Brent Nelsen for Education

During a recent visit to Colleton County, I had the chance to sit down with businessmen and educators to discuss their situations. We discussed the many opportunities and challenges found in rural counties, especially in regards to economic development and education.

As in many other counties, the impact of the economic downturn is steadily taking hold. Timber production and processing is the largest industry in the area and decreased demand is leading to widespread job loss. In the short term, a rise in new construction is needed to bring back demand. Looking further down the road, I believe innovative and competitive private enterprise is best placed to produce new jobs in South Carolina, and wood, as an alternative to fuel, may one day increase demand for these products. Such long-term economic revitalization can’t be separated from educational reform.

Educating the children of Colleton County, a large and diverse county, offers many challenges. Budget cuts have required painful layoffs; the tax base does not produce the revenue for education enjoyed in other counties. Recruiting and retaining good teachers in a rural area is tough; testing methods fail to measure the actual performance of the teachers and administrators; and some students board the bus at 5:15 am to get to school by 7:45 am! These challenges are not easy to address. They require a mix of incentives and restructuring that cannot be done in isolation from the other districts in the area. But my experience in Colleton County - as in other parts of the state - is that public school educators are clearly committed to serving their students at the highest level possible. There is the will among everyone I met to make education work, which will attract new businesses and position South Carolina for growth in the 21st century.