GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) – Several organizations came together to host an education town hall meeting in Berkeley County on Wednesday.
The town hall meeting was sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, the Berkeley County Education Association, and the Goose Creek NAACP.
The meeting was held at Calvary Christ Church of God and touched on several topics including book bans, teacher shortages and livable wages.
Organizers, educators and parents are concerned about more than 100 teacher vacancies in the district and the number of educators and temporary staff leaving the district to work in other districts. doing.
The school board recently passed incentives for special education teachers and assistants.
Mawish McIntosh, a former Berkeley County teacher and parent, says that's not enough.
“I really wonder if my voice is being heard at the school board level and the district level. For example, there are several people who have reached out to the district for assistance. And in the meantime, our education… “The committee is placing more emphasis on the library challenge. And rather than directly addressing the growing educator shortage, it is focused on restricting and restricting certain policies,” McIntosh says.
Another area of ​​concern was the district's attempt to ban the book.
Last September, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting information about the materials under scrutiny.
Paul Bowers, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, provided an update.
“The whole process is stalled. It's not clear what status these books are in right now. And if you calculate the labor hours spent by teachers and librarians on these reviews, the amount is huge. “This is a lot of unpaid labor expended on what we consider a frivolous book ban request,” Bowers said.
Organizers encourage parents and community members to be active and stand up for education. He also holds five seats as the chairman of the Board of Education.
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