Letter: Moss wrong about CARE’s concerns

The Beaufort County School Board is once again taking its cues from Superintendent Jeff Moss.

Moss released an open letter to CARE (Citizens Advocating Responsible Education) in late February, insisting that CARE statements about student academic performance have been “either incorrect or misleading.” Moss said that CARE is ignoring accomplishments of recent years and that’s a “disservice to the students and families and to the educators who serve them.”

At the school board meeting on March 1, board chairwoman Mary Cordray and members Bill Payne and Earl Campbell mimicked Moss, belittling CARE for what they see as an attack on students, parents and teachers.

In all of our comments at board meetings, CARE has never questioned the quality of our teaching staff and the fact that they are hard-working, dedicated professionals. CARE has been focused on the performance of the school board and questionable actions of the superintendent since last September when the nepotism scandal first erupted.

We strongly believe that the performance of our schools should be benchmarked against high-performing schools across the country. As a whole, South Carolina schools rank near the bottom of the national list. To settle for such low standards insults the students, parents and teachers of Beaufort County.

Moss and supporting board members want to make this an “us versus them” controversy and somehow make the public think that CARE is the villain and that Moss is the victim. That is being self-serving and disingenuous.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Letter: Moss wrong about CARE’s concerns."