Berkeley County School District, South Carolina
| Berkeley County School District |
|---|
 |
| Berkeley County, South Carolina |
| District details |
| Superintendent:Anthony Dixon |
| # of school board members:9 |
| Website:Link |
Berkeley County School District is aschool district inSouth Carolina.
Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...
- Superintendent
- School board
- Elections
- Budget
- Teacher salaries
- Academic performance
- Students
- Staff
- Schools
- Contact information
Superintendent
 | This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Pleasecontact us with any updates. |
Anthony Dixon is the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District. Dixon was appointed on November 15, 2022 immediately after the Berkeley County School Board voted to terminate then-superintendent Deon Jackson.[1][2][3]
Past superintendents
- Deon Jackson served as superintendent from July 1, 2021 until November 15, 2022, when the Berkeley County School Board voted 6-3 to terminate Jackson's employment "effective immediately."[1]
- Eddie Ingram was the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District from August 8, 2017 until June 2021, serving in a consulting role until August 2021.[4] Ingram's previous career experience includes working as the superintendent of theDarlington County School District, the superintendent ofFranklin County Schools in North Carolina, and a high school English and Latin teacher.[5]
- Deon Jackson was the interim superintendent of the Berkeley County School District in 2017. Jackson's previous career experience included working in the district as its chief administrative officer, a teacher, and an assistant football coach.[6]
- Brenda Blackburn was the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District from 2015 to 2017.[6] Blackburn's previous career experience included working as the superintendent ofMontgomery County Public Schools inVirginia.[7]
- Rodney Thompson was the superintendent of the Berkeley County School District from 2011 to 2015.[8]
School board
The Berkeley County School District school board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. One member is electedat large and the other eight members are electedby district.[9]
Elections
Members of the Berkeley County School District school board are elected to four-year terms. Four or five seats are up for election on a staggered basis every even-numbered year in November.[10]
One seat on theBerkeley County School District school board inSouth Carolina was up for special general election onMay 6, 2025.
On May 18, 2022, a new state law went into effect eliminating the District 9 seat and adding an at-large seat to the school board. Each of the existing eight seats were scheduled for election in 2022. The at-large seat did not appear on the 2022 ballot. According to the law, the school board chairperson would serve as the at-large member from the 2022 election until the 2024 election. At the 2024 election, an at-large member would be elected to a four-year term. Odd-numbered seats were scheduled to be up for election in 2024, meaning that members elected in 2022 would serve a two-year term, rather than the regular four-year term.[11][12][13]
Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students.Click here to read an analysis of those elections.
Join the conversation about school board politics
Public participation in board meetings
The Berkeley County School District school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[14]
| “ | In order that the board may conduct its meetings properly and efficiently while assuring that persons who wish to have input may be heard, the board will follow these procedures and rules pertaining to public participation.
All regular board meetings are public meetings; however, a public meeting is not an open forum. Public participation is limited to the concerns of citizens section of the board meeting only. The board vests in its chairman or other presiding officer the authority to terminate the remarks of any individual when he/she does not adhere to the procedures established above. Members of the board, its legal counsel and the superintendent may question a speaker or make comments in response to a speaker's remarks. The board typically will not respond to nor take any immediate action on the concerns publicly expressed, but all concerns and comments will be appropriately considered. Persons appearing before the board are reminded as a point of information that members of the board are without authority to act independently as individuals in official matters. Thus, questions may be directed to the board, but answers may be deferred pending proper background investigation and formal consideration by the board.[15] | ” |
School board meetings
The following articles were produced byCitizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.
District map
Budget
The following statistics were published by theNational Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of theU.S. Department of Education.[16]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $74,155,000 | $2,000 | 13% |
| Local: | $244,025,000 | $6,582 | 44% |
| State: | $239,661,000 | $6,464 | 43% |
| Total: | $557,841,000 | $15,047 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $487,463,000 | $13,148 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $415,259,000 | $11,200 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $225,599,000 | $6,085 | 46% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $56,297,546 | $1,518 | 12% |
| Administration: | $49,596,000 | $1,337 | 10% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $83,766,454 | $2,259 | 17% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $53,599,000 | $1,445 | |
| Construction: | $45,186,000 | $1,218 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $718,000 | $19 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $17,284,000 | $466 |
Teacher salaries
The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.
