Spartanburg School District Three

A District That Wants to “Be the Change”

Looking Ahead to What Students Need in South Carolina

In Spartanburg School District Three, the guiding theme is simple. “Be the Change.” These words have become part of the district’s identity, which is grounded in vision, persistence, and belief in what is possible.

Dr. Julie Fowler, in her fourth year as District Superintendent inherited a fresh strategic plan built collaboratively with employees, community members, and business leaders. Rather than reinventing the foundation, she focused on bringing it to life. “We came up with the tagline of ‘Be the Change.’ We empowered and encouraged all our employees to lead from their position. That was year one when I came in, and each year, we have stayed true to that, and we have added to it,” she explains.

This call to action continues to gain momentum, as each year, the district adds another  layer. “We have embodied ‘The best is yet to come,’ as we stay on the course of being the change,” Dr. Fowler shares. The most recent addition is, ‘Tell me something good.’  “That has been so powerful,” she adds. “It has caught on and been so contagious. The focus has shifted to looking at the positive things. It’s made it easy for us to celebrate small wins, as all of us are focused on the same thing.”

The impact of these efforts is easy to see. Spartanburg Three’s students are performing first in the county in multiple academic areas, and the district consistently ranks in the top ten in multiple grades and content areas across South Carolina. “It is because we are truly living out the mission and vision,” Dr. Fowler says. “It’s been a great thing to watch and to be part of.”

Support for Students and Teachers

The district’s approach to academic and emotional support is purposeful, data driven, and tailored. This is exemplified through Spartanburg Three’s Next Level Learning Conference, a professional learning day designed entirely by the teacher forum. CAO Windy Hodge describes, “Teacher voice goes into creating our professional learning, and it’s designed in a way to meet specific needs of teachers. It’s not a “one size fits all” professional learning day. . Everyone has a choice to learn more about areas they need to grow in.” Teachers take this knowledge directly back to the classroom, bringing fresh strategies to their students the following week.

For students, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) are applied across all grade levels, identifying areas of need, and recognizing where they are excelling. “We celebrate our students’ strengths so that when they encounter areas that are a struggle for them, they have the belief in themselves to overcome that challenge,” Hodge details. Each elementary school has a reading coach, a reading interventionist, and a math interventionist. Middle and high schools benefit from instructional coaches who support all content areas. Mental health care is also prioritized, with therapists serving schools throughout the district.

Early learning is another area of progress. As it became evident that many children were entering kindergarten unprepared, the district partnered with Spartanburg Academic Movement to secure funding through a full service community grant. These funds will support the addition of four 3K classrooms, in addition to its existing 4K programs. “We know that  if we provide a strong foundation for early learners, the research shows that they’re going to be graduating on time. They’re going to have a better opportunity for success post high school graduation,” Hodge recounts.

“That is really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all around support services,” she continues. “We are constantly looking at our data to see what our district needs to truly continue this forward momentum. We have a strong focus on continuous improvement and being intentional about anything and everything we do to help students succeed.”

Tools for Opportunity

Technology integration in Spartanburg Three begins early. “We have a one to one technology initiative, and our students have access to technology beginning in kindergarten,” Dr. Fowler reports. The district also maintains a virtual platform that allows for flexible learning during inclement weather, health needs, or student preference. The most innovative uses of technology can be found at the Daniel Morgan Technology Center, where students explore fields designed for the future. “Technology for us consists of more than just computers,” DMTC Director, Dr. Nikki Honeycutt asserts.

The Information Technology instructor, David Thornton, is a state leader in artificial intelligence curriculum development. “He was the only teacher on Governor McMaster’s Task Force to pilot the artificial intelligence curriculum for the state,” she notes. “He has worked in conjunction with the South Carolina Competes and the Southern Region Education Board known as SREB, to write this four course curriculum that would have students explore the different ways that artificial intelligence infiltrates our entire culture and climate as a nation.”

The program outlines how AI influences nearly every sector, from hospitality and tourism to finance, banking, transportation, and logistics. Students learn how information is gathered and coded and even write their own programs. “We’ll be designing for jobs that we don’t even know exist yet. So it’s very forward thinking and cutting edge,” she says.

Daniel Morgan is also preparing students for emerging fields like electric vehicle technology, where the district’s instructor helped write the state curriculum. “The old days of working on a carburetor and understanding how a car works is long past, but now you’re adding an electrical vehicle component in there,” remarks Dr. Honeycutt. In addition, robotics, mechatronics, computerized manufacturing, and a range of other hands-on options give students access to real equipment and real skills. She emphasizes, “The technology is woven in so that all the students leave prepared for the jobs that they choose to enter.”

Meeting Workforce Demand

The district designs its career pathways based on triangulated data from Upstate Workforce Development, One Spartanburg, Lightcast Data, and its own comprehensive local needs assessment. “We look at all of that data to make determinations, and they’re ranked for us as to the highest needs in our community,” Dr. Honeycutt details. “Manufacturing, healthcare, artificial intelligence and transportation, distribution and logistics are the top four in our area.”

With this in mind, Daniel Morgan added six new programs. Information technology now includes cyber security, gaming design, and Java programming. Health sciences has long been a strong pathway, and now students can complete Certified Nursing Assistant training, as well as pharmacy technician, phlebotomy, and EKG. Those who complete CNA, phlebotomy, and EKG are eligible for the Patient Care Technician exam.

“That enables them to earn eight thousand dollars at a minimum, more when they get a job at a hospital,” Dr. Honeycutt maintains. “PCTs are more sought after, and those hospitals will then pay for them to complete their RN BSN at USC Upstate. So our CNA students and health sciences can complete this in high school and end up with a full time job and a four year degree, completely paid for and debt free.”

The district’s approach to transportation and logistics is equally ambitious. Spartanburg Three secured a five million dollar grant to build a new academy of transportation, logistics, and distribution at Daniel Morgan. Matching funds are coming through a public private partnership, and the facility will support drone technology certifications, CDL licensure, forklift operation, warehousing, loading docks, and diesel mechanics.

With the inland port only 33 miles away, the earning potential is life changing. “These students, at age 18, can graduate and become employed with Inland Port Greer. They pick up a load in Greer, take it to Charleston, drop it off, return to the inland port and even make a second load in one day,” Dr. Fowler highlights. “There are young people who are making 80,000 plus dollars a year doing this.” For a district with the highest poverty rate among the seven Spartanburg districts, these opportunities are strategic tools for breaking generational cycles of poverty.

“We knew that in considering programs to sunset, new programs to bring on, our goal was for our students to be able to graduate with an associate’s degree where it’s possible, and if not an associate’s degree, just shy of a few credit hours of having that. We want them to graduate with the certifications that they would need to earn a sustained living to support a family of four,” she expands.

Looking Ahead

Over the next few years, the district will continue to focus on what Dr. Fowler refers to as its “bookends,” which are continued expansion of early childhood programs and preparing students for success after graduation.

“We’re focusing on opportunities for students  and creating pathways through partnerships with business and industry and institutions of higher ed to make that happen,”  Dr. Fowler concludes. “We are a small but mighty district.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Spartanburg School District Three

What: An innovative school district guided by innovation and a commitment to change

Where: Spartanburg South Carolina

Website: www.spartanburg3.org