Shell Point Elementary closure sparked debate in 2011
A fiery debate over school closures commanded the attention of parents, taxpayers and local officials, ending in August when the Beaufort County Board of Education voted to shutter Shell Point Elementary School after this school year.
The repercussions are still being sorted out.
In the subsequent shuffle, the board decided to send fifth-graders from Shell Point, Broad River and Shanklin elementary schools to Robert Smalls Middle School next school year, which sparked another round of heated debate. Discussions continue about how to bus those fifth-graders separately from older students.
The Shell Point closure and the controversy it created was voted the top local news story of 2011 by the staff of The Beaufort Gazette.
Th school board's vote on Aug. 5 to close the school came by a narrow margin -- 6-5.
Board members who supported closure said it was a financial necessity. The district had too many vacant classrooms, had already slashed math and literacy coaches and increased class sizes elsewhere. Further cuts would hurt every student in the county, they argued.
"This is not what any of us want to do, but this is reality," board member Julie Bell said during that meeting. "We have to make decisions that can benefit all 20,000 kids, not just 500 of them."
Dissenters cited Shell Point students' success and cast the decision as shortsighted.
"The population in Beaufort is not going to stop -- it's going to continue to grow," board member Ronald Speaks argued at the time. "I don't believe in closing any school."
During the debate, a group of parents vowed to replace Shell Point with a new charter school. That effort has evolved into a proposal for Bridges Preparatory School, which organizers hope will eventually serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Leaders hope to complete the charter-school application by May.
Other top stories:
2. GOODBYE, SMOKIN' JOE
Hundreds gathered in downtown Beaufort to remember a native son, heavyweight boxing champ "Smokin' Joe" Frazier. Born in Beaufort in 1944, Frazier left at 16 and spent most of his life in Philadelphia. He died in November of liver cancer at 67.
3. BEAUFORT TURNS 300
Residents celebrated the city of Beaufort's 300th birthday in style -- and all year long. The English charter creating the seaport of "Beaufort Town" was approved by the Lords Proprietors of Carolina on Jan. 17, 1711. Events that commemorated the founding this year included a birthday party and concert by the Parris Island Marine Corps Band; a tricentennial parade led by actor Gary Sinise; and the adoption of a 9.5-foot diameter live-oak tree that predates the city's founding.
4. PREPARING FOR F-35B
The next chapter in the history of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort began in September when the air station broke ground for a hangar and training facility for the new F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. The $70 million project is expected to be completed in 2013.
5. NEW TREASURER IN TOWN
When Doug Henderson took office July 1, he became Beaufort County's first new treasurer since 1991. Henderson, who defeated incumbent Joy Logan in the 2010 election, promptly reorganized the office, fired seven employees and replaced only about half of them. In August, Henderson announced a two-week amnesty on property-tax late fees, and in September, he unveiled a new county partnership with BB&T bank.
6. LONG-AWAITED CONSTRUCTION
The county pushed forward two long-awaited construction projects by opening a new span of the J.E. McTeer Bridge on S.C. 802 and breaking ground on the St. Helena Island library. The $34.6 million bridge took about two years to build and will carry an estimated 16,000 vehicles per day between Port Royal and Lady's islands. The 24,000-square-foot library, estimated to cost $11.1 million with books and computers, is slated to open in late 2012.
7. WINN RESIGNS AMID ALLEGATIONS
William Winn, a 32-year Beaufort County employee known for expertise in hurricane response, was forced to resign amid allegations that he made discriminatory comments to a subordinate. The employee, who appears from documents to be a naturalized immigrant, complained that Winn, then the county's public safety director, said he didn't care for Middle Eastern people or French people. Winn disputed the narrative and said he recommended the man for promotion days before that complaint.
8. PARKING KIOSKS CANNED
After months of lively and sometimes heated discussion, Beaufort removed the not-so-popular electronic parking kiosks on Bay Street and replaced them with coin-only parking meters. City Council approved the switch in January after months of complaints from merchants and customers. The kiosks were moved to other locations downtown.
9. REDISTRICTING RANCOR
Tempers flared over a plan for new Beaufort County Council and Board of Education districts after school-board members objected. Under the council's redistricting plan, 10 of 11 school board incumbents face election in November. Board member Steven Morello protested in an email: "You can't just chop off the school board's head like that. And you can't kick all the black people off, too." In response, Councilmen Stu Rodman and Rick Caporale suggested Morello resign. The map was approved unanimously by the council and is being reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
10. POPULATION BOOM
Beaufort County's population jumped 34.1 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to census data released in March. Only three other South Carolina counties -- York, Horry and Dorchester -- grew faster. The new figures also finalized a decades-long southward shift in both population and local political power. In 2000, 47 percent of the county's voting-age population lived south of the Broad River. Now it's 58 percent. Once redrawn political districts kick in, southern Beaufort County will gain a majority of County Council and school board seats for the first time.
This story was originally published December 31, 2011 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Shell Point Elementary closure sparked debate in 2011."