A month after a tense meeting over an internal observance list, several Clarendon County residents addressed the board during public comment again Monday night — this time to defend Superintendent Dr. Shawn Johnson and urge trustees to lower the temperature while continuing the district’s academic gains.
The Clarendon County School District Board of Trustees met Dec. 1 at the district office at 5:30 p.m., with eight of nine members present at roll call and Trustee Johnnie Lawson arriving later.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Five residents addressed the board, most of them responding directly to last month’s contentious meeting over an internal observance list.
Retired CCSD employee Kathleen Gibson began by apologizing to Johnson “for what took place in our last meeting,” saying many speakers referenced scripture but “seem to forget the Golden Rule — do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“I am respectfully asking that this board work with our superintendent so he can work with our children,” Gibson said. “Our children deserve nothing less.”
Historian George Frierson referred to last month’s debate over transgender issues, he said, “It ain’t your business what goes on in anybody else’s bedroom,” adding that he values civil discussion but would defend his own property if provoked.
Another retired educator, Albert Thomas, criticized last month’s speakers for ignoring time limits and “disregarding your rules.”
“They did what they wanted to do, and this should not be,” Thomas said. He also defended Johnson’s leadership through consolidation. “Our schools have made tremendous progress, and we should applaud him for that.”
Lighthouse Foundation director Terrence Tindall thanked the district for allowing his organization to continue its work on bullying, drug abuse, gun violence and mental health. He said several students felt targeted by comments made at the November meeting.
“A parent wrote me saying their child felt they were being called monsters,” Tindall said. “Our kids’ lives are not based on politics. When I stand for young people, I stand for all young people.”
But the strongest remarks came from Margaret Walker, who delivered a lengthy defense of district leadership and a sharp criticism of what she described as politically motivated attacks.
Walker said Clarendon schools struggled for years before Johnson’s arrival, citing a timeline of state report card ratings from 2017 through 2025.
“For the 2024–25 school year, no Clarendon County schools were rated below average or unsatisfactory,” she said. “Let me repeat that: zero below average schools, zero unsatisfactory schools.”
She argued that recent calls for Johnson’s removal, led publicly by State Rep. Fawn Pedalino, surfaced only after the district began to improve.
“The sudden outcry is not about the children and it is not about academics,” Walker said. “This is about power, control and a personal agenda.”
Addressing both the board and community, she concluded, “Y’all need to do better. I said what I said, and I said it unapologetically.”
Bonaparte thanked the speakers, noting, “When you’re sitting on this side of the table, things are a little different,” and invited residents to contact him directly with concerns.
POLICY VOTE AND DISTRICT UPDATES
Trustees approved amended minutes from the Nov. 3 meeting to reflect the chair’s previous statement on public comment and to correct the recorded vote on the Request for Proposals (RFP) for legal services from “unanimous” to 8–1 after Trustee Bobby Fleming requested the change.
The board then unanimously approved the second and final reading of the expulsion policy, JKE/JKE-R. During discussion, Bonaparte flagged a cross-reference to a weapons policy for future review.
Johnson explained that firearm cases are handled by automatic 365-day expulsions, while knife-related incidents are evaluated based on intent.
Trustees also approved an overnight field trip for Manning High School’s Upward Bound program to attend a leadership conference in Myrtle Beach Jan. 9–11.
DISTRICT OFFICE REPORTS
Finance staff presented the district’s October financial report, showing $3.06 million in total revenue for the month and $10.34 million year-to-date. Expenditures for October totaled $4.16 million, bringing year-to-date expenditures to $13.6 million. The annual audit remains on schedule for completion in January, with auditors expected to present findings to the board once finalized.
From the Office of Federal Programs, staff reported that 85 students received Thanksgiving care packages containing food and hygiene items intended to cover meals for five days. The district is also shifting its Title III partnership for multilingual learners from Orangeburg County to Calhoun County this year.
Instructional leaders reported on both elementary and secondary academics.
The K–5 director highlighted SC READY and SCPASS results, noting that Walker-Gamble Elementary exceeded state averages in ELA, math and science, with 69.3% of students scoring “meets” or “exceeds” in ELA compared to the state’s 60.2%. Rose R. Wilder Elementary exceeded the state average in math, while Manning Elementary posted gains in both ELA and math over last year.
However, she said state accountability ratings for Walker-Gamble and Wilder dropped from “excellent” to “average” due to student progress calculations rather than achievement.
“Our students can be achieving, but if they’re not progressing at the rate the state thinks we should, we lose those points,” she said. An action plan emphasizing enrichment for high-achieving students and student awareness of performance goals is underway.
On the secondary side, the director praised partnerships with the Briggs DeLaine Pearson Foundation, Goal Post and Clemson University, saying teachers and parents report that participating students are “excelling well.” Students will travel to a Charleston museum this weekend as part of that collaboration. Secondary schools are also preparing for end-of-course testing and reviewing benchmark data to set January instructional goals.
The human resources director reported that letters of intent for the 2026–27 school year will be issued this month to all full-time staff, giving the district early insight into retirements and vacancies. A draft 2026–27 district calendar is underway and expected in January. The department also continues to track teacher evaluations, administer FMLA processes, and complete the Rural Recruitment Initiative survey to support educator retention.
EXECUTIVE SESSION AND BOARD COMMENTS
After roughly an hour in executive session, trustees voted to approve Johnson’s personnel recommendations and to proceed with the RFP for legal services “as printed.”
During board comments, Fleming read aloud a text message he was forwarded regarding a possible effort to restore the St. Paul name to Rose R. Wilder Elementary School. The message encouraged the intended recipient to contact a subset of five board members – John Hardy, Kim Jones, Mike Shorter, Ron Wingard, and Bonaparte – and “share your concerns … privately” before the next meeting.
Fleming said any such effort should come before the full nine-member board.
“If this were to ever come up, then, since the five names that have been mentioned here have previous knowledge, then these individuals need to recuse themselves from any action taken,” he said.
He also criticized Bonaparte’s handling of the November meeting, calling it “embarrassing” and saying past chairs “would never have allowed the meeting to get out of control.”
Fleming apologized publicly to Johnson, saying attacks on him were not based on performance.
“It’s because of the color of your skin,” Fleming said. “For that, my brother, I apologize.”
Bonaparte responded from the chair, saying he could accept criticism but objected to being “chastised” in public by a fellow trustee.
“You can criticize me all you want,” Bonaparte said. “As long as I’m sitting on this side of the table doing what I’m supposed to be doing according to what board members are charged to do, I’m going to do my job.”
He said Fleming should have addressed concerns with him privately.
“You have really, really disappointed me because you attacked me instead of coming at me one-on-one,” Bonaparte said. “Don’t ever chastise me in public.”
Bonaparte also updated trustees on the newly formed Property Committee, saying community members from several areas have expressed interest in serving as advisors as the district weighs options for surplus buildings. Hardy asked that the idea of adding citizen members be discussed in executive session at a future meeting, and Bonaparte agreed.
The chair ended by noting that he and Shorter plan to attend a legislative delegation workshop in Charleston to hear about education-related proposals expected to come before the General Assembly in 2026.
With no further comments, the board voted to adjourn.
The next regular meeting for the Clarendon County School District Board of Trustees is scheduled for January 5, 2026.
