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From YouTube: Town Talk with Mayor McCann with guest Dr. Frank Rodriguez, Beaufort County Schools Superintendent
Description
On the newest episode of Town Talk with Dr. Frank Rodriguez, Beaufort County Schools Superintendent. Dr. Rodriguez came to the Lowcountry for Beaufort County Schools and has become a good friend to Mayor McCann.
Citizens are encouraged to submit questions and topics for future show consideration to communications@hiltonheadislandsc.gov or #TownTalkWiththeMayor @TownofHiltonHeadIslandSC on Facebook
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This Production was filmed on location at the Town of Hilton Head Island Town Hall.
A
C
Frank
came
to
Buford
in
2019
prior
to
his
tenure
here,
Dr
Rodriguez
spent
26
years
serving
South
Florida
education
community
in
a
variety
of
capacities,
as
a
secondary
social,
social
studies
teacher
as
a
program
coordinator
for
the
State
of
Florida
for
the
Palm
Beach
County
Schools
elementary
schools
secondary
principal
area,
director
of
transformational,
schools,
assistant,
superintendent,
over
six
departments,
area,
superintendent
and
Regional
superintendent.
He
now
lives
in
Beaufort
County
with
his
wife
and
two
children,
we're
so
happy
to
have
you
here
today.
B
C
Were
really
impressed
when
you
got
to
draw
a
person
with
your
background,
they
were
extremely
impressed
that
you
had
a
family
and
you
were
a
real
person.
You
weren't
someone
at
the
end
of
their
career.
That
was
stopping
by
to
do
some
work
here
along
the
way
they
opened
the
doors
right
away
to
people
that
could
get
to
know
you
right
away,
and
he
said.
B
B
They
love
it.
It's
been
a
great
transition
for
my
family.
My
my
wife
is
a
pediatric
physical
therapist
in
the
community
and
my
two
kids,
one
is
a
is
a
high
school
senior
now
this
year
and
my
youngest
is
he's
a
eighth
grader.
So
it's
been
wonderful,
they've,
transitioned,
exceptionally
well.
The
community's
been
very
welcoming.
It's
been
great.
C
B
C
B
C
C
B
Honest
with
you,
it
was
the
the
pandemic
and
and
working
and
leading
through
a
pandemic
which
hadn't
been
done
before.
So
there
was
no
Playbook
and
there
was
a
matter
of
providing
flexibility,
utilizing
as
much
flexibility
as
possible
following
the
the
requirements
and
recommendations
and
making
sure
that
we
were
providing
an
education
to
our
students
and
making
sure
that
that
we
come
out
on
the
other
end
of
it
in
the
strongest
position
as
possible
to
to
take
off
running
again
and.
B
B
C
B
Right
so
this
particular
referendum
that
was
passed
in
2019
and
we're
so
appreciative
of
the
support
from
the
community.
I
mean
it
passed
with
a
with
a
70
approval
rating.
It
was
the
first
one
that
had
passed
in
over
11
years
in
the
school
system,
which
which
really
meant
that
it
was
really
badly
needed
for
for
the
schools
and,
and
so
we
were
able
to
do
a
lot
of
upgrades
in
terms
of
Safety
and
Security
athletic
fields.
For
example,
this
referendum
has
Athletic
Field
Improvement
here
at
Hilton,
Head
High
School.
B
B
There
is
also
the
architectural
design
work
for
the
next
for
a
new
Hilton,
Head,
high
school
and
so
essentially
they'll
be
all
the
plans
will
be
laid
out
to
to
remodel
some
of
the
facility
to
build
new
construction
on
the
on
the
campus
in
the
facility
as
well,
and
and
so
we
want
those
plans
to
be
complete.
As
a
result
of
this
referendum,
so
when
we
go
out
for
the
next
referendum
that
those
projects
are
shovel
ready
and
they'll,
be
the
first
ones
out
of
the
gate,
how.
