11 hours Ago
Why is state Rep. Chris Murphy, the chair of the Dorchester County Legislative Delegation (DCLD), intent on ramming through a consolidation of Dorchester School District Two (DD2) and Four (DD4)? No one, including the members of the two elected boards of education, knows Murphy's rationale, and he isn't talking. At a public hearing called by the DCLD in St.
George on Feb. 27, Murphy blindsided attendees by unveiling an Assembly bill he had already drafted to bring about consolidation. In disparaging attendees, who largely support an independent DD4, Murphy condescendingly told them to “do the math.
” By that, he apparently meant that because DD2 has 145,000 residents, it should simply swallow DD4’s 16,000 residents in the less developed part of the county. (Five thousand new homes are planned in the DD4 district, which will obviously place demands on its schools.) Tim Lewis Murphy had a second chance to address constituents about the consolidation at a DCLD meeting on March 31.
This time, he was simply a no-show. State Sen. Sean Bennett was left to preside in Murphy's absence.
Bennett began the meeting with the first public overview of Murphy’s draft consolidation bill, which proposes abolishing DD2 and DD4 in two years, effective July 1, 2027. Bennett then got an earful from a packed house. Speakers objected to Murphy springing his proposal on voters without any explanation of the problems it would solve or his goals.
They asked if Murphy had met the state requirements in Act 388 for consolidating districts. They also complained about the chronic underfunding of public schools in South Carolina because of tax giveaways as incentives to businesses. A powerful moment in the hearing came when two DD4 students presented a letter to the DCLD signed by their fellow students urging them to vote against the Murphy plan.
They asked the DCLD to preserve DD4’s unique identity and respect the community’s pride in its public schools. At the March 31 meeting, the DCLD offered no new justifications for the Murphy proposal, but state Sen. Tom Fernandez did stand up to say he would vote against the proposed consolidation and respect the constituents’ wishes.
Bravo, Sen. Fernandez! DD2 and DD4, like all public school districts in South Carolina, face financial challenges, but consolidation is not going to solve them. Murphy ought to address why so much tax money that should be going to the public schools is instead being given to businesses by the state as tax incentives to locate in Dorchester County.
When businesses take these incentives, however, they don't bear their share of the increased costs for education as the population grows. These giveaways have led to a chronic underfunding of public education. By way of illustration, the two districts lost a combined $90 million in tax revenue between 2017 and 2023, as tracked by the nonprofit Good Jobs First.
The school districts have had little input into these business incentive decisions, just as they have had no input into Murphy’s consolidation scheme. State guidelines suggest that districts with fewer than 1,500 students should be consolidated, but DD4 has 2,400 and is growing. DD4 is, for now, financially stable, and its students’ performance does not warrant state intervention.
In short, the state guidelines have not been met to prompt Murphy’s merger. Here are some questions for Murphy, should he care to enlighten voters about his proposal at some future meeting: •Would it alleviate DD2's overcrowding issues? How does Murphy intend to deal with the obvious overcrowding on the horizon as new housing developments spring up weekly? •Would consolidation save money for the districts beyond very minimal cuts in administrative costs? •Would it improve academic performance in the districts, which should be the primary goal? •How will the districts afford modernizing an aging infrastructure? •How will they overhaul the stressed school bus system? Simply proposing a merger of the two districts accomplishes nothing of substance. It is a political stunt, an illusion of progress.
DD4 Board Chair Phyllis Hughes said neither she nor the board members were informed of the DCLD’s plans before the Feb. 27 meeting. DD2 Board member Jim Lee expressed frustration with the lack of communication and transparency.
“What I am not pleased about,” he said, “is being a board member and not being involved in the conversation.” Murphy's actions are paternalistic and autocratic. He is disregarding the voices of those directly affected.
His failure to provide justifications for consolidation only fuels skepticism about his motives. Regardless of their political affiliation, residents deserve a lot better from their representatives. Voters in Dorchester County should contact those who represent them in the State Senate and Assembly.
Demand answers. Voice concerns over this mysterious consolidation plan. Let your representatives know where you stand.
Silence is not an option. Tim Lewis , of Harleyville, is a workforce learning and performance consultant, USMC veteran, and advocate for community transformation and innovation. He can be reached at 843-560-9210 or by email at timlewis75@gmail.
com ..
