Liberty STEAM expanding, Sumter teachers get bonus, cellphone ban set, Wright gets contract extension

LIBERTY EXPANSION UNDERWAY IN MALL

Construction on Liberty STEAM Charter School's expansion in Sumter Mall is ongoing, with the school in "demo mode" as drywall is going up.

Rodney Thompson, chair of the public charter school's Finance Committee, told the school's Board of Directors at their meeting Oct. 28 that construction will gradually take over parts of the mall through March 31, 2025. The school will acquire an additional 65,270 square feet in the building, nearly half of the mall's current space. LSC will be paying about $1 million a year in rent.

In a three-phase, three-year project, the school will have full buildout of its junior academy in 2027 with vacant space for the addition of eighth grade in 2028. The first phase will add space for fifth grade and extra space at the school, just in time for the first day of school Aug. 4, 2025. - Alaysha Maple

TEACHERS TO GET ONE-TIME BONUS

Sumter School District's Board of Trustees unanimously approved a one-time, district-wide employee incentive for teachers on Oct. 30, with amounts ranging from $250 to $1,000 depending on an employee's eligibility.

Full-time district employees employed, hired and/or board approved on or before Oct. 1 will be eligible for the full $1,000, but those who were hired after Oct. 1 will receive half of that, $500.

In the same vein, part-time district employees who were employed, hired and/or board approved on or before Oct. 1 will be eligible to receive $500, and those who were hired after Oct. 1 will be eligible to receive $250.

This will include district employees who are on family and medical leave alongside long-term substitutes and food service substitutes who work every day.

In total, the cost of the incentives is estimated to be $2.6 million. - Deirdre Currin

STUDENT CELLPHONE BAN BEGINs JAN. 6

For two months, Sumter School District Board of Trustees has been working on the district's cellphone policy, and at a school board meeting Wednesday, Oct. 30, the policy was finalized. Beginning Jan. 6, students will not be allowed to access their phones or other personal electronic devices during the school day.

School boards throughout the state have been working on creating their own cellphone policies after South Carolina Department of Education's board approved a statewide cellphone policy in early September this year.

For Sumter's school board, one of the main goals was to put as little burden as possible on the teachers who must enforce the policy. They also aimed to make the policy accessible to all grade levels from kindergarten to 12th grade.

When the school day starts, students will be required to have their devices within their book bags, where they must stay for the remainder of the day. The policy does not apply to students while on school buses or at athletic events, though field trips can be decided upon at the school level.

Students who are volunteer firefighters or part of an emergency organization may carry their phones with written approval from the district superintendent or his or her designee, and the committee added that approval from the student's commanding officer will also be viable.

Those who violate the policy must have their phone picked up by only a parent or legal guardian at the end of the school day. - Deirdre Currin

WRIGHT GETS CONTRACT EXTENSION

In a 5-4 vote with stability in leadership as a key factor, Sumter School District's Board of Trustees gave Superintendent William Wright Jr. a three-year contract extension on Oct. 21.

The extension for Wright through June 30, 2028, came as an outcome of his overall satisfactory evaluation for his second year as superintendent that was completed and with his initial contract set to expire in eight months.

Those voting in favor of the three-year extension included board Chairwoman Bonnie Disney, Matthew "Mac" McLeod, Daniel Palumbo, Shery White and Jeff Zell. The four trustees voting against the extension included Shawn Ragin, former Chairman the Rev. Ralph Canty, Brittany English and Tarah Johnson.

Wright is the district's fifth superintendent, when including an interim leader who served two years, since 2011 and when two districts in Sumter County were consolidated into one. - Bruce Mills