►
Description
New Charleston County School District Interim Superintendent of School Don Kennedy spoke with the media on January 7, 2022.
A
Of
course,
the
first
thing
I'm
focusing
on
is
safety
about
students
and
our
staff
in
relationship
to
the
pandemic.
So
this
week
the
cabinet,
my
direct
reports
that
we've
been
working
very
hard
on
that
for
the
first
week
of
school
after
the
break
so
we'll
report
on
that
to
the
school
board
monday.
So
that's
the
first
thing,
I'm
I'm
focused
on
the
second
thing,
as
you
all
aware,
there's
the
essa
dollars
the
arp
dollars
here
that
will
result
in
a
number
of
initiatives
of
programs.
A
I
want
to
make
sure
that
those
new
initiatives
that
will
be
funded
from
the
arp
dollars
are
adequately
integrated
with
the
current
programs
that
we
have
in
place
mission,
critical
acceleration
schools
and
then,
of
course,
the
the
the
proposals
are
coming
in
from
the
community
and
so
make
sure
that
we
have
those
all
all
considered
together.
As
we
look
at
the
academic
aims
that
we
have
for
our
children
and
then
the
second
thing
associated
with
that
is
the
adequate
implementation
of
those
initiatives.
B
A
A
So
what
I've
done
this
week
since
I've
been
on
the
job,
which
obviously
was
my
first
week,
so
it's
I've
engaged
with
again
the
senior
staff
chief
academic
officers
officer
and
others
in
the
district
to
make
sure
that
they
have
an
opportunity
to
fully
understand
what
the
proposal
does,
how
it
integrates
with
the
plans
that
they
have
and
actual
the
actual
work
that
they
have
been
involved
in
monday
morning
at
8
30
this
past
monday
morning
I
met
with
all
of
our
principals.
We
talked
about
the
reimagine
schools.
A
I
had
a
follow-up
meeting
with
a
group
of
principals
yesterday
and
and
so
I'm
waiting
for
input
from
them
and
before
I
make
a
determination
how
I
I
actually
view
and
work.
How
would
well
of
my
support,
but
certainly
at
this
point-
I'm
not
I'm
not
opposed
to
the
plan,
but
I
just
I
just
don't
have
enough
information
at
this
point
to
to
take
a
take
a
position,
but
I
will
be
prepared
to
talk
with
the
school
board.
C
I
have
a
question
about
your
background
and
why
the
community
here
the
school
community,
you
want
them
to
have
faith
in
your
leadership
abilities.
Now,
there's
two
two
things
that
we've
been
looking
at.
One
of
them
is
your
background
at
the
baltimore
city
schools,
where
you
left
when
there
was
a
130
million
dollar
deficit
in
the
school
system,
was
collapsing
with
financial
concerns,
and
there
was
also
a
concern
back
in
seattle.
C
A
Well,
first
of
all,
they're
these
are
complex
systems,
complex
funding
mechanism
and
so
the
seattle
that
was
a
long
time
ago.
So,
since
I've
left
seattle,
I've
worked
in
other
systems,
boston
and,
as
you
indicated,
baltimore
city,
public
schools,
but
I
would
say
here
with
charleston.
This
is
my
second
time
I
think.
As
most
of
you
all
know,
working
here
the
first
time
I
was
the
chief
financial
and
chief
operating
officer
for
the
district.
A
We
did
that
if
you
take
a
look
at
the
the
debt
structure
that
we
put
in
place
at
that
time,
the
district
will
be
out
of
debt
completely
in
about
10
years.
That's
the
direct
result
of
the
work
that
I
did
when
I
was
here
the
first
time
and
we
take
a
look
at
our
audits
on
our
school
construction
program
that
we
do
roughly
every
three
or
four
years
since
the
processes
that
we
put
in
place.
A
A
When
we
had
the
shortfall
in
the
in
the
general
operating
fund
budget,
the
our
reserve
account
at
the
time
when
I
came
back,
we
call
it
fund
balance
with
us
significantly
under
what
the
recommendations
are
about
government
and
structures
around
the
country,
and
so
currently
our
fund
balance
is
almost
double.
Since
then,
it
was
reported
by
the
artists
this
past
december
that
our
fund
balance
is
around
145
million
dollars
versus
the
700
million,
or
so
so
I'll
put
in
processes
here
in
charleston
county
school
district.
A
When
you
say
this
year,
you're
talking
about
this
calendar
of
the
school
year,
so
so
I
think,
for
this
school
year
for
the
entire
school
year,
they're
our
students
in
a
much
better
position
than
they
were
last
year
hour.