B
C
B
That's
that's
important,
you
know,
as
you
know,
cost
of
living
is,
is
a
challenge
and
when
you're
recruiting
and
retaining
Educators
and-
and
so
one
of
the
things
we
did
this
year
was
to
significantly
improve
on
our
compensation
for
our
Educators.
We
went
from
being
ranked
53rd
in
the
state
of
South
Carolina
to
We.
Believe
we're
going
to
be
ranked
number
one
when
when
it
all
shakes
out-
and
they
do
their
analysis,
we
think
we're
going
to
be
number
one
and
and
that's
important.
B
We
move
the
needle
from
a
starting
salary
of
thirty
seven
thousand
dollars
to
with
bonuses
and
retentions
bonuses
and
and
recruitment
bonuses
to
over
50
000..
So
so
we're
we're
excited
about
that
dump
and
that
change
and
recruiting
and
retaining
high
quality
Educators
is
so
important
in
helping
our
students
reach
their
Highest
Potential.
C
B
That's
right:
there
is
a
tremendous
amount
of
diversity
in
our
school
system
when,
when
you
know
one
one
great
example
is
here
at
the
elementary
school
we
have
for
over
12
years
now
we
have
an
immersion
program
in
Chinese
and
in
Spanish
we
have
in
the
three
schools
we
have
an
international
Baccalaureate
program.
The
elementary
school
was
a
primary
years
program.
It
was
one
of
the
first
in
the
world
to
have
this
primary
years.
B
Program
in
international
Baccalaureate
organization
is
for
their
25th
year
anniversary,
who
was
asking
for
the
elementary
school
to
be
a
part
of
it,
since
they
were
one
of
the
first
in
the
world.
Of
course,
the
middle
school
has
a
middle
years
program
and
the
high
school
has
has
the
high
school
program,
which
had
last
year,
100
percent
of
his
students
of
conferral
IB
diploma
on
those
students.
B
So
so
that's
fascinating,
that's
exciting
and
then
the
school
for
Creative
Arts
is
another
neat
component
too,
because
they
focus
in
on
helping
our
students
with
all
the
Arts
integration
within
their
curriculum
across
the
board,
in
language,
arts
and
science
and
social
studies,
and
they
have
an
arch
infusion
into
that.
So
so
children
have
choices
and
they
have
really
great
opportunities.
C
C
B
I
really
appreciate
that
question.
It's
so
important,
really
what
we
want
to
do
with
our
graduates.
It's
it's
help,
prepare
them
to
reach
their
Highest,
Potential
and
and
what
Avenue,
whatever
Avenue
they
want
to
pursue.
We
want
to
make
sure
they're
getting
a
great
education
if
they
want
to
go
into
in
in
the
college
and
and
pursue
a
career
through,
through
a
college
degree
that
that
Avenue
is
open
to
them.
B
We
want
to
make
sure
that
if
they
want
to
go
right
into
the
workforce,
that
they
have
skills
that
they
walk
out
the
door
with
that
they
can
immediately
apply
into
the
workforce,
helping
our
students
become
proficient
in
21st
century
skills
is
really
important
right.
You
know.
I
talked
to
a
lot
of
members
of
the
community
and
business
owners
and
and
what
I
always
hear
is
this
right.
B
We
often
hire
people
for
their
technical
skills
and
their
technical
knowledge,
but
when,
when
things
don't
work
out,
we
end
up
firing
them
for
their
soft
skills
right,
and
so
so
we
want
to
make
sure
that
our
students
acquire
not
only
the
technical
skills
and
the
academic
knowledge
that
they
need
to
be
successful,
but
we
want
them
to
also
acquire
soft
skills
along
the
way
that
are
going
to
help
them
in
their
employment.
Do.
C
B
That
that's
a
tremendous
insight
into
that
mayor,
because
that
is
one
of
the
things
we're
talking
about
now
is
how
we
can
develop
and
grow
into
some
Community
School
opportunities
for
our
parents,
so
that
our
parents
American
better
help
their
students,
while
they're
at
home,
one
of
the
things
I
hear
from
parents.
