Accomplishments

A Strong Record for Berkeley County Schools

Berkeley County schools have made real progress, and I’m proud to have helped lead that work. Together, we’ve raised academic performance, supported our teachers, strengthened school safety, and delivered results for District 2.

24Good or Excellent schools

Improving Academic Performance

Student achievement is rising across Berkeley County schools.

Increased the number of schools rated Good or Excellent from 10 in 2023 to 24 in 2025
Achieved zero Unsatisfactory schools in both 2024 and 2025
Raised third-grade ELA Meets or Exceeds performance from 43.7% to 59.2%

93%teacher retention

Recruiting and Retaining Great Teachers

Strong schools depend on qualified teachers who want to remain in our classrooms.

Improved teacher retention from 72% in 2023–24 to 93% in 2025–26
Raised starting teacher pay to $57,905
Provided eligible employees with a step increase and 2% cost-of-living raise

✓clear protocols and stronger screening

Strengthening School Safety

Students and teachers deserve schools where they feel safe and can focus on learning.

Adopted the Standard Response Protocol across the district
Implemented weapons screening at high school athletic events
Expanded random weapons-screening efforts during the school day

✓new and improved schools

Investing in Our Schools

Growing neighborhoods need schools with the space and resources to serve their students.

Advanced school construction, renovation, and expansion projects
Advocated for the construction of Bowen’s Corner Elementary
Helped oversee the construction and timely completion of Philip Simmons Elementary and Middle schools
Hanahan Middle underwent a roughly $43 million transformation funded through the voter-approved penny sales tax

93%projected graduation rate at Philip Simmons High

Delivering Results for District 2

District 2 schools continue to rank among the strongest in Berkeley County.

Daniel Island School and Philip Simmons High maintained Excellent ratings for four consecutive years
Daniel Island School and Philip Simmons Elementary reached the district’s 2030 ELA goal five years early
Philip Simmons High reached a projected 93% graduation rate and an 85% College and Career Readiness rate

D2results close to home

Progress at Bowen’s Corner & Hanahan Schools

Students and schools across this part of District 2 are producing strong academic results and earning recognition beyond the classroom.

Bowen’s Corner Elementary reached 75.5% Meets/Exceeds in ELA, meeting the district’s 2030 ELA goal five years early, while its newest results showed gains of 9.3 percentage points in math and 9.1 percentage points in science
Hanahan Middle’s SC READY math performance increased 9.1 percentage points in 2025–26
Hanahan High’s Biology A–C performance increased 10 percentage points in 2025–26, the greatest Biology growth highlighted in the district’s results, and the school surpassed the state College and Career Readiness average
Hanahan Elementary students won all three places in the K–2 essay and poster category of BCSD’s 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. contest
Hanahan Middle’s band earned the 2025–26 Outstanding Performance Award with Distinction, the highest award available to South Carolina band programs
Hanahan High’s Class of 2026 earned an estimated $5.71 million in academic scholarships and $282,000 in athletic scholarships and included five State Academic Honor recipients and 18 Palmetto Fellows
Hanahan High JROTC advanced to the CyberPatriot national semifinals and finished ninth among 73 JROTC teams nationwide and third among Army JROTC teams

The Work Continues

Building on Our Progress

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, and I remain committed to building on these results for the students, families, teachers, and taxpayers of District 2.