New BCSD supt. talks goals, hurdles, transparency
Wed, 12/14/2022 - 10:06am
admin
By:
Zach Giroux
A month has passed since the Berkeley County School District school board’s controversial appointment of Dr. Anthony Dixon as superintendent, in the immediate aftermath of the sudden firing of his predecessor Deon Jackson. Although the circumstances of his hiring are less than optimal, Dixon called the leadership opportunity “a lifelong goal.”
As Dixon takes the helm of the fourth largest school district in the state, a job he was a semifinalist for in 2021, he addressed his short-term goals, long-term goals and overarching vision for BCSD and its 38,000 students. A one-on-one interview was conducted just hours before Jackson filed a lawsuit against the district that also names Dixon as a defendant.
“I didn’t think about myself, I just thought about the major task at hand,” said Dixon, describing the night of the school board meeting on Nov. 15 when Jackson was fired and he was hired. “The focus wasn’t about me or any one particular person, but about the kids.”
Dixon described his first month as BCSD’s superintendent as “exciting” and “a whirlwind.” His final day as chief of schools with Charleston County School District was Nov. 18, three days after accepting the superintendent position, according to CCSD Director of Communications and Technology Andy Pruitt.
“In terms of leadership, you’ve got to answer the call,” Dixon said. “When people get called to do something and they have a strong ‘why’ behind it, you’re going to answer that call and prepare yourself in the moment or while you’re going through it.”
In the short-term, Dixon is focused on the rudimentary fundamentals of listening and learning. Relationship building and establishing trust are long-term goals, he said.
“I’ll work to engage with the board and also be that voice for our principals, teachers and students so that we are bridging the gap between the two and creating a common vision,” Dixon added.
He said he plans to bring up grades across the board, especially those below the state average in several curricula, by building on the instructional framework that he helped develop back when he was a chief academics and innovation officer at BCSD in 2021. He aims to emphasize best teacher practices and the best learning strategies for students by making data-driven decisions to work on a continuous improvement model.
Fired BCSD supt. Jackson sues district, board members, lawyer, new supt.
Former Berkeley County School District Superintendent Deon Jackson filed a 10 count lawsuit on Monday in Berkeley County Circuit Court seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief over his surprise firing at the Nov. 15 BCSD board meeting.
Named as defendants in both their official and individual capacities are board members Stafford “Mac” McQuillin, Joe Baker, Jimmy Hinson, Kathy Littleton, Michael Ramsey, and Sally Wofford. Newly appointed Superintendent Anthony Dixon was named as a defendant in both his official and individual capacity. Newly retained school district attorney Brandon Gaskins was named as a defendant in his individual capacity. The Berkeley County School District is also a defendant.
The lawsuit alleges three counts of civil conspiracy, breach of contract, interference with a contractual relationship, invasion of privacy/violation of fiduciary duty, violation of the Freedom of Information Act, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and gross negligence.
Look for details on the lawsuit in next week’s paper.