Over the last several months, the Charleston County School District  (CCSD) has undertaken a painstaking effort to include robust public and  stakeholder input in its search for the next district superintendent. This transparent process included engagement sessions, a survey, board meetings, and open lines of communication with all involved parties. 

The nationwide search, led by a third-party firm, garnered significant  interest amongst qualified candidates. Applications were then reviewed  and those that the search committee felt rose to the top were identified for further consideration. From there, interviews took place to further narrow the list of candidates. A top three candidate group was selected, and formal reference and background checks took place. The top three selected are uniquely qualified and any of them would be beyond capable of leading the state’s second-largest school district. 

To our dismay, this past Tuesday evening, before the top three candidates’  names and resumes were ready to be put forth publicly, a Facebook  group leaked their names. This premature release caused confusion and frustration amongst our candidates, who had not yet had the opportunity to speak to their current districts regarding their top three selections. 

Subsequently, two of the top three notified CCSD that they would pull their names from the selection process. The Board is extremely disappointed that the process of selection has been upended and has apologized for the position this put two of the candidates in. 

CCSD remains committed to an open and transparent process and will not let the actions of a few rogue actors hiding behind the cloak of social media deter us from selecting the best leader for our district. To uphold the integrity of the search process, and to be fair to the remaining candidate, we will be moving forward with the search as planned.