We
have
more
students
in
class
in
person
than
we
did
the
first
the
year
of
the
pandemic.
I
think
in
north
charleston,
in
the
first
year
of
the
pandemic,
for
example,
there
were
fewer
students
than
some
and
then
some
other
percentage-wise
in
other
parts
of
the
county
that
that
has
improved.
A
A
I'm
sorry
which
could
what
experience
do
I
have
inside
the
classroom?
Well,
so
I'm
not
a
teacher,
I'm
not
I'm,
not
a
teacher,
so
I
do
not
have
experience
in
the
classroom.
I
come.
I
come
from
a
family
of
educators.
I
have
a
sister
who's
who
spent
30
something
years.
As
a
teacher,
my
mother
was
a
long-term
teacher,
my
wife,
just
retired,
from
teaching
this
past
june.
So
I've
been
around
educators.
A
You
know
all
my
at
least
all
of
my
life,
but
my
leadership
style
is
more
of
a
collaborative,
so
I
don't
come
across
with
people
that
I
engage
with
throughout
the
organization
as
the
expert.
So
I
recognize
that
principles
are
the
key
to
our
success
here
with
our
students
and
that's
why
the
very
first
meeting
the
very
first
meeting
that
I
had
on
day,
one
at
8
30
this
past
monday,
was
with
all
of
our
principals.
A
A
I
have
their
that
group
on
my
calendar
and
as
well
as
other
representatives
of
the
teaching
force,
so
that
so
I
can
understand
what
their
needs
are,
and
so
my
leadership
style
is
not
to
direct
them,
but
it's
to
engage
with
others
who
the
educators
report
to
to
make
sure
that
they
get
the
supports.
They
need.
A
Yeah,
so
I
had
my
first
cabinet
meeting
this
past
tuesday.
At
that
meeting
we
agreed
to
the
cabinet-
that
is
those
of
the
all
the
other
chief
officers
that
we
would
meet
daily
for
30
to
45
minutes
sort
of
like
a
stand
up
to
address
where
we
are
with
staffing
shortages
of
the
the
case
council.
With
the
pandemic.
Yesterday
we
discussed
the
substitute
teachers
and,
in
the
short
falls
that
we
have
there.
A
We
made
a
decision
then
to
increase
the
rate
of
pay
for
substitute
teachers
and
also
to
give
bonuses
for
substitute
teachers.
So
that's
been
implemented
this
coming
monday
in
the
stand
up
this
morning,
we've
identified
the
doctors,
the
source
of
funds,
for
that.
So
that
is
a
decision.
That's
already
been
made
and
addressed.
A
B
A
They
brought
up
the
reimagined
school,
the
principles
that
whose
schools
are
in
that
in
that
proposal
they
requested
of
me
an
opportunity
for
them
to
meet
with
mr
darren
goss,
with
with
the
coastal
community
foundation,
the
architect
the
author
of
the
proposal,
so
that
was
their
first
asking
me.
That
was
on
a
monday.
We
met
with
mr,
mr
goss.
A
Those
principals
did
ni
on
tuesday
afternoon,
and
so
if
they
had
an
opportunity,
then
to
hear
from
mr
goss
about
the
specifics
of
the
proposal,
the
thinking
of
it
from
his
from
his
perspective
and
his
team's
perspective,
and
they
were
able
then
to
ask
questions
and
express
their
concerns,
and
so
we
will.
I
will
take
that
and
discuss
it
with
my
cabinet
and
then
we'll.
We
will
determine
how
to
communicate
those
questions
and
concerns
to
the
school.
C
A
Well,
my
relationship
was
just
starting
with
the
board
as
the
interim
superintendent
as
the
cfo,
I
had
a
what
I
would
say,
a
very
effective
relationship
with
the
school
board.
I
worked
through
the
art
and
finance
committee,
primarily
with
my
work
and,
and
so
it
was
very
good,
so
I
felt
good
about
coming
in
to
the
role
as
it
relates
to
my
relationship
with
the
school
board.
A
reason
why
I
want
to
do
this
work
when
I'm
from
south
carolina.
I
grew
up
here
in
fairfield
county.
A
A
A
So
when
I
take
a
look
at
the
history
here
and
I
go
back
and
look
at
the
various
programs
that
have
been
that
we've
tried
over
time,
there's
quite
a
few,
and
so
the
question
is:
how
can
we
make
those
programs
more
effective?
