Courtney Waters
for Charleston County School Board of Trustees
Better For Our Children
I am running for CCSD Consolidated Board because as both an educator and parent, I believe it is our responsibility to create a better future for our children.
Leadership Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us all the magnitude of inequity in our society. One of the more blatant truths that has emerged is that the public education system is not equipped to support those who are most vulnerable. The digital divide made it impossible for many students to finish the 2019-2020 school year strongly. Public education needs to change. We must make it our business to lead through challenges and create a school system in which every child can succeed regardless of their zip code or financial profile. This year, we need to elect leaders who understand the issues and are prepared to make a difference when called.
for Charleston County School District Board of Trustees
I am running for Charleston County School District Board of Trustees because as both an educator and parent, I believe it is our responsibility to create a better future for our children.
Leadership Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us all the magnitude of inequity in our society. One of the more blatant truths that has emerged is that the public education system is not equipped to support those who are most vulnerable. The digital divide made it impossible for many students to finish the 2019-2020 school year strongly. Public education needs to change. We must make it our business to lead through challenges and create a school system in which every child can succeed regardless of their zip code or financial profile. This year, we need to elect leaders who understand the issues and are prepared to make a difference when called.
Children at the Center
Restorative Justice
Urgency for Students
Cultural Competence
My 4 Core Values
As a Trustee, I will stay focused on the core values I believe will help our children the most.
- Children at Center. Outcomes for students must be at the center of every discussion and every decision the Board of Trustees makes. If we center ourselves around moving ALL students forward, we cannot fail.
- Restorative Justice in our Schools: We must change the way we view misbehavior among students. Many disciplinary practices adversely, and often permanently, affect children – especially children of color. The school district should be using policies that correct behavior and put students on a path to success.
- Urgency. Every year that we don’t improve outcomes for students, thousands of them are moving through a system that is not serving them. We must be more intentional about correctly identifying problems and creating equitable solutions
- Culturally Competent Leaders. We must meet students where they are. To effectively service students, we must speak in terms that have meaning to them and speak to their culture and backgrounds.
About Courtney
Education is the foundation for economic mobility, individual pride and lifelong appreciation for learning. I am running for the Charleston County School Board because I believe it is our responsibility to create a better future for our children. As an educator and parent, I believe the impact our decisions will have on every child, every day should be the central focus in each conversation we have about our school system. When we make decisions about the budget, personnel, district partnerships and business operations, the question we should be asking is: What is the difference this will make for children?
As a single mother, I only get one opportunity to put all the right conditions in place for my daughter to succeed. That’s all any of us get – one chance. One lifetime to do the greatest good for everyone who comes after us.
My job at a minority-owned small business led me to this great city to engage the communities it served, a job I was honored to perform. By supporting local nonprofits, K-12 schools, children’s sporting events, and causes close to my heart and to the hearts of our employees, I have been a partner and a committed advocate. My work in community engagement and my commitment to equity in education led me back to my first passion, and I transitioned to work full time as an education advocate.
While earning my M.A. in curriculum and instruction, I taught English in the Mississippi Delta. There, I learned firsthand the devastating effects that inequity and lack of community voice can have on children and families. That experience lit a fire in me that has continued to burn and has shown up in the work I’ve done over the last decade.
As a product of an inner-city where great people worked every day to support a growing economy, yet didn’t experience the financial success and economic mobility that it could have brought, I know too well of the challenges North Charleston faces. I know the cost of continuing down the same path, doing little to change educational outcomes for students.
My mother is the strongest and bravest person I know. She instilled in me that with hard work, sacrifice, and God all things are possible. For me, no issue is too small and no one is insignificant. We have a responsibility to do better for our children. Together, we can help them accomplish their wildest dreams!
Vote Waters for Charleston School Board of Trustees
03
November
School District Voting Open
With your help, we can make a difference on November 3rd.