Public voice on public schools

The wry adage goes like this: Everyone is an expert in education because everyone has been to school.

But there is wisdom in that old saw. The public might indeed have insights into Charleston County public schools that the district would find instructive.

So interested people are encouraged to attend one of seven meetings the CCSD is holding throughout the county to help set the district's course.

Two were Monday -- one at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant and one at Lincoln High School in McClellanville. More than 50 people showed up at Wando, and some suggestions included capital improvements, sharpening the focus on teacher effectiveness and making Mount Pleasant its own school district.

The days of a school district choosing one template for all schools and refusing to budge are gone. The public has demonstrated here and across the country that offering choices to the public makes for happier and more successful students.

CCSD is asking the public to speak up about what should be happening in schools. The board has given preliminary approval to some district goals. These meetings provide a forum for the public to discuss those goals and how they might be achieved in their area schools.

The district already has met with smaller groups of educators, parents and students. And it has surveyed employees and parents. But this is a time for other members of the public to speak up with ideas, concerns or experience that might help shape how the district proceeds.

Other opportunities will be offered on Jan. 23 at Baptist Hill High in Hollywood, James Island Charter High and St. John's High on Johns Island; on Feb. 13 at Stall High in North Charleston; and on Feb. 27 at Burke High in Charleston.