“We’re now one district”: Educators celebrate consolidation in Orangeburg County

The merger of Orangeburg Districts Three, Four, and Five became official Monday

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WOLO) —It’s the beginning of a new era for education in Orangeburg County.

Monday marked the first day the entire county falls under one unified school district.

After shortening the number of districts from three to one, more than twenty years after consolidating from eight districts, some educators tell us it is necessary in order to provide more resources to the more than 14,000 students in their care.

As a father to two sons in the district while also serving as a principal to many more students at Mellichamp Elementary, Hayward Jean says he’s excited about the future of education in Orangeburg.

“We’re now one district now. We’ve taken the numbers off, we’ve taken the limits off, and now we’re coming together because there’s strength in numbers, and we always say teamwork makes the dream work, and if we believe if our dream is to improve the quality of life for our children, it’s going to take a strong team to do that,” Jean said.

Educators say consolidating into one district allows more resources to be spread out to all the schools in the county, not just those in three specific areas.

Jean says this will go a long way for the 300 students in his school. 

“In our community, we have the highest poverty rate, one of the highest poverty rates in the districts. Now our children understand that they’re not defined by what they don’t have, and as a community we’re proving that by coming together, and not limiting our resources to show them that we can cut the limits off and be all that you can be,” Jean said.

Lawmakers say the consolidation will not result in schools closing their doors for at least three years.

“When you start talking about closing schools, that’s a red flag and it creates a lot of anxiousness and anxiety amongst communities because in a lot of these communities, particularly in a rural county like Orangeburg, the schools are the community,” said Rep. Jerry Govan (D-Orangeburg County).

By bringing all these students together under one governing body, some say people should not lose sight of who consolidation affects the most

“Any action by any area, when it comes to education, it has to be child centered,” said Rep. Govan.

Dr. Darrell Johnson began his term as interim superintendent today. His term expires in 2020.

The first day of school for the new district is on August 19.