Two Lowcountry charter schools are looking for new directors after fall resignations
Port Royal’s Riverview Charter School and Ridgeland’s Polaris Tech are both seeking permanent directors after abrupt resignations from their former school heads in the fall.
Alison Thomas, who had served as Riverview Charter’s director since 2011, resigned in October. She had clashed with the school’s board of directors on its timeline to resume in-person classes prior to her resignation, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Sarah Cox, a fifth grade teacher at Riverview, was selected by the board to become interim director.
The school was forced to return to virtual learning on Dec. 7 due to a high number of staff and students quarantining and a reduced substitute teacher pool.
Students returned to in-person classes on Monday with a new temperature check policy. Those with a fever above 100.4 degrees must go home, and can’t return until they’re “fever free for 24 hours without medication,” according to an email sent to parents Wednesday.
Polaris Tech’s founding director, Melissa Crosby, resigned in November “due to family medical concerns not related to the coronavirus,” according to a press release from the school. She moved into an “education advisor role” with reduced pay and hours.
Brandi Boseman, the school’s former director of teaching and learning, took over as interim director.
The school has been online-only since Nov. 4, when Jasper County was moved to “high-risk” status for the spread of COVID-19 by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Both schools are accepting applications until Feb. 5 for the director position.
The median annual salary is $95,000 for a 260-day work calendar at Riverview; at Polaris Tech, it’s expected to be between $90,000 and $105,000 with full benefits, per a press release.
Both schools are public charter schools, meaning that students don’t pay tuition — they apply to go to the charter school instead of their neighborhood’s public school, and generally participate in an enrollment lottery if demand exceeds school capacity.
Most charter schools in South Carolina, including Polaris Tech, are governed by the statewide Public Charter School District and have individual boards of directors rather than a county’s school district and school board.
Riverview is a part of Beaufort County School District but has its own board of directors.