Q&A with Chester Floyd

Berkeley schools Superintendent Chester Floyd is marking his 10th anniversary with the school district, as well as his 30th year as a school district superintendent in South Carolina.

In an hourlong interview with Post and Courier education reporter Mindy Hagen in July, Floyd spoke about his successes and failures in Berkeley County, his relationship with the new Berkeley school board and the inevitable issue of retirement.

Post and Courier: What do you view as your biggest accomplishments as Berkeley schools superintendent?

Chester Floyd: I really don't like to think about any successes being attributed just to me.

I think that probably one of the most significant things that happened was our role in the passage of the $192 million bond issue in 1999 that allowed us to have a major impact at 17 school sites in Berkeley County. I shudder to think of where we would be if that had not passed.

The county had never passed a bond referendum before, and at the time, it was the largest ever attempted by any school district in the state. Not all of our board members supported it. You add all of those things together, and many people felt there was absolutely no way it would happen. That's the reason I'm convinced that only divine intervention allowed it to happen.

The bond issue is visible. You can see where that money went. What's not quite as transparent are the fundamental changes in the way we have changed the operations in many of our divisions. We have totally revamped the finance department. Our technology division has surfaced as one of the top divisions in the state. Overall, we've moved toward becoming a first-class operation. We certainly are not where I want to be, but we are quantum leaps from where we were.

So, the physical learning environment is much improved, and thousands of students are able to reap those benefits every day. I'm really proud of that. But we also have put together some programs and initiatives that I think are going to pay big dividends.

P&C: On the other hand, what are some of your biggest disappointments of the past 10 years?

Floyd: I have been surprised and disappointed with the political scene here in Berkeley County. My hope would be that the future would hold a much more cooperative spirit amongst all arms of government.

I want Berkeley County to show improvement in every area in providing services for citizens. The biggest challenge in any community is providing quality education. It takes tremendous cooperation and everyone pulling together. We've had lots of things happen in terms of what came across as negative publicity between the schools and other local figures. My desire would have been that, collectively, we could have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder and tried to figure out what's best for children.

P&C: Are you talking specifically about disagreements between school board members or about the school system as a whole against the county government or the legislative delegation?

Floyd: I was speaking more about cities, counties and legislative delegations. In my view, an "us against them" mentality developed, and I think that has been counterproductive. We all need to set an example of how we can work together. I'm biased in thinking that everyone should feel the same way that we do as far as the resources needed to give all students a quality education. I don't have any difficulty with recognizing that people will have differences. But those differences need to be of the "we are going to agree to disagree" mentality, not ones that are truly mean spirited and very unkind.

P&C: Have those relationships changed lately with new Berkeley Supervisor Dan Davis replacing Jim Rozier?

Floyd: I think, from that standpoint, there has been some obvious recognition that the county as a whole benefits when we truly try to cooperate. I hope that holds true with the legislative delegation as well. We will have a new state senator. Senator Bill Mescher was a big ally for education, and I was really concerned that his death would lead to a loss of support for education. But I know both Senate candidates share our view that providing quality education is something every community needs to do. We all need to work together to try and make that happen and have it not be so controversial.

P&C: What is the biggest criticism you've heard from the community about your tenure as superintendent? Is it justified?

Floyd: I think the biggest criticism that I've heard is that this administration just wants more and more and more money.

Historically, in this county, we've been in the bottom 25 percent in the state in the financial resources we spend to educate our students. That's bottom 25 percent of South Carolina. Our building program and our operational costs combined are nowhere close to what many school districts in the state are paying just for operations. If you are in the bottom quartile of per-pupil revenue, you need additional revenue just to get up to the average part of the state of South Carolina.

I have never met a superintendent, including this one, who wanted to raise taxes. A lot of money will not guarantee quality education, but a quality education demands a lot of money. I think people need to view it as the biggest and best investment that they can make. People have said that tax raises were the reason why individual school board members didn't get re-elected in November. I don't know. I know I've tried for the past three decades to make recommendations that I am convinced need to happen for teachers and students.

P&C: How have things changed in the past nine months with the new school board, as three new members were elected in November?

Floyd: It appeared to me that we had a greater percentage of board members who were in agreement with doing whatever we could to improve the learning environment for all of our students. We lost some of those members.

During a 30-year period of time, I have had lots of new board members. But we may have more of a philosophical difference about the superintendent's role and the board's role now than anytime in my history. I would like for much more of a trust factor to exist.

I had a citizen who attended one of our board meetings who contacted me and shared that they were extremely concerned. It was their first board meeting, and they didn't view it as setting a good example for our youngsters. That concerns me, that a parent would come forth and be disappointed in how the adults conducted business.

I have to continue making recommendations that I think are best for Berkeley County schools. You have to have faith that children will eventually win in the long run.

P&C: What goals do you have for the school district before you are ready to retire?

Floyd: The first one is very difficult to specify. In every division, we need to continue to move forward toward having our operation deemed as a first-class operation.

