Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- A new school district just for failing schools could become a reality under a plan from School Superintendent Mick Zais.
Last night Zais told the State School Board of his plan to create a turnaround district, to help those failing schools, but not everyone's sold on the plan.
"Unfortunately what Dr. Zais is proposing really is not going to offer the parents, students, teachers in these schools any more authority as he described than what they currently have," said Debbie Elmore with the South Carolina School Boards Association.
Elmore says parents, teachers and school have some options already, like schools converting to charter schools, students transferring, or supplemental services like tutoring.
She worries about applying a one size fits all solution and combining schools from different communities and different struggles into a statewide district.
"Instead of the district office and the school board member being just down the street in their communities they'll be on the 10th floor of the Rutledge Building in Columbia hundreds of miles away," she said, adding many people and groups have questions and want more infomation about the proposal.
Molly Spearman, Executive Director of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators says they're willing to try new things, but she finds it ironic that, in his remarks, Zais cites turnaround districts in Louisiana and Tennessee, who received federal Race to the Top money when Zais rejected those dollars.
Zais spoke of his plan at a State Board of Education Meeting Wednesday night. He said the statewide district would be separate from the Department of Education.
He said the turnaround district would operate like public charter schools and wouldn't require new tax dollars, and would operate on a mix of local, state and federal money.
The difference he said would be the local school boards, administrators who have failed the schools would not have control over them.
But Elmore says a school's issues can sometimes go beyond the school and its workers.
Zais spoke of his plan at a State Board of Education Meeting Wednesday Night. He said the turnaround district would operate like public charter schools and wouldn't require new tax dollars, and would operate on a mix of local, state and federal money. The difference he said would be the local school boards, administrators who have failed the schools would not have control over them.
But Elmore says a school's issues can sometimes go beyond the school and its workers.
"We all look for answers because it is very frustrating when schools and communities continue to struggle, the problem is that there is not a one size fits all easy solution that can be done because the issues that contribute to the low performance aren't easy and simple things," said Elmore.
Zais says he'll have to work with Governor Haley, the General Assembly to establish the new district. He also wants to give letter grades for schools and school districts, just like the ones students receive on their report cards.
In his remarks about the plan, Zais said more information would be released with a proposal for a modernized and unified accountability system this fall.