| Year | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025[17] | $38,720 | $113,236 |
| 2023-2024[18] | $37,219 | $102,366 |
| 2020-2021[19] | $31,965 | $85,723 |
| 2018-2019[20] | $30,156 | $80,871 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by theU.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result,proficiency levels are not comparable between different states andyear-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[21]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 35 | 60-64 | 17 | 23 | 30-39 | 37 | 46 |
| 2018-2019 | 43 | 66 | 25 | 33 | 45-49 | 47 | 54 |
| 2017-2018 | 45 | 68 | 27 | 36 | 40-49 | 44 | 56 |
| 2016-2017 | 44 | 70 | 28 | 36 | 30-39 | 43 | 54 |
| 2015-2016 | 45 | 66 | 29 | 38 | 50-59 | 46 | 55 |
| 2014-2015 | 49 | 69 | 34 | 39 | 40-49 | 50 | 57 |
| 2013-2014 | 70 | 87 | 56 | 64 | 60-69 | 76 | 77 |
| 2012-2013 | 71 | 87 | 57 | 69 | 60-69 | 72 | 79 |
| 2011-2012 | 72 | 87 | 59 | 70 | 60-69 | 74 | 80 |
| 2010-2011 | 72 | 85-89 | 60 | 69 | 60-69 | 73 | 79 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 48 | 70-74 | 32 | 33 | 50-59 | 47 | 60 |
| 2018-2019 | 50 | 67 | 34 | 36 | 50-59 | 56 | 61 |
| 2017-2018 | 47 | 61 | 32 | 36 | 35-39 | 50 | 58 |
| 2016-2017 | 48 | 68 | 32 | 38 | 30-39 | 51 | 58 |
| 2015-2016 | 47 | 64 | 32 | 42 | 40-49 | 48 | 57 |
| 2014-2015 | 43 | 62 | 31 | 33 | 40-49 | 44 | 51 |
| 2013-2014 | 74 | 87 | 62 | 69 | 70-79 | 78 | 81 |
| 2012-2013 | 77 | 88 | 65 | 74 | 80-89 | 81 | 83 |
| 2011-2012 | 75 | 88 | 62 | 72 | 80-89 | 77 | 82 |
| 2010-2011 | 73 | 85-89 | 62 | 71 | 50-59 | 74 | 80 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 84 | 90-94 | 86 | 79 | >=50 | 84 | |
| 2018-2019 | 83 | 85-89 | 85 | 75-79 | 60-79 | 82 | |
| 2017-2018 | 84 | 90-94 | 83 | 75-79 | 80-89 | 85 | |
| 2016-2017 | 83 | >=90 | 84 | 70-74 | >=80 | 84 | |
| 2015-2016 | 82 | 90-94 | 83 | 65-69 | 60-79 | 83 | |
| 2014-2015 | 84 | 90-94 | 86 | 75-79 | >=80 | 82 | |
| 2013-2014 | 80 | 85-89 | 79 | 75-79 | 70-79 | 82 | |
| 2012-2013 | 77 | 80-89 | 76 | 70-74 | 75-79 | 78 | |
| 2011-2012 | 74 | 75-79 | 74 | 65-69 | 80-89 | 75 | |
| 2010-2011 | 75 | 70-79 | 76 | 65-69 | 80-89 | 74 |
Students
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 39,265 | 3.4 |
| 2022-2023 | 37,932 | 2.3 |
| 2021-2022 | 37,074 | 1.3 |
| 2020-2021 | 36,575 | -1.8 |
| 2019-2020 | 37,219 | 2.9 |
| 2018-2019 | 36,135 | 2.9 |
| 2017-2018 | 35,105 | 1.4 |
| 2016-2017 | 34,628 | 3.8 |
| 2015-2016 | 33,303 | 2.2 |
| 2014-2015 | 32,565 | 2.5 |
| 2013-2014 | 31,766 | 2.6 |
| 2012-2013 | 30,942 | 2.8 |
| 2011-2012 | 30,085 | 2.3 |
| 2010-2011 | 29,400 | 1.0 |
| 2009-2010 | 29,104 | 0.5 |
| 2008-2009 | 28,957 | 1.7 |
| 2007-2008 | 28,467 | 1.0 |
| 2006-2007 | 28,185 | 1.9 |
| 2005-2006 | 27,649 | -2.7 |
| 2004-2005 | 28,387 | 1.7 |
| 2003-2004 | 27,899 | -2.5 |
| 2002-2003 | 28,585 | 6.1 |
| 2001-2002 | 26,836 | 0.7 |
| 2000-2001 | 26,635 | -0.9 |
| 1999-2000 | 26,879 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Berkeley County School District (%) | South Carolina K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Black | 27.5 | 31.2 |
| Hispanic | 14.5 | 13.4 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 9.6 | 6.0 |
| White | 46.5 | 47.2 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere.