A
lot
is,
you
know,
math
has
changed,
you
know.
Well,
it's
not
that
math
has
changed,
but
it's
that
the
math
curriculum
has
changed.
B
The
math
correct
it's
more
of
a
thinking
based
curriculum
and
it's
a
little
different
than
when
we
went
to
school,
and
so
so
it
looks
different
and
it
feels
different
right.
But
but
helping
students
to
be
successful,
particularly
with
their
with
their
academics,
is
an
important
component
that
I
know
many
parents
would
like
the
opportunity
to
engage
in,
and
certainly
those
that
want
to
learn
and
acquire
language.
The
English
language
is
an
important
one
as.
C
B
My
work
every
day
and
and
I
think
that
that
time
was
really
well
spent
in
in
connecting
with
the
community.
It
was
important
to
me
personally
and
I
think
I
think
it
was
important
to
many
people
in
our
community.
That
was
one
challenge
is
starting
to
rebuild
that
trust
with
our
community
and
I.
Think
the
other.
B
The
other
challenge
is
that
the
school
district
didn't
have
the
infrastructure
built
I,
think
to
adequately
support
the
schools,
and
so
what
I've
tried
to
do
is
to
strategically
build
an
infrastructure
at
the
district
office
that
supports
the
needs
of
schools,
and
so
we've
we've
put
certain
things
in
place
that
were
disassembled
or
taken
apart
prior
to
my
arrival
and
that
I
think
needed
to
be
there
in
order
to
to
better
support
students
and
better
support
schools.
And
so
that's
what
we've
been
working.
C
D
B
Arts
are
are
honestly
significant.
You
see
at
the
Middle
School
one
of
the
things
that
they
did
was
with
these
murals,
that
they
built
that
really
captures
some
of
the
history
of
the
island
of
Hilton,
Head,
Right
and,
and
so
those
those
are
examples
of
things
that
we
want
to
do
and
they
integrate
with
the
community
and
make
sure
that
the
Arts
are
a
flourishing
part
of
not
only
our
community
but
also
the
experience
of
students
within
our
schools.
So
it
is
absolutely
because
it's
important
it
actually
impact.
B
C
And
it's
an
awful
lot
of
history
here.
You
know.
Yes,
when
you
look
around,
we
have
the
goligichi
history,
but
we
have
a
revolutionary
war
here
and
we've
had
a
lot
of
history
here
that
we
don't
really
promote
and
when
the
older
people
pass
away,
we're
going
to
lose
a
lot
of
that.
So
we
need
the
Arts
and
storytelling
and
to
keep
those
stories
alive.
Absolutely.
B
And
to
that
point,
one
of
the
things
that
the
school
district
has
done
is
it
established
a
profile
of
a
Beaufort
County
graduate
the
state
of
South
Carolina
has
a
profile
of
a
South
Carolina
graduate.
We
went
a
little
further
and
created
a
profile
of
a
Beaufort
County
graduate
which
Taps
into
the
history
it
Taps
into
the
importance
of
the
environment
in
the
community
it
Taps
into
the
Arts,
and
so
it
it's
an
opportunity
to
say
this
is
what
we
want
for
our
graduates
here.
B
C
We're
we're
an
island,
you
know,
so
we
don't
grow
too
much,
you
know,
but
our
population
is
going
to
get
bigger
and
the
people
that
came
here
for
second
homes
will
stay
to
see
what
the
life
is
here
and
they'll
stay
here,
we're
going
to
build
out
almost
every
piece
of
dirt.
We
have
do
you
have
any
any
room
for
expansion
on
the
three
schools
you
have
here.
We.
B
Have
at
the
moment
what
we
have,
our
schools
are
at
a
good
place
right
now,
because
there
is
some
room
for
growth
within
those
schools
and
certainly
our
high
school,
when
we
have
the
opportunity
to
do
this
remodeling
after
the
next
referendum
for
the
high
school,
it's
going
to
be
an
important
component.
