Letter to the editor: Murrell Smith delivers results for Sumter, state on education

Sumter County owes Murrell Smith its gratitude for his tireless efforts to create a better place for its residents to work, live and raise its families.

My husband and I are lifelong residents of South Carolina who moved to Sumter after our marriage in 1997. Sumter is central to my husband's work travels, and we quickly realized that Sumter was filled with people who love it and were welcoming to newcomers. I was hired by Sumter School District Two to teach English/Language Arts at Furman Middle School where I fell in love with teaching under the guidance of a phenomenal administrative staff and some of the best veteran teachers who poured into me as much as they did into the eighth-graders who were placed in our care. From there, my career as an educator in Sumter County has taken me around the county as an itinerant teacher traveling each day to Hillcrest, Ebenezer and Mayewood middle schools for 10 years with the remainder of my 29-year career spent teaching at Sumter High School. I have a unique perspective of the educational needs of the Sumter community from within the classrooms of every part of Sumter County. I have never wanted to leave the classroom, and from the beginning, I encountered stakeholders who want the best for Sumter schools, teachers, families and children.

Murrell Smith was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives for District 67 shortly after my husband and I moved to Sumter, and in the years that followed, the South Carolina House of Representatives has passed key legislation and funding measures to improve teacher recruitment, student literacy and various other initiatives to reform public education. I have witnessed the results of these initiatives first hand in my daily walk among my colleagues and our children as a Sumter educator.

Let's look at some of the initiatives the S.C. House has accomplished for public education while Murrell Smith has been our representative:

- Read to Succeed Act: This act reformed reading instruction from pre-K through 12th grade. It established mandatory summer reading camps, specialized school-based reading coaches, and strict reading progression guidelines tied to the science of reading. It was updated to expand evidence-based literacy training and embed structured literacy principles into teacher preparation.

- Universal Screeners and Dyslexia Support: Mandated universal early-reading screeners in PreK-3 to diagnose literacy gaps and identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties.

- SC Career Opportunity and Access for All Act: a comprehensive reform package designed to overhaul struggling schools, consolidate administrative supports, expand career and technical education, and target pay raises to boost recruitment and retention.

- Statewide School Report Cards: The House established the modern School Report Card grading system that evaluates schools based on academic growth, college-and-career readiness, and graduation rates. This system is backed by more than $1.5 billion in funding and has helped drive the state's high school graduation rate to an historic 10-year high of 87.5%. We have made measurable gains on national assessments with SC student performance climbing in early-grade reading and math rankings. In fact, SC and Sumter County have shown great progress in all areas, and we are not finished. The system has an embedded "moving target" which forces schools to work for gains in order to move up in performance levels.

- Statewide Meeting Street Scholarship Expansion: The General Assembly just approved an $18.7 million recurring state investment to expand this scholarship opportunity for all high school seniors in all 46 SC counties. Within this expansion, eligible low-income high school seniors meeting federal Pell Grant requirements can receive up to $10,000 per year (up to $40,000 total) to cover gaps not met by other financial aid.

- High Needs Educator Program: Passed by the House, the state created this program to provide debt relief and loan payment assistance for teachers working in high-need subject areas and vulnerable schools to boost retention.

- STEM to Education Stipend: The state also extended existing SC LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarship stipends for STEM majors to college students pursuing degrees in education.

- School Safety Measures: SC mandates armed, certified, full-time School Resource Officers (SROs) in every SC public school to assist in school building security, to support emergency crisis planning, and to support the daily function of the school day.

- Teacher Pay and Recruitment: In the midst of a national teacher shortage, our state has prioritized teacher recruitment and retention by repeatedly passing budget commitments to raise baseline pay for educators, lifting the state's minimum teacher salary (0 years experience + Bachelor's Degree) to an annual salary of $50,500. In 1997, the minimum teacher salary in Sumter School District Two was $19,834 with the top salary (17 years experience + Doctorate Degree) of $45,382. Our General

Assembly has mandated salary schedules to increase through year 28 with guaranteed step increases based on years of experience and education. Measures were passed to cut administrative paperwork, reform teacher contracts to improve workplace conditions, and provide tax incentives and credits for educators working in high-poverty or rural school districts. The General Assembly also passed legislation to support alternative certification programs to help career changers and specialized instructors fill classroom vacancies.

The quality of public education in South Carolina and in Sumter County has shown consistent improvement through the years that Murrell Smith has represented District 67, and our trend is continuing. Stronger public schools produce stronger citizens who are prepared for the workforce, college, and future leadership positions which will attract industry and more opportunities for Sumter County families. As Speaker of the House, Murrell Smith has led our state representatives in passing initiatives that reform and protect our children's education at all ages. Not only is our District 67 representative the Speaker of the House, he is also the most recent Chair of the National Speakers Association, putting him in the mix to learn the best practices that are working in other states. The results are proven.

Please remember all these results as you cast your vote in this most important election cycle. Do not be fooled by uninformed criticisms with the absence of real plans and empty promises to "fight". Murrell Smith does GET IT DONE, and he is NOT finished yet! Please send him back to the House for another term.

MANDY BLANKENSHIP

Sumter educator