Charleston County School District

The Charleston County School District (CCSD) and all schools are accredited by Cognia.

Charleston County School District’s (CCSD) Board of Trustees voted Monday, June 27, 2022, to name Donald R. Kennedy, Sr., the Superintendent of Schools. Kennedy has served as CCSD’s Interim Superintendent since January 2022.

Over the last six months, Kennedy has initiated and led work around Vision 2027–where all students will read on grade level by grade 5; he has also emphasized the need for root cause analysis, detailing what has prevented CCSD students, particularly those of color, from growing and achieving at high levels for decades. In addition, Kennedy has initiated training around systems thinking, acknowledging publicly that systemic change is needed in order to improve the achievement of all students.

A native of Winnsboro, South Carolina, Kennedy comes from a family of educators who emphasized the value of education and believed in the opportunities it provides. In particular, his mother, Viola Kennedy, began work as a teacher at the age of 54 after a career serving as a Food & Nutrition Services Manager in public schools. Additionally, his wife, Pam, is a retired educator of 30+ years, with recent service at Clark Corporate Academy, and his sister is a retired teacher with 30+ years’ experience.

Throughout his career in public service, Kennedy has supported urban education all over the country as the chief financial officer (CFO) for Baltimore City Public Schools; CFO for Boston Public Schools; Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut; as well as the Chief Financial and Operations Officer for Seattle Public Schools. He served as CCSD’s Chief Financial and Administrative Officer on two separate occasions, first from July 2004 to September 2007, and second, from January 2018 to December 2021. He also is recognized as a volunteer peer review consultant for the Council of the Great City Schools.

A father of five, Kennedy’s passion is working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure students have access to address all needs, including wrap-around and mental health services; rigorous, grade-level instruction; and opportunities to expand their learning beyond the classroom. In preparation for the new school year, he has committed to focusing on restorative disciplinary practices, to ensuring that both core instruction and intervention services are a priority in all schools, to expanding Pre-K, and to aligning central office support to and for schools.

Kennedy holds a South Carolina Superintendent certificate, a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Newberry College, and a Master of Arts in Organizational Systems Renewal from Seattle University; he also holds a certified public accountant certificate. Prior to public service, he held corporate finance positions with Boeing and Science Applications International Corporation and served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. Kennedy will serve as the Superintendent until the Board of Trustees selects a replacement following a national search.

The Charleston County School Board is composed of nine local members, each elected for a 4-year term. Elections are held in November of even-numbered years. Charleston County School District's Superintendent, Donald R. Kennedy, Sr., serves as the executive secretary for the board of trustees.

Board of trustees members are elected countywide in non-partisan elections representing constituent districts as follows: two members from Districts 1 and 2, three members from Districts 3, 9, 10 and 23; and one member from District 20. In November 2020, five seats were filled for two-year terms to join the remaining four seats.

The board is currently in a transition term to single-member districts which will begin with the November 2022 election. Beginning in November 2022, all nine seats will be elected from non-partisan single-member districts with a combination of four-year and two-year terms. By November 2024, all seats will serve four-year terms.[2]

The board meetings are held at 75 Calhoun Street, Charleston.

CCSD's goal is to provide prospective applicants with a wide variety of recruitment-related resources to assist them in their search for employment.

The Charleston County School District offers the most competitive teacher salary schedule in South Carolina. The Superintendent and Board have a 3-year plan to increase the salaries of ALL teachers beginning this school year. And the salary schedule for next year has already been approved for ALL teachers.

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Charleston County School district was created by South Carolina Act 340 of the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967. The "Act of Consolidation" took the eight separate school districts and put them under a county-wide district to equally fund education in all areas of the county. The former independent school districts remain as constituent school districts within the structure of the Charleston County School district, with their own school boards and duties.

• St. James-Santee School District No. 1
• Moultrie School District No. 2
• James Island School District No. 3
• Cooper River School District No. 4
• St. John's School District No. 9
• St. Andrew's School District No. 10
• City of Charleston School District No. 20
• St. Paul's School District No. 23

• List of schools in Charleston, South Carolina
• Septima Poinsette Clark

• Charleston County School District homepage