As we look to restore and move into our new home, 15 School Street in South Sumter, the Founding Board of Directors wishes to honor the legacy of Liberty in the official naming of the school. The public is encouraged to participate in a short survey: shorturl.at/lqNX7. The survey will be open until August 3.

The proposed location for our Primary Academy Campus is 15 School Street in South Sumter, which goes to the heart of our mission. Recently, the Founding Board of Directors heard from local historian Sammy Way regarding the building’s historical significance. Here are some facts about the school along with some archive information from Mr. Way.

After a three month approval process, we now officially have a home for Sumter’s first tuition-free public charter school. This time next year, we will be educating scholars at the Primary Academy Campus located at 15 School Street in South Sumter! Renovation planning is underway.

With just a few weeks left before the 100-day post-authorization period concludes and the planning year is launched, here are the newest developments under the Next Steps: Turning the Vision for SSC into Reality summer action plan. Additional progress has been made in the following areas: Official Office Location Financial Support for SSC Board Professional Development Scholar Enrollment Primary Academy Campus Director of Advocacy & Engagement According to Chairman Greg A. Thompson, he says that “these additional exciting developments affirm this board’s collective and unyielding commitment to taking no shortcuts as we create an additional high-quality public education for our community.” Learn more, July 28 Press Release.

We're looking for the next addition to our school leadership team, our Founding Director of Advocacy & Engagement. This position is critical to the success of SSC – it will be dynamic and challenging and, for the right person, extremely rewarding as we create a high-quality school option to transform lives and our community. If you're someone who would like to use their talents and passion to help deliver life-changing opportunities for children then apply today! Learn more about this position, click here.

Check out this update on the Board’s “Next Steps,” 100-day post-authorization plan. Read more about the plan, here.

In late May, Sumter STEAM Charter School submitted a 256-page grant application for a Public Charter Schools Program (CSP) Planning and Implementation Subgrant. The board learned on Friday, July 17, that their grant was approved. The application, including 12 grant narratives, a three-year budget, and appendix items requesting the maximum amount possible amount of $800,090. SSC has been awarded the full amount for its planning year (7/20-7/21) in the amount of $125,000 and conditionally awarded $436,445 for year one (7/21-7/22) and $238,645 for year two of its launch in continuation funding. The highly competitive grant is awarded to start-up charter schools whose mission is to create a high-quality public charter school with an emphasis on serving educationally disadvantaged students. The grant, funded by the United States Department of Education, authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, and is administered by the