Our
Middle
School
has
some
expansion.
B
B
It's
interesting,
yes,
that
in
state
of
South
Carolina
Kindergarten
is
not
a
requirement
in
the
state
of
South
Carolina.
We
do
have
many
children
that
come
through
our
Early
Childhood
Center,
which
is
another
one
of
our
schools
here
on
the
island
and
we're
excited
to
have
an
Early
Childhood
Center.
They
come
to
us
for
pre-k
there
and
then
transition
into
either
the
IB
or
into
Elementary
IB
or
into
school
creative
arts,
and
so
we're
excited
to
be
able
to
facilitate
that
transition
for
our
families.
B
B
C
B
B
I,
haven't
this
is
by
the
way,
is,
is
just
a
great
example
of
how
communities
and
schools
work
together,
because
also
right
next
to
us
is
the
Island
rec
center.
Yes
right
and
so
facilities
are
there,
which
a
beautiful
facility
and
and
students,
and
you
know
that
families
have
opportunity
to
take
advantage
of
both.
C
B
B
B
B
Right
I
mean
we
have
a
lot
of
Volunteers
in
the
last
two
years
have
put
a
a
damper
on
that
with
with
the
pandemic,
you
know
and
and
the
access,
but
that
our
schools
are
open
and
there's
a
lot
of
skill
sets
that
our
community
has
individuals
with
tremendous
background,
whether
it's
in
the
art,
whether
it's
historical
knowledge,
whether
they're
veterans,
right
and
sharing
those
talents
and
their
knowledge,
is
an
important
opportunity
for
us
and
if
they
reach
out
to
our
schools.
Our
schools
are,
are
open
and
ready
to
engage
with
our
community.
B
That
is
such
an
important
asset
to
us,
because
it
honestly
brings
education
to
life
for
kids.
You
know
so
you're
not
just
reading
about
it
in
a
textbook
but
you're
you're
hearing
from
somebody
who
actually
experienced
you
know
and
and
so
so
important.
That
is
one
of
the
the
main
ways
that
I
think
as
possible.
B
Our
business
community
and
our
Partnerships
is,
is
so
vital
to
our
schools
and-
and
we
want
to
obviously
encourage
that
and
opportunities
for
us
to
for
our
students
to
compete
and
show
off
their
talents
and,
for
example,
the
Michelin
Concourse.
That
was
here
in
Hilton
Head.
And
we
had
students
that
that
wanted
those
competitions.
But
just
the
ability
to
engage-
and
things
like
that
is
so
valuable
to.
B
Have
students
that
go
to
uscb
TCL,
so
they
stay
in
a
local
area
and
honestly
I
think
our
graduates
have
really
variety
of
of
places
that
they
go
from
College
of
Charleston
Clemson
University
of
South
Carolina,
South,
Carolina
state
I
mean
they.
They
go
to
a
variety
of
places,
but
we
do
have
a
good
share
of
students
that
stay
local
and
and
work
on
their
skill
sets
at
TCL
and
their
knowledge
base
and
then
even
take
advantage
of
uscb
locally.
B
Is
a
challenge
across
the
country?
Teacher
shortage
is
a
very
it's,
not
just
a
Hilton
Head
and
Beaufort
County
issue.
It
is,
it
is
a
nationwide
issue,
and
so
we
have
had
some
challenges,
but
but
this
year
in
terms
of
our
classroom
vacancies,
we
were
down
to
about
11
when
we
started
so
so
we
our
our
hats
off
to
our
recruitment
team
in
HR,
they
did
a
fantastic
job
because
we
have
to
recruit
outside
of
South
Carolina
as
well.
B
You
know
in
South,
Carolina
alone,
eight
percent
of
Educators
leave
the
profession
every
year
and
the
colleges
and
universities
can
only
replace
four
percent
right
so
right
off
the
bat
there's
a
gap
there
and
so
we're
all
competing
for
the
same
talent
and
we
have
to
go
out.