Secondly, I want to make sure that we are doing, or have done, everything humanly possible to provide opportunities for every child to succeed. We are working on that.

The third is really broad. I'd like to feel comfortable that we have no facilities standing in the way of instruction. Ten years ago, we had facilities that were in the way of instruction. But fixing those facilities is only playing catch-up. I'd like to feel comfortable that there's a plan in place to deal with future growth.

That plan would include both financial resources in place and human resources in place to deal with the future growth. There are a number of administrators like me, who can retire. And we also are planning for a tremendous increase in our student population. In addition to just the teaching staff, the leadership teams that will be needed in Berkeley County during the next several years are significant. I am absolutely convinced that leadership matters.

P&C: Are you worried about the age of some of your top district officials? Are you worried there might be a mass exodus of some of your key personnel when you retire?

Floyd: I don't know about that. I do know that we are more than seasoned as a Cabinet. We need to have a plan in place of how we will replenish the supply of folks who have the experience to carry on the things that are headed in the right direction. I want to make sure we have leadership teams at every school that I feel really comfortable with.

P&C: Were some of the principal changes this summer based on that? There was a good deal of turnover.

Floyd: We had some retirees, and we had some moves that we thought would benefit everybody. We had folks that we thought would be more successful in one location than another. It's all trying to do a thorough analysis of individuals' strengths and weaknesses, and then figuring out where everyone best fits.

P&C: How are Berkeley County schools trying to improve student performance now while keeping an eye on the future?

Floyd: Former South Carolina Gov. Dick Riley has said that the majority of kids in elementary school now will be working in jobs that don't yet exist. Google is now a large employer nationwide, but more than a decade ago, they didn't exist.

But instead of concentrating on those things, we are busy trying to improve the test scores of a test that doesn't mean a hill of beans. As far as I'm concerned, the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests aren't diagnostic and aren't helping any kids. They just put a label on your school buildings.

When other superintendents talk about needing more resources in their schools, they say that teachers shouldn't have to work in schools where there's no copying paper. The first thing that goes through my mind is, "Why not? Why are teachers putting things on copying paper in the first place?"

Most of our classroom instructional materials should be on computer screens and SMARTboards. We want our school district to eventually be into that arena. But now, we are so busy trying to improve what we've always done.

P&C: Do you think your longevity in Berkeley County has made you more willing in recent years to speak up about statewide educational issues that you oppose, such as PACT?

Floyd: I think 42 years in the system does make you more comfortable in being able to say what you really think. After being a superintendent for 30 years, I would hope that that kind of experience allows you to have an opportunity to voice your opinion at a state and national level.

I was involved in a conference recently at the national level, and I said there that I think No Child Left Behind is so fundamentally flawed that we need to take a bulldozer to it. We need assessments, but this is so fundamentally flawed that they need to start over. I don't think it can be fixed.

If I had small children and 20 more years to work, there may be some things that I might guard a little bit more than I do at 63 years of age.

P&C: Are you at a point where you'll make promises about how long you will continue to serve as Berkeley superintendent?

Floyd: I had someone come in my office recently who said, "I know you are facing some major challenges, but I want to encourage you to be strong. We need more of your time." I told them when I came to Berkeley County in 1997, I was convinced that I almost had no choice. I really believed it was something I was supposed to do. After 10 years, it has been confirmed to my satisfaction that God's plan for my life included a stint in Berkeley County. The questions that I internalize now are, "When is my time up? When do we need new leadership?"

P&C: So retirement is something you are grappling with.

Floyd: I'd be dishonest if I said it wasn't.

I asked the board last year not to extend my contract beyond what it already was. It goes until June 30, 2010. My intention all along was to fulfill that. But again, I want to be a help to the district, not a source of controversy. I think Berkeley County schools have made phenomenal improvements over the last decade. And hopefully, whether I'm here or not, Berkeley County will continue to see improvements.

P&C: If someone wanted to place a bet on whether you'll be in Berkeley County for the length of your contract, through June 2010, what should that person put their money on?

Floyd: There are some things going on now that I really would like to see through. I'd like to see us finish the Cane Bay High School. There are going to be a number of significant changes that will be made in personnel at the district office and in school level buildings due to retirements and attrition. My initial thoughts are to try to assist with that transition period of the old guard leaving and the new blood coming in. But I don't have a timeline on that.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, "How much longer are you going to stay there? When are you going to retire?" My only response is, "Somewhere between tomorrow morning and June 30, 2010." I don't know when that is. I wish I knew when it was, and my family really wishes I knew when it was.

At the outside, my retirement will be on June 30, 2010. That's two more years after this one. If I feel like my work is finished before that, I'll ask for a release from my contract.

I just want make sure I've done everything I can do to help this school district. I think, when the time comes to retire, I'll know it pretty clearly. I don't know. Sometimes I think that time may be closer to tomorrow morning than it is to June 30, 2010.