Charleston County School District educators, families, and community members:

The 2023-2024 school year leaves me with a sense of gratitude. It was a year marked by many celebrations, achievements, and milestones, especially the impressive gains our students made on the 2023 SC READY assessment across all grade levels and among all student groups for the second year in a row. 

Results of this magnitude are a direct testament to the dedication and unwavering commitment of our outstanding educators and staff, coupled with the hard work of students and the support of families. Outcomes like these are simply not garnered without a focus on data-driven instruction and a concerted effort to hold students as our top priority 

As we continue to work towards achieving Vision 2027, we remain committed now more than ever to fortifying our schools with high-quality resources and instruction as well as to staying focused on doing what is best for children.

With a laser-sharp focus on putting students first, the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget developed earlier this spring was strategically constructed to ensure schools received the resources and autonomy necessary to retain interventions that positively impact student achievement. The district achieved this approach by designing and implementing a Weighted Student Funding (WSF) model to give schools extra fiscal resources to sustain academic gains and increase support for all students. It is the first implementation of such a formula in South Carolina. Funding totaled $32.8 million and is provided as an additional allocation above what schools usually receive based on their number of pupils in poverty, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities. Funding will fully offset the sunset of federal ESSER funds and is possible through those funds set aside in prior fiscal years in the General Operating Fund (GOF) 

The FY25 budget also included a $8,000 raise for all teachers, the single largest salary increase passed in a budget cycle, and brought school-based classified employees such as bookkeepers and data clerks to 100 percent market value for compensation, placing CCSD with the highest starting teacher salaries in the state. This increase, along with the extra teacher planning time implemented this year, above and beyond state-required encumbered time, further demonstrates the district’s commitment to retaining high-quality teachers and leaders. As a part of our commitment to continuous improvement, the district received system-wide reaccreditation from Cognia, the international educational accrediting agency.  Along with the district-wide accreditation, three of our primary schools,  Mary Ford Early Learning and Family Center, Midland Park Primary, and Laurel Hill Primary, received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Military Magnet Academy also received accreditation from Cognia as a JROTC Honor Unit of Distinction (HUD). 

In addition to accreditations, seven schools were named Project Lead the Way Distinguished Schools. Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary earned the Arts Schools Network Exemplary School Designation, and five secondary schools were ranked in U.S. News and World Reports’ top-25 schools in the state. These are just a few of the numerous accomplishments of our students, teachers, and school leaders. 

As we embark on the 2024-2025 school year, we still have a great deal of work to do to improve student outcomes for all students. We look forward to continuing the work of the North Charleston  Joint Commission, a collaborative effort between CCSD  and the City of North Charleston which is focused on developing strategies around areas integral to students' success in North Charleston. We’re also eager to continue authentic engagement of our business, interfaith, teacher, principal, and student roundtable members as critical thought partners in our work and decision-making.

Simply put, our district could not successfully educate its students without the support of our community, teachers, and families. There is nothing more important than their future readiness and success. We look forward to a bright and exciting 2024-2025 school year together.

Anita W. Huggins, Superintendent of Schools