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South Carolina Superintendent of Education
Contents |
Current officeholder
The current officeholder is Mick Zais. He was first elected in 2010 and assumed office on January 12, 2011.
Authority
The South Carolina Superintendent of Education's authority is established in Article VI, Section 7 of the state constitution.
Article VI, Section 7:
| There shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State a Secretary of State, an Attorney General, a Treasurer, a Superintendent of Education, Comptroller General, Commissioner of Agriculture, and an Adjutant General who shall hold their respective offices for a term of four years, coterminous with that of the Governor. The duties and compensation of such offices shall be prescribed by law and their compensation shall be neither increased nor diminished during the period for which they shall have been elected. |
Qualifications
Article VI, Section 7 of the South Carolina Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| No person may be popularly elected to and serve in any office in this State or its political subdivisions unless he possesses the qualifications of an elector, is not disqualified by age as prescribed in this Constitution, and has not been convicted of a felony under state or federal law or convicted of tampering with a voting machine, fraudulent registration or voting, bribery at elections, procuring or offering to procure votes by bribery, voting more than once at elections, impersonating a voter, or swearing falsely at elections/taking oath in another's name, or has not pled guilty or nolo contendere to these offenses. However, notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, this prohibition does not apply to a person who has been pardoned under state or federal law or to a person who files for public office fifteen years or more after the completion date of service of the sentence, including probation and parole time, nor shall any person, serving in office prior to the ratification of this provision, be required to vacate the office to which he is elected. No person may be elected or appointed to office in this State for life or during good behavior, but the terms of all officers must be for some specified period except officers in the militia. |
- possess the qualities of an elector
- not disqualified by age as prescribed in this Constitution
- has not been convicted of a felony under state or federal law or convicted of tampering with a voting machine, fraudulent registration or voting, bribery at elections, procuring or offering to procure votes by bribery, voting more than once at elections, impersonating a voter, or swearing falsely at elections/taking oath in another's name, or has not pled guilty or nolo contendere to these offenses
Elections
Article VI, Section 7 of the state constitution stipulates the treasurer will be elected every four years, to a term of four year term. The treasurer, like South Carolina's other executive officials, is elected in mid-term elections: 2010, 2014, and 2018.
Divisions
- The Division of Accountability provides leadership and support to improve learning outcomes while ensuring that federal and state accountability requirements are met through effective, comprehensive compliance monitoring.[1]
- The Division of Operations and Support provides technical assistance, monitoring, and support to the state's school districts that are implementing support programs like health and nutrition, transportation, facilities, and medicaid claiming activities.[2]
- The Division of School Effectiveness works to improve student achievement and school performance.[3]
Compensation
In 2010, the South Carolina Superintendent of Education was paid an estimated $92,007 according to the Council of State Governments.[4]
Refusal to report to BOE
A showdown between Superintendent Zais and the state Board of Education began in early December 2011. Upset at Zais for refusing to seek federal grant money earlier in the year, the Board passed a rule that the Superintendent was to report monthly on federal grants available to the state. Zais responded by saying that the doesn't answer to the Board and would not comply with the rule.[5] The board held a meeting on December 8 to resolve the issue, but Zais did not show. According to his spokesman, Zais was on a "long scheduled" vacation. The board said that if the matter cannot be dealt with by December 23, they will take Zais to court.[6]
Contact information
South Carolina State Superintendent of Education
1429 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803) 734-8492
E-mail: SCSuptED@ed.sc.gov
See also
External links
- South Carolina State Department of Education
- Superintendent's page
- South Carolina Department of Education on Twitter
References
- ↑ Ed.SC.gov, "Accountability," accessed October 13, 2011
- ↑ Ed.SC.gov, "Operations and support," accessed October 13, 2011
- ↑ Ed.SC.gov, "School effectiveness," accessed October 13, 2011
- ↑ The Council of State Governments,"The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," retrieved April 23, 2011
- ↑ GoUpstate, "SC education chief says he won't report to board," December 6, 2011
- ↑ The Herald, "State ed. Board may sue Zais over reporting," December 9, 2011
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