Superintendent of Education of South Carolina | |
---|---|
Seat | Columbia |
Appointer | Elected at-large |
Term length | Four years, no term limit |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of South Carolina |
Inaugural holder | Justus K. Jillson |
Formation | June 7, 1868 |
Salary | $214,000 [1] |
The South Carolina superintendent of education is the executive of the South Carolina Department of Education. The superintendent is responsible for overseeing the 1.5 billion dollar budget of the department [2] and ensuring that schools and schools districts are abiding by federal and state laws as well as the requirements established by the department. The superintendent is elected at-large and serves a term of four years. The position has no term limits. The current superintendent of education is Ellen Weaver, a Republican, who was elected in 2022 upon the retirement of Molly Spearman.
The position of South Carolina superintendent of education was created after the ratification of the Constitution of 1868 established the first public school system in the state. [3] Justus K. Jillson was the first superintendent, serving from 1868 until 1876. [4] Jillson issued the first Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Education of the State of South Carolina, which was continued by many of his successors. [5] In 1868, the term of superintendent of education was two years, but beginning with the election of 1926, it was expanded to four years.
In 1876, John Tolbert, a Republican, was elected to be Jillson's successor. However, as Democrats regained power in South Carolina through extensive voter fraud, [6] [7] the results of the election of 1876 were contested. Ultimately, Democrats seized power and installed Hugh Smith Thompson as superintendent instead. [8] While Jillson advocated for school integration, Thompson ensured that schools remained segregated, [9] though he did institute reforms regarding teacher training and attempted to equally fund black and white schools. [10]
In 1900, superintendent John J. McMahan argued that each county supports its schools with "practically no help from the state." Thus, he argued, it was a misnomer to argue that South Carolina had a system of public education. He advocated to drastically increase the state funding of schools and that schools must be forced to meet a minimum requirement of state standards. In the following two decades, the South Carolina General Assembly increased funding for public schools, such as the High School Act passed in 1907. [10] Also in the 1900s, superintendents Swearanger and Hope advocated for increased taxes to fund education, especially regarding teacher professional development and certification. Hope commented, "Why are so many incompetent teachers employed?" Both Swearanger and Hope reshaped the methods by which teachers gained certification, implementing a uniform examination system across the state. [10]
In the 1950s, the General Assembly's Educational Finance Commission consolidated school districts, built new schools, and established a statewide transportation system for schools, thus increasing the state government's and superintendent of education's oversight of public schools. Superintendent Jesse T. Anderson managed the "equalization" schools by granting more money to black schools through a tax advocated by Governor James F. Byrnes, though the state refused to integrate until forced by the Brown v. Board of Education decision; it wasn't until nine years after the decision that black students first entered a formerly-white school. Some schools remained segregated into the 1970s. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Anderson advocated for an increase in funding for math and science programs after the Space Race spawned fears regarding the American academic competition with the Soviet Union. [10]
By 1970s, public schools had become the largest budget item for the South Carolina government, consuming nearly 50% of the tax dollar. In 1977, Superintendent Cyril Busbee argued that modern schools required so much money was because they no longer are limited to only teaching factual information.
Busbee argued:
Schools are required to operate recreation and cultural centers in the form of athletic contests, movies, dances, drama, band concerts, and art exhibits. Our schools are challenged with the duty of providing moral guidance, since many patrons insist that the school is responsible for the morality of the younger generation; our schools are expected to serve as health centers; our schools are restaurants; our schools are job-training centers. [10]
In the 1970s, the budget of the State Board of Education had risen to $100,000,000 annually, and as a stipulation of receiving greater funding, the state superintendent and department of education were tasked with requiring "defined minimum standards" for courses.
