New BCSD Superintendent ready for new assignment

Listen and learn. That is the strategy Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Brenda Blackburn plans to utilize as she enters into her new role as the leader of a district with close to 32,000 students.

Blackburn outlined her goals for the post while meeting with members of the local media at the district’s Moncks Corner headquarters last week. Although her official start date is November 1, she was in town early to visit with administrators, teachers, and principals, as well as other community members and organizations. She also attended her first School Board meeting on October 13.

“I’m very excited about being here in Berkeley County,” said Blackburn, who was officially offered the job on August 11. “When I talked with the Board about doing this position, I said I’m not just looking for a job, I’m looking for a match. When I read the Berkeley County advertisement, I was really taken by the things they were looking for…somebody who had leadership experience, management experience, instructional experience, and experience in communication…I’ve had an opportunity to develop a strong skill set in each of those areas.”

Blackburn calls herself a “longtime educator.” Throughout her career, she has served as a classroom teacher, a guidance counselor, an assistant principal, a principal, an area superintendent a chief academic officer, and most recently as superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia, a position she held for five and a half years.

She’s spent the last several weeks in “fact-gathering mode,” she said, reading pertinent documents, such as a recently released study from the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University on Berkeley County growth and a report from AdvancED (the district’s national accrediting agency). She has also spent time watching School Board meeting videos. When it comes to formulating specific plans for the district, Blackburn’s research will be supplemented by what she learns from stakeholders.

“I’m a participatory leader,” she said. “I look for the troops to provide input into what’s going on. I try to engage multiple ideas about things and have open discussions before I come to final decisions…I think probably the secret to leadership is people doing what you want them to do because they think it’s the right thing, and they want to do it. I really try to build confidence that my focus is on what’s most important - our kids and our teachers.”

Blackburn is taking the reins on the heels of the district’s long-fought legal battles over the “Yes 4 Schools” campaign, over which two former staff members - Amy Kovach and Rodney Thompson - were indicted for ethical breaches of conduct (Kovach recently plead guilty on two counts and is now suing the district and others as a result of the case). When asked if she had any reservations coming to Berkeley County Schools in light of the situation, Blackburn was quick to respond.

“It did not color my opinion whatsoever,” she said. “I looked at this as a very promising community and although there have been issues regarding the ‘Yes 4 Schools’ bond referendum, I see this district as moving forward and as I talk with teachers and I talk with the business community and the few parents that I’ve had the opportunity to speak with, I hear excitement around this community in moving forward, and doing the right thing for kids. So I was not influenced by that whatsoever.”

To ensure open communication throughout her tenure as Superintendent, Blackburn plans to put a sharp focus on transparency. Each week, she intends to issue a communication message that informs the board, the community and staff employees about what she’s been doing, where she’s been that week, and what her feelings are about her observations. In her first six months on the job, Blackburn expects to visit each of the district’s 42 schools.

“It’s all designed around the ability for me to cultivate a sense of what our strengths and opportunities are here in Berkeley County,” she added.

When it comes to instruction, one area she is particularly interested in exploring is the “one to one” technology program, in which all students receive their own electronic devices to use.

“I would love to see that happen because I think it levels the playing field with all of the kids, no matter what their economic situation might be,” said Blackburn. “…Long term, our students are going to be part of the work force, and I’d like to come as close as possible in the school setting to being able to give kids exposure to what they’re going to find in their workplace.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge that Blackburn will have to face coming in to Berkeley County is the area’s projected growth over the next two decades, sparked in part by the pending arrival of Volvo, a company that is expected to attract some 4,000 new workers to the region. According to the report from The Strom Thurmond Institute, Berkeley County’s anticipated population growth could mean more than 20 new schools will be needed to accommodate students over the next twenty years.

“I’ve read the Strom Thurmond Report,” said Blackburn. “It’s very eye-opening. I know that we have a good handle on what we’re doing with school construction through 2018, but we have to go ahead and immediately begin looking at the next tier of demands for available space and begin to cultivate our community, and to look to the state (for help)…That development of a plan will be really, really important.”

Blackburn would also like to see development companies partner more with the district to prepare for growth by donating land for schools in planned subdivisions whenever possible.

“It’s a win-win,” she said. “There are communities where large developments are even required to set aside space for schools. And I think that’s a very good way to address growing communities.”

To alleviate overcrowding in the short-term, Blackburn is in favor of exploring ways to utilize under-capacity schools for potential magnet or “thematic” programs.

“I think we need to look at every opportunity to maximize the seat space that we have,” she said.

Blackburn left the area last week to return to Virginia to begin preparing for her move to South Carolina. When she begins on November 1, her first order of business will be to accommodate a six-year accreditation visit to the district by AdvancED, followed by more activities as part of what she is calling her “feet on the ground listening and learning tour.” So far, Blackburn is giving her new assignment high marks.

“It’s been very engaging to be around so many energetic and dedicated people,” she said. “…It’s a very exciting place to be!”

SUPT. BLACKBURN TO SPEAK AT NOV. 3 DINA MEETING

New Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Brenda Blackburn will be one of several speakers at the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) meeting on Tuesday, November 3. Blackburn, who officially begins her duties for the district on November 1, was invited to speak by Berkeley County School Board Member Mac McQuillin, who will also be addressing the group. In addition, an architect working on the new Philip Simmons High School will present a digital “fly-over” of the planned facility. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. (check in begins at 6:30 p.m.) at Church of the Holy Cross on Daniel Island.