FSD3 Joins Push for Vaccine Priority

Governor Asked to Prioritize Teachers, School Support Staff
Posted on 02/11/2021
The Pee Dee Education Center, at the request of Pee Dee superintendents, has sent a letter on behalf of Florence School District 3 and other Pee Dee school districts to Governor Henry McMaster asking him to prioritize teachers and school support staff in the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Below is the complete letter from Dr. Cleo F. Richardson, interim executive director of the PDEC.

February 4, 2021

The Honorable Henry McMaster Governor, State of South Carolina South Carolina State House

1100 Gervais Street

Columbia, South Carolina 29201

 Dear Governor McMaster:

The Pee Dee Education Center (PDEC) made up of 17 school districts, Francis Marion University, Coker College, Florence-Darlington Technical College and the Continuum respectfully urges you to prioritize teachers and school support staff in the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The districts of the PDEC represent are responsible for educating and keeping safe more than 100,000 students and well over 10,000 teachers and staff. Governor, the Pee Dee region is one of the most impoverished areas of the state, and for decades the public schools have been underfunded. Despite these tremendous financial challenges, the districts of the consortium, have pulled together for fifty-two years to provide a number of quality services to our members. These efforts include the SHARE program to enhance services to member districts’ special needs populations, opportunities for “like jobs” staff to collaborate on numerous initiatives such as joint curriculum, instruction, and personnel efforts, to name only a few. The value of this consortium is evidenced by the fact that it is the only remaining of the six original consortia in South Carolina created by a federal grant more than fifty years ago.

The Superintendents of the Pee Dee Education Center, acknowledging the difficult challenges and decisions that COVID-19 continues to create for you and our other state leaders. They recognize the reality that any vaccination plan should prioritize our most vulnerable citizens while also safeguarding the essential workers that are so essential to the infrastructure in our local communities. For many communities in our state, the local schools are a cornerstone. They are the places where students learn, develop their skills and talents, get nutritious meals and feel safe. However, as community spread of the virus and the number of COVID-19 deaths rises to new highs, school districts are challenged to ensure the health and well-being of students and staff in buildings with classrooms that do not always allow adequate space to socially distance. Thanks to your leadership, you have provided school districts with much needed resources directed at ensuring safety in our schools! We are of the belief that if we are to reach the goal of everyone in the state, to get all our students back into the schools where the most effective teaching and learning can take place in a safe environment, vaccine prioritization is the next logical and necessary step.

Superintendents in the Pee Dee believe, and their thoughts are mirrored by efforts in the South Carolina Senate this week, that providing teachers and school support staff priority access to vaccines would go a long way to giving teachers and staff assurances for their wellbeing to successfully complete the school year and beyond in service to their students and communities. It would also demonstrate how much our state leaders value the essential role they have in our state.

The PDEC appreciates your leadership and your consideration of our request that you prioritize K- 12 teachers and school support personnel in the next phase of vaccine distribution.

Sincerely,

Cleo F. Richardson, Ed.D

PDEC Interim Executive Director

cc: Melanie Barton, Senior Education Advisor to the Governor