So
that's
why
I
want
to
do
this
to
make
sure
that
I
have
an
opportunity
to
provide
the
supports
to
to
our
teachers
and
our
principals
in
in
our
community.
A
So
again,
this
is
week
one,
and
so
I
don't
have
those
goals
set.
I
don't
have
like
a
uni
unilateral
set
of
goals.
I
worked
through
other
staff.
Indeed,
this
past
december
14th,
the
staff,
the
senior
staff,
would
be
the
chief
officers
and
an
extended
group
of
executive
leaders.
We
had
an
all-day
meeting
off-site
meeting
to
talk
about
how
we
would
use
the
essa
dollars
to
further
the
academic
aims
of
the
district.
A
This
past
monday,
we
had
a
follow-up,
a
four-hour
meeting
to
continue
that
work,
and
so
we
will
meet
with.
I
will
meet
with
principals
next
next
thursday.
I
think
it
is
to
review
what
the
work
we
did
and
so
in
collaboration
with
the
executive
team
and
principals,
then
we
would
set
a
set
of
goals,
and
so
it
won't
be
don's
goals
or
don
kennedy's
goals.
A
It
would
be
the
goals
of
that
that
collective
body
that
we
would
take
to
the
to
the
school
board
and
and
that's
that
by
the
way
for
january
24th,
so
this
coming
monday,
I
anticipate
that
we
will
inform
the
school
board
of
the
process
that
we're
going
through
and
then
on.
The
24th
at
that
board
meeting
we
will
lay
out
those.
A
About
me
is
that
my
life
was
transformed
through
education.
I
have
come
from
a
large
family,
there's
eight
children.
All
eight
of
us
are
college
graduates,
no
one
in
either
side
of
my
family
or
my
mother's
side
on
my
father's
side
ever
attended
college
when
they
were
kids
and
when
they
came
out
of
high
school.
A
So
my
my
children,
my
grandchildren,
my
nieces,
my
nephews,
all
their
lives
have
been
have
been,
have
been
transformed
through
the
fact
that
our
my
siblings
and
I
were
able
to
get
a
really
good
education,
and
so
what
I
would
want
the
community
to
know
that
in
my
tenure
that
I
have
here,
that's
my
focus
to
be
able
to
provide
the
supports,
that's
necessary
to
give
every
child
an
opportunity
for
the
same
type
of
life.
Improvements
that
that
occurred
with
me.
A
A
B
A
So
I
have
a
background.
That's
military
background
as
corporate
and
background
that
my
master's
degree
is
in
organizational
systems
renewal.
That's
all
about
how
do
you
operate
within
a
complex
organization
to
make
make
systems
implementation,
and
so
I
have
been
working
since
I've
been
here
for
the
last
four
years,
working
with
people
talking
about
some
of
those
strategies,
designing
some
of
those
strategies,
and
so
so
now
it's
a
matter
of
just
adopting
what
I've
been
working
on
for
the
last
four
years,
specifically
here
in
charleston,
but
essentially
about
my
entire
professional
career
yeah.
C
A
Well,
there's
a
two-part
answer
to
that
of
the
again
I've
I've
been
in
the
workforce
in
a
number
of
organizations,
military
corporate
world
and
the
multiple
k-12
systems
and
in
all
those
systems
that
I've
worked
in
there
have
been
always
been
leadership
changes.
Some
of
the
leadership
changes
have
entailed
changes
in
staff.
Some
have
not
sufficed
in
this
leadership.
Leadership
change
here
locally,
the
the
strong
leadership
team.
That's
in
place
will
stay
in
place,
so
I'm
not
making
I'm
not
moving
people
out
when
this.
A
When
the
new
superintendent
came.
When
I
went
to
baltimore,
I
was
tired
as
part
of
a
incoming
administration,
that
superintendent
brought
brought
some
of
his
staff
in
the
same
thing
happened
when
the
new
superintendent
came
in
when
she
came
in
the
chief
financial
office
was
first
placed.
That
was
me.
The
chief
operating
officer
was
placed
the
chief
information
officer
and
I
believe,
the
chief
legal
counsel
and
the
chief
chief
academic
officer
and
the
chief
of
staff,
so
she
brought
in
the
superintendent
brought
in
a
her
own
team.
A
A
I
need
to
understand
what
the
components
of
all
of
the
proposals,
which
is
which
ones
have
merit
which
ones
integrate
well
with
the
the
academic
work
that's
currently
taking
place
in
the
district
I
mentioned
a
few
minutes
ago,
the
acceleration
schools
where
the
acceleration
school
has
been
teamed
and
been
working
on
that
work
for
about
two
years
now,
and
so
how
do?