Into the modern era and the 21st century, superintendents have managed greater funding than ever before, and have fought against issues like teacher shortages, low pay, large class sizes, and curriculum disagreements (e.g., Critical race theory). [10] [11]
In 2018, voters decided on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the governor to select the superintendent of education instead of being popularly elected. The measure failed, with 60.1% of people voting "no." [12] That year the General Assembly passed a law requiring all candidates for the office of superintendent to hold a master's degree in education or financial management. [13]
In 2021, Governor Henry McMaster requested that Superintendent Molly Spearman investigate accusations of a school in Fort Mill accused of distributing pornographic materials in the form of a book titled Gender Queer . [14] After investigation, Spearman stated that it is the responsibility of schools and districts to pay for and select books they stock on library shelves, though the book was still removed. [15]
In 2022, Spearman announced that local school districts in Florence, South Carolina would be consolidated after concerns over financial instability. [16] Also in 2022, Spearman ordered the investigation and penalties against Lexington School District Two, which was in major violation of state law. [17]
In the most recent election in 2022, Republican Ellen Weaver defeated Democrat Lisa Ellis in the general election.[ citation needed ]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ellen Weaver | 934,802 | 55.5% | |
Democratic | Lisa Ellis [a] | 719,918 | 42.7% | |
Green | Patricia Mickle | 27,355 | 1.6% | |
Total votes | 1,683,812 | 100% | ||
Republican hold |
In addition to managing the 1.5 billion dollar budget of the South Carolina Department of Education, the superintendent has the authority to investigate and penalize and school, school district, or school board in violation of state or federal law or of mandates from the department. According to the South Carolina code of laws, The State Superintendent of Education: [19]
In addition to being 18 years old and a registered voter, the superintendent of education must possess one of the following:
The superintendent is elected at-large by the voters of South Carolina and serves a four-year term, coterminous with the governor. [20] There are no term limits. If a vacancy occurs in the office of superintendent, the governor will appoint a superintendent, with the advice and consent of the senate, who will serve the remainder of the term. [19]
No. | Superintendent | Party | Term | Time in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Justus K. Jillson | Republican | 1868 - 1876 | 8 years | |
2 | Hugh Smith Thompson | Democratic | 1876 - 1884 | 8 years | |
3 | Asbury Coward | Democratic | 1882 - 1885 | 4 years | |
4 | James H. Rice | Democratic | 1886 - 1890 | 4 years | |
5 | W. D. Mayfield | Democratic | 1890 - 1898 | 8 years | |
6 | John J. McMahan | Democratic | 1898 - 1902 | 4 years | |
7 | Oscar B. Martin | Democratic | 1902 - 1908 | 6 years | |
8 | John E. Swearingen | Democratic | 1908 - 1922 | 14 years | |
9 | James H. Hope | Democratic | 1922 - 1947 | 25 years | |
10 | Jesse T. Anderson | Democratic | 1947 - 1967 | 20 years | |
11 | Cyril B. Busbee [21] | Democratic | 1967 - 1979 | 12 years | |
12 | Charlie G. Williams | Democratic | 1979 - 1991 | 12 years | |
13 | Barbara S. Nielsen [22] | Republican | 1991 - 1999 | 8 years | |
14 | Inez Tenenbaum | Democratic | 1999 - 2007 | 8 years | |
15 | Jim Rex | Democratic | 2007 - 2011 | 4 years | |
16 | Mick Zais | Republican | 2011 - 2015 | 4 years | |
17 | Molly Spearman | Republican | 2015 - 2023 | 8 years | |
18 | Ellen Weaver | Republican | 2023 - Incumbent | 1 year, 337 days [b] | |
Henry Dargan McMaster is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 50th attorney general of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011 and the 91st lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 2015 to 2017 under Governor Nikki Haley.
The 2006 South Carolina State Elections took place on November 7, 2006, and included the gubernatorial election. All nine popularly elected constitutional officers were up for reelection, and all races except the Attorney General's were contested. The entire South Carolina House of Representatives, one state senator and six state circuit solicitors were also up for election. Several constitutional amendments were also on the ballot.
The 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford was term limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010, and a runoff election, as was necessary on the Republican side, was held two weeks later on June 22.