Staff
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Berkeley County School District had 2,394.50 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.4.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 38.00 |
| Kindergarten: | 96.00 |
| Elementary: | 1,536.10 |
| Secondary: | 724.40 |
| Total: | 2,394.50 |
Berkeley County School District employed 12.00 district administrators and 143.50 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 12.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 242.00 |
| School Administrators: | 143.50 |
| School Administrative Support: | 251.00 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 556.50 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 75.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 104.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 64.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 40.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 49.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 46.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 155.95 |
| Other Support Services: | 839.25 |
Schools
| SCHOOL NAME | NUMBER OF STUDENTS | GRADES |
|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County Middle College High | 96 | 11-12 |
| Berkeley Elementary | 635 | PK-5 |
| Berkeley High | 1,943 | 9-12 |
| Berkeley Middle | 1,345 | 6-8 |
| Boulder Bluff Elementary | 663 | PK-5 |
| Bowen'S Corner Elementary | 762 | PK-5 |
| Cainhoy Elementary | 157 | PK-5 |
| Cane Bay Elementary | 1,226 | PK-4 |
| Cane Bay High | 2,490 | 9-12 |
| Cane Bay Middle | 1,475 | 5-8 |
| Carolyn Lewis School | 940 | PK-8 |
| College Park Elementary | 819 | PK-5 |
| College Park Middle | 692 | 6-8 |
| Cross Elementary | 382 | PK-6 |
| Cross High | 294 | 7-12 |
| Daniel Island School | 1,146 | KG-8 |
| Devon Forest Elementary | 938 | PK-5 |
| Foxbank Elementary | 1,061 | PK-5 |
| Goose Creek Elementary | 928 | PK-5 |
| Goose Creek High | 2,002 | 9-12 |
| Hanahan Elementary | 998 | PK-5 |
| Hanahan High | 1,048 | 9-12 |
| Hanahan Middle | 781 | 6-8 |
| Henry E. Bonner Elementary | 822 | PK-5 |
| Howe Hall Aims Elementary | 418 | KG-5 |
| J. K. Gourdin Elementary | 120 | PK-5 |
| Macedonia Middle | 403 | 6-8 |
| Marrington Elementary | 448 | PK-5 |
| Marrington Middle School Of The Arts | 400 | 6-8 |
| Moncks Corner Elementary | 659 | PK-5 |
| Mount Holly Elementary | 576 | PK-5 |
| Nexton Elementary | 973 | PK-5 |
| Philip Simmons Elementary | 545 | PK-4 |
| Philip Simmons High | 809 | 9-12 |
| Philip Simmons Middle | 454 | 5-8 |
| Sangaree Elementary | 596 | PK-2 |
| Sangaree Intermediate | 531 | 3-5 |
| Sangaree Middle | 680 | 6-8 |
| Sedgefield Middle | 948 | 6-8 |
| Stratford High | 2,710 | 9-12 |
| St. Stephen Elementary | 326 | PK-5 |
| St. Stephen Middle | 182 | 6-8 |
| Timberland High | 724 | 9-12 |
| Westview Elementary | 527 | 3-5 |
| Westview Middle | 834 | 6-8 |
| Westview Primary | 663 | PK-2 |
| Whitesville Elementary | 1,096 | PK-5 |
Noteworthy events
2014: Outside legal spending
According to a report byThe Post and Courier in 2014, Berkeley County School District led the state in outside legal spending. A large contributing factor was that, since 2011, the district had spent $1.7 million on legal fees as a result of the investigation into ethics violations in the 2012 Yes 4 Schools building referendum campaign. Collectively,South Carolina school districts spent $22 million on legal assistance since 2011 as of March 2014. This was an average of nearly $100,000 per year per district. The legal-related data was gathered byThe Post and Courier throughFreedom of Information Act requests filed with South Carolina's 81 county-level school districts.[22]
2013: Lawsuit against Board Chairman Kent Murray
In June 2013, Nancy Corbin, Linda Riney, and former board member Terry Hardesty filed a lawsuit against Board Chairman Kent Murray, stating that their first and 14th amendment rights were violated at a school board meeting when Murray prohibited comments about the district's ongoing investigation regarding its 2012 Yes 4 Schools referendum campaign. Murray said the move was an attempt to "protect the integrity of the board’s decision-making process and ensure the ability to provide due process to our employees.” Murray also stated that the change to the meeting agenda was at the discretion of lawyers involved with the case. In September 2013, the board made the decision to lift the ban on comments about the campaign. The time for public commentary was also doubled, speakers were allowed to talk about district-level executives, and a provision allowing the chairman to let people speak longer than three minutes was modified. According to Hardesty, "the change in policy, from [his] perspective, means that they figured out there’s something wrong."[23]
