In a meeting held on November 6, after the 2024 election, the Clarendon County School Board voted to approve a 3% salary increase and a one-year contract extension for Superintendent Dr. Shawn Johnson. The decision, made during the board's final meeting before several members leave their positions, was based on a favorable evaluation of Johnson's performance over the past year.
Chairman Arthur Moyd, who was appointed to the board and decided not to run for a seat in the election, was joined by fellow departing members Joseph Postell, Luther Faulk, and Alex Craven, who also opted not to seek re-election. Dr. Falecia Miller, who lost her bid for re-election in District 1, was also in attendance.
The meeting began with an invocation by Postell, who expressed gratitude for the school community, faculty, staff, and trustees, before the board moved to approve the agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting. Dr. Johnson shared an encouraging update about the district’s progress, particularly celebrating the success of Dr. Rose Wilder Elementary and Walker Gamble Elementary, both of which achieved the highest rating in the district’s history.
“It’s a good day for education in Clarendon County,” Dr. Johnson said, commending the hard work of both students and staff. He noted that, for the first time, no school in the district was classified as below average or unsatisfactory.
As part of the meeting, the board approved a field trip for students from East Clarendon Middle High School and Scott’s Branch High School to Charlotte, where they will be exposed to the business side of sports.
Financial updates were also provided, with the district reporting $2.2 million in revenue for September, although total expenditures reached $3 million, reflecting the ongoing consolidation costs. Despite the higher expenditures, Dr. Johnson reassured the board that the district’s financial situation remains stable.
The board also received an update on facilities projects, including the nearly completed Manning Early Childhood Exercise Room and the ongoing construction of a new building at Walker-Gamble Elementary School. Superintendent Johnson emphasized the continued progress in the district’s expansion efforts, which also included ensuring compliance with environmental standards for nearby wetlands.
In addition to these updates, the board focused on Dr. Johnson’s performance evaluation and contract renewal, which were completed in November rather than December to allow the current board to conduct the review before new members, unfamiliar with the superintendent’s efforts and performance, take office. The board voted 8-1 in favor of the salary raise, with Craven casting the lone dissenting vote.
Moyd addressed the timing of the salary increase, which came shortly after the election. “It would have been unfair for the new board to do the evaluation when they had not spent time with the with the superintendent … that that was the reasoning for going ahead and doing it.” Moyd explained further that Dr. Johnson did not receive a raise in 2023. “And then, as far as the contract and the raise … last year he did not get an increase. [He hasn’t] received an increase since he's been the superintendent [of the unified district].”
The salary increase comes after a year in which the district saw significant improvements in school performance. For the first time in Moyd’s service on the board, all schools in the district received average or above-average ratings, with no schools classified as below average. Moyd reiterated, "If you look at all the school scores, this is the first time in my serving on the board for 13 years that we have all schools average or above. We did not have one below-average school, and that says something in itself."
A specially called meeting for the new board members will be held on November 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Manning High School to discuss positions and board responsibilities.
The Manning Times has reached out to Alex Craven for comment on his vote and is awaiting a response. We will provide an update when additional information becomes available.
Editor's Note: This story will run with incorrect dates in Thursday's edition of The Manning Times. We have updated this online version with the corrected information.