Vincent Austin Sheheen is an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2004 to 2020, representing the 27th District, which comprises Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Lancaster counties. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2001 to 2004. He ran for Governor of South Carolina twice, in 2010 and 2014, losing both times to Nikki Haley. In 2020, Sheheen lost reelection to Republican Penry Gustafson.
Jim Rex was the 16th South Carolina Superintendent of Education. He ran for the position in 2006 as a Democrat, against Karen Floyd, a Republican. Rex defeated Floyd by only 455 votes, the closest margin of victory in a statewide election in South Carolina's history. He was sworn in as superintendent on January 10, 2007, replacing fellow Democrat Inez Tenenbaum. In 2014, Rex co-founded a new political party – the American Party of South Carolina, now known as the Alliance Party of South Carolina.
Jeffrey Darren Duncan is a United States representative for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district since 2011. His district comprises nine counties, two of these counties being manufacturing centers for the state. On January 17, 2024, Duncan announced that he would not run for re-election. Duncan previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010 when he retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Mitchell McGeever "Mick" Zais is an American education official and former general who served as the acting United States secretary of education. He previously served as the 17th South Carolina Superintendent of Education from 2011 to 2015. Before winning the election as superintendent, he served as President of Newberry College for ten years. Prior to that he reached the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Army.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of South Carolina on November 4, 2014. All of South Carolina's executive officers were up for election as well as both United States Senate seats, and all of South Carolina's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives.
The Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected state executive position in the Arizona state government. The superintendent oversees the state of Arizona's public school system and directs the state's Department of Education.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of South Carolina on November 6, 2018. All of South Carolina's executive officers were up for election as well as all of South Carolina's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws are laws approved by various U.S. states that limit the discussion of sexuality and gender identity in public schools. In theory, these laws mainly apply to sex ed courses, but they can also be applied to other parts of the school curriculum as well as to extracurricular activities such as sports and organizations such as gay–straight alliances. In July 2022, a wave of anti-LGBT curriculum resurgence saw ten such laws beginning to take effect in six different states. Some states enacting these new laws appear to have mirrored similar laws from other states.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of South Carolina in March 2020. On April 2, 2020, DHEC announced that the virus had spread to all 46 counties in the state. During the month of June the seven-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases in South Carolina increased nearly five-fold, from 293 on June 1 to 1,398 on June 30, and continued to increase during July and into August. As of August 2022 the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has confirmed 1,605,165 cases in the state and 18,192 deaths.
Justus Kendall Jillson (1839–1881) was an American educator and politician. He served as South Carolina Superintendent of Education from 1868 to 1876 and in the South Carolina Senate from 1868 to 1871. He was a Republican.
Molly Mitchell Spearman is an American educator and politician who served as the South Carolina Superintendent of Education from 2015 to 2023. She is a Republican.
A general election was held in the state of Oklahoma on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The primary election was held on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Runoff primary elections, where necessary, were held on Tuesday, August 23. The candidate filing period was April 13, 2022 to April 15, 2022.
SC for Ed, founded in 2018 by Lisa Ellis, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit political advocacy group in South Carolina.
Ellen Weaver is a Republican politician and former conservative think-tank leader who has served as South Carolina Superintendent of Education since January 11, 2023. She defeated Democratic candidate and current school activities director Lisa Ellis in the general election in November 2022. She is the former president and CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative think tank in South Carolina which supports public funding of private schools. Weaver has focused her tenure as Superintendent on literacy, education freedom, and parental empowerment.
Kathy Maness is an American educator and politician. Maness serves as a member of the town council from Lexington, South Carolina, and has been the executive director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association since February 16, 2005.
Lisa Ellis is an American educator who was the 2022 fusion candidate, Democratic, and Alliance Party nominee for South Carolina's superintendent of education and is the founder of the education advocacy group SC for Ed. She was defeated by Republican Ellen Weaver in the November 2022 general election.
Hugh Weathers is an American politician from South Carolina. He serves as South Carolina's Commissioner of Agriculture. He has held the position since September 14, 2004. Weathers is a member of the Republican Party.