The consolidation of Clarendon County School Districts 1 and 3 began several years ago, in 2006. Now it is has come to a head, and it is no longer an option but a certainty.
In 2006, the South Carolina Legislature passed act 388; this is where consolidation begins. Act 388 eliminated the property taxes that homeowners paid to operate schools, and in return, the state sales tax then raised to every penny on the dollar, causing a constraint on school budgets.
Flash forward to 2014, when we are given the Abbeville Ruling from the South Carolina Supreme Court. The Abbeville ruling found that the state had not been prosperous in providing what they called "minimally adequate" education to students in poorer counties. The Abbeville case began when 36 rural districts came together to state that property taxes in their counties did not give them enough money to compete with schools in wealthier areas. This is what brought on the idea of consolidation, the state's way of bringing fairer taxing and budgeting to poor school districts.
At this point, faculty and board members at Clarendon School Districts 1 and 3 began looking for a way to avoid consolidation.
"We considered becoming a charter school," said Jason Newsome at the public forum. "But that came with its own set of problems. We explored every possible avenue, and the only viable option was to consolidate."
On Jan 1, 2019, the next push for consolidation came in the form of Senate Bill 203. Senate Bill 203 requires all districts in Tier IV counties with less than 1,500 students to consider consolidation. Tier IV counties include Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Chesterfield, Dillon, Hampton, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Union, Williamsburg, and Clarendon. These counties have a combination of the highest unemployment rate and lowest per capita income. Clarendon 3's total enrollment is 1,305, making it just 195 short of the requirement to avoid consolidation.
Any schools that decide not to consolidate, however, will be required to, by law, after Aug 1, 2022. If they have not merged by this time, they will do so with no funding whatsoever. This is what pushed Clarendon 1 and 3 to consolidate beforehand, according to Newsome.
"You hear a lot of people say 'no one has to consolidate,'" said Newsome. "That sounds really nice and would make a wonderful headline, but the fact of the matter is both districts are working together to do what is best for everyone involved."
Proviso 1.88 now comes into play. Proviso 1.88 awards a total of $50 million one-time funding for voluntarily consolidating districts, $12.5 million allocated for consolidation, and $37.5 million for shared career centers, as well as instructional spaces.
"At this point, we have to look at what is realistic," said Newsome. "We do not have the choice of whether or not to consolidate anymore; however, we do have the choice on where to consolidate. We can consolidate under Proviso 1.88, or Consolidate under Senate Bill 203. We believe it is best to consolidate under Proviso 1.88."
In Aug 2019, Clarendon School Districts 1 and 3 submitted a preliminary plan for consolidation under Proviso 1.88. By October, they had received feedback on what changes needed to happen. Last Thursday, Dec 12, they met with Legislative Delegation to discuss what will happen moving forward.
Legislative Delegation, decided that there will be a temporary board, chosen by them, established on July 1, 2020, to help move both districts into consolidation. This board will consist of members from both Clarendon 1 and 3, and a new fully elected board will establish themselves no later than July 1, 2023.
The new district will change the landscape of the school boards drastically; however, the school's should stay the same. There will still be three campuses in Summerton, and two in Turbeville and students attending those campuses will continue to. Teachers will also remain at the school they teach at currently.
"I want to make it clear that if your child is attending East Clarendon, they will continue to attend East Clarendon," said Newsome. "If your child is attending Scott's Branch, they will continue to attend Scott's Branch. There is also no talk of moving any faculty or staff from either location."
Though the students and teachers will maintain their place throughout this merger, the District Offices will not. There will be a merged District Office, and current district staff will most likely have to apply for positions there.
A large amount of the information in this article came from a presentation by Jason Newsome at the Clarendon 3 Community Information Meeting on Consolidation that took place Dec. 16. The Manning Times would like to thank him as well as the entire District 3 office at for supplying this information.