How
do
the
proposals
that's
coming
in
from
the
outside
had
had
to
do
the
dollars
that
were
the
additional
dollars
that
we
are
going
to
spend
in
ccsd?
A
A
So
so
today,
I'm
not
I'm
not
prepared
to
say
exactly
what
what
should
be
done.
I
mentioned
a
few
minutes
ago
that
I've
had,
I
have
on
my
calendar
to
meet
with
various
teacher
groups.
I'm
I'm
really
interested
in
their
input
on
what
they
see
as
the
what
would
be
affected.
I
have
a
a
good
relationship
with
the
district's
chief
human
resources
officer
bill
briggman,
so
I
have
been
meeting
with
him
to
try
and
understand
some
of
his
thinking
on
teacher
recruitment
and
retention.
A
A
Well,
I
would
say
that
I'm
going
to
continue
the
the
protocols
and
the
processes
that
are
already
in
place.
I
mean
from
our
operations
department
that
department
department,
as
well
as
our
academic
department.
Those
departments
have
done
an
exceptional
job
on
that,
as
you
all
are
aware
that
since
the
first
year
of
the
pandemic
for
the
full
two
years
of
the
pandemic,
we
have
had
our
kids,
our
children
in
school,
in
person,
at
least
for
those
parents
who
felt
that
that
was
appropriate.
A
So
we
never
went
100
virtual
and
so
the
intent
is
to
if
to
if
we
had
to
close
any
schools
or
classrooms
down.
That's
like
a
last
resort,
so
we
tr
again.
We
we
meet
every
these
third
to
45
minutes
every
day.
These
are
the
first
two
weeks
of
school
reopening
so
that
we
can
make
sure
that
we
understand
what
the
the
caseload
case,
those
are.
Also
over
the
last
the
first
year
of
the
of
the
pandemic,
we
invested
a
lot
of
our
dollars.
A
I've
also
been
the
chief
operating
officer
officer
in
school
districts
in
the
country,
and
I
can
say
for
certain
that
our
systems
here,
our
hvac
system,
our
school
buildings,
are,
are
really
really
top-notch,
and
so
so
from
a
safety
standpoint,
that's
good
we're
doing
contract
contract
tracing.
We
have
that
vaccination
that
we're
offering.
We
have
the
mass
compliance
mandate,
that's
in
place,
so
we
will
continue.
A
I
will
continue
working
with
staff
to
continue
the
safety
protocols
that
have
been
in
place
and
we
have
been
enhancing
for
the
last
two
years,
and
so
safety
is
number
one
and
we
so
once
wants
to
make
sure
that
our
students
and
our
staff
are
safe.
The
number,
the
second
part
is
to
make
sure
that
schools
stay
open.
A
So
so
the
the
funding
of
the
proposals,
whether
it's
the
reimagined
proposal
or
other
proposals,
they
come
under
federal
funding
guidelines,
and
so
the
first
thing
that
we
would
need
to
do
is
make
sure
that
whatever
components
of
the
the
grant
that's
going
to
the
real
magic
school
program
is
going
to
be
put
in
place.
That
staff
understand
how
they
fit
into
those
components
fit
into
the
requirements
of
the
federal
grants,
and
so
that
so
so
it
will
be
a
planning
process.
A
C
A
I
take
a
monthly
financial
report.
I
take
monthly
financial
projections
in
the
history
that
we've
had
here
in
the
last
three
and
a
half
years
since
I
agreed
to
be
the
cfo
again.
Is
that
where
what
what
I've
been?
What
I
have
projected,
how
we
would
end
the
year
financially
exactly
how
we
have
ended
each
of
those
three
years?
So
if
you
take
a
look
at
our
fund
balance,
our
reserve
account.
It
has
steadily
increased
over
the
last
three
to
four
years.
A
F
A
It's
been
years
since
I
thought
about
seattle
last
wednesday
night
when
I
went
home
after
the
announcement
here
about
my
appointment
and
I
turned
on
the
tv
and
I'm
not
sure,
may
have
been
your
channel.
I
think
I've
said
the
at
the
tail
end
of
the
the
broadcast
that
it
was
mentioned
about
about
seattle,
as
that
was
the
first
time
I
thought
about
seattle
in
a
long
time.
If
you
recall,
though
dr
good
luck,
johnson,
who
used
to
be
the
superintendent
here,
she
was
in
seattle.