2012: Yes 4 Schools referendum campaign investigation
The State Law Enforcement Division investigated Berkeley County School District officials as a result of a 2012 referendum campaign meant to build five new schools and renovate 29. The $198 million referendum, which was approved by voters, added "$60 to the tax bill on a $150,000 house for three years starting in 2013, [double] that amount from 2016 until 2023, then [go] back to $60 for three more years," according to a district report. The investigation targeted district employee Amy Kovach, Superintendent Rodney Thompson, and Deputy Superintendent Archie Franchini, stating that during the development of the campaign there were ethics violations and other misconduct occurring throughout. Allegations made also stated the three violated the law by working on the Yes 4 Schools campaign during district time and using district resources.
Kovach was indicted by aBerkeley County grand jury on five ethics charges. In August 2015, Kovach pleaded guilty to two charges. She was sentenced to five years in jail but the judge suspended the sentence to two years of probation. She was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. Rodney Thompson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. His sentence was reduced to a year of probation and a $2,500 fine.[24]
Contact information
Berkeley County School District
107 East Main St.
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
Phone: 843-899-8600
About school boards
Education legislation in South Carolina
Bills are monitored byBillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| South Carolina | School Board Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Berkeley County School District
- South Carolina Department of Education
- South Carolina School Boards Association
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.1Live 5 WCSC, "Berkeley Co. School Board fires superintendent, names replacement," accessed September 6, 2023
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "Our Team," accessed September 6, 2023
- ↑Count on News 2, "Dr. Anthony Dixon speaks after controversial hiring as BCSD superintendent," accessed September 6, 2023
- ↑ABC 4 News, "Berkeley County Superintendent Dr. Eddie Ingram announces retirement," accessed September 6, 2023
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "Superintendent," accessed November 12, 2019
- ↑6.06.1The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County Schools Superintendent resigns in wake of FBI probe," March 10, 2017
- ↑The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County chooses Brenda Blackburn as superintendent," August 11, 2015
- ↑The Berkeley Independent, "Thompson to resign as school superintendent," September 23, 2014
- ↑South Carolina General Assembly - 124th Session, 2021-2022, "A251, R177, S910 - Act No. 251," effective date May 18, 2022
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "Policy Manual: Board Member Method Of Election," accessed April 27, 2021
- ↑Count on News 2, "Berkeley County elections: Who is on the ballot," October 7, 2022
- ↑Live 5 WCSC, "Minority leader positions at risk on the Berkeley Co. School Board," July 9, 2022
- ↑South Carolina General Assembly - 124th Session, 2021-2022, "A251, R177, S910 - Act No. 251," effective date May 18, 2022
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "Policy Manual: Public Participation In Board Meetings," accessed April 27, 2021
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed April 16, 2025
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE," accessed February 1, 2024
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "Teacher/Professional Salary Schedule 2020-2021," accessed April 27, 2021
- ↑Berkeley County School District, "Berkeley County School District: 2018-19 Salary Book," accessed April 27, 2021
- ↑U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County leads state in outside legal spending by school districts," March 29, 2014
- ↑The Post and Courier, "Berkeley County school board changes policy, allows public to speak freely again at meetings," September 25, 2013
- ↑The Post and Courier, "Former Berkeley schools chief admits guilt in Yes 4 Schools campaign," December 16, 2016
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