Small crowd mostly opposes Sumter School District consolidation proposal

First community conversation session held at Sumter High School

Sumter School Board at-large member Bonnie Disney, standing, listens and participates in a round-table discussion at Thursday's community conversation session at Sumter High School.
Sumter School Board at-large member Bonnie Disney, standing, listens and participates in a round-table discussion at Thursday's community conversation session at Sumter High School.
BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM
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A relatively small but boisterous crowd of community members mostly voiced their displeasure Thursday night with a district consolidation proposal that would close three low-enrollment schools in Sumter County.

About 45 community members – some of which were current school district educators – attended and participated in roundtable discussions and a question-and-answer session with Interim Superintendent Debbie Hamm on Thursday at Sumter High School at the first of a series of “community conversation sessions.” Those community meetings are designed to gather public input on Hamm’s draft consolidation proposal, which she unveiled Monday night at a school board meeting.

To begin Thursday’s community’s meeting, Hamm detailed again the administration’s proposal to the audience. That draft proposal would close three small schools in rural sections of the county, but move those students into nearby schools in the same rural areas and implement nationally recognized magnet school programs into those revamped schools. In her draft plan, two schools would become Kindergarten-eighth grade schools.

Hamm said she believes the added programs will help maintain and potentially grow those schools long-term and be a win overall for rural education in the county.

Many community members who spoke Thursday said they believe otherwise and disagreed with Hamm’s draft proposal.

The public’s concerns included increased class sizes at the consolidated schools, bullying issues at the two potential K-8 schools, and the overall effectiveness of K-8 schools in general, among other concerns.

Rembert resident Danielle Wilson, who has a 5-year-old daughter, Lailah, who attends Rafting Creek Elementary School, went to the session. In the district’s proposal, Rafting Creek would close at the end of this school year and all the school’s students would move to Hillcrest Middle School in Dalzell as part of a revamped K-8 magnet school.

Wilson said she’s concerned about potential bullying in a K-8 school and her daughter riding on a school us with seven- and eighth-graders, who are in their early teen years.

“There seems to be a lot of unanswered questions, but I am glad that they finally got the community involved,” Wilson said. “I hope they explore other options besides closing schools.”

Addressing the audience during the session, Hamm answered about 25 questions that were submitted by attendees.

Seven of the nine voting school board members attended the session. They included board Chairman the Rev. Daryl McGhaney, board Vice-Chairman Karen Michalik, William Byrd, Bonnie Disney, Linda Alston, Lucille McQuilla and Barbara Jackson.

Non-voting board member Jane Allen, who is Shaw Air Force Base’s board representative, also attended the session.

Five additional “community conversation sessions” are scheduled for next week. Those sessions will kick off on Monday night at 7 p.m. Cherryvale Elementary School’s multipurpose room.