You
know
out
of
the
area
and
out
of
the
state
to
make
sure
that
we
can
meet
our
needs.
B
Think
the
the
biggest
challenge
is
that
that
our
schools
face
between
education
in
the
northern
half
and
the
southern
half
of
the
community
is,
you
know,
there's
a
a
a
larger
number
of
people
that
live
in
southern
Beaufort
County.
So
you
have
things
like
overcrowding,
issues
that
you
deal
with
in
southern
Beaufort
County
in
Northern,
Beaufort
County,
you
you
have
older
facilities
and
and
those
had
to
be
upgraded
and
and
and
Improvement
needed
to
be
done
to
the
learning
environment
and.
B
B
So
you
hit
a
target
number
there,
which
is
five
years
you
know
in
in
in
education
across
the
country,
in
any
cohort
of
teachers
across
the
country
that
start
in
any
given
year
by
the
fifth
year.
50
of
them
have
left
the
profession,
so
that
fifth
year
is
a
is
a
target
number.
But
in
addition
to
that,
when,
when
you,
if
you're
able
to
recruit
teachers
who
have
families
right,
they
tend
to
be,
they
tend
to
be
lifers
in
education
right
so
by
the
end
of
their
fifth
year
sixth
year.
B
B
Not
not
particularly
what
we
have
done
here
is
we
have
provided
retention
bonuses,
okay
for
educators
here
locally
and
and
that's
something
that
we
do.
We
also
do
locality
supplement
for
educators
to
help
offset
some
of
the
costs
of
living
components
and
now,
of
course,
we
really
improved
the
compensation
of
of
teachers
in
the
system,
and
so
so
we're
hoping
that
those
things
all
continue
to
contribute
to
some
hope
for.
C
For
educators,
when
I
talk
to
someone
and
tell
them
about
meeting
with
you
today,
they
said
that
he's
done
a
good
job
on
making
the
teachers
Pace
higher,
but
the
volunteers
that
come
in
that
get
68
a
day
haven't
got
raised
in
seven
years.
Are
you
talking
about
the
I?
Don't
know
what
I'm
talking
about?
Someone
told
me
to
mention
that
to
you
so.
B
C
B
If,
if
I
could
do
anything,
I
wanted
to
do
I
think
one
of
the
things
I
would
do
is
make
sure
that
we
are
significantly
retaining
our
Educators.
That's
one
of
the
biggest
challenges,
and
so
we
we're
hopeful
that
we're
making
a
dent
on
that
now,
because
because
when
you
retain
your
Educators,
you
get
a
more
experienced
Workforce
along
the
way
and
and
therefore
you're
able
to
provide
a
higher
quality
education
for
for
students
along
the
way,
because
you've
got
more
experience
in
the
system.
B
B
C
C
D
When
the
clouds
form
the
rain,
Pours
and
Waters
all
around
you'll
ask
yourself
how
prepared
or
unprepared
are
you
did
you
raise
your
utilities
appliances
and
such
install
a
sump
pump
clean
the
drains
just
in
case
it
decides
to
rain?
Do
you
know
your
risks?
Have
you
checked
the
local
plans?
You
should
cover
your
property
with
a
flood
insurance
policy.
Is
your
emergency
supply
kit
packed?
Is
your
family
prepared?
Do
they
know
what
to
do
where
to
go
and
how
to
stay
safe?
D
Because
when
the
water
starts
to
rise,
you
must
act
quickly
and
be
wise
turn
on
your
radio.
Listen
for
updates
and
if
authorities
tell
you
to
go
hurry
up
and
do
so
get
to
Safe
ground
go
as
high
as
you
can
do.
What
you
need
to
do,
but
don't
put
yourself
In,
Harm's,
Way,
just
inches
of
water
can
sweep
you
away
once
the
water
is
gone,
move
carefully
be
on
the
lookout
for
dangers.
You
can't
see.