about the school's vision. "We've given them a first class education, not based on where they're from or what their socio-economic background is, but it's a free public school."
As for how charter schools are funded, SCPCSD said funding is calculated per student under the new "State Aid to Classrooms funding formula. According to SCPCSD, the current K-12 per-pupil average funding is $11,070, comprised of state and federal funding.
"This means that a school district receives this amount for each student, with the actual funding being adjusted based on student characteristics and programs," a representative for SCPCSD said.
As Weaver begins her second year as state superintendent, she tells News 19 that a primary focus is making sure that students and teachers have the resources they need to build reading skills early on, regardless of what type of school they attend.
"Strong public schools are the backbone of our education system in America," Weaver said. "That has historically been the case and that's going to be the case for as long as any of us are alive and so ensuring that we have a great teacher in every single classroom, whether that is a traditional public school, whether that is a public charter school, or a magnet school or any other kind of school, we have to ensure that we're focusing on supporting teachers, and again, on giving parents those options that they need, so that their child can get exactly what they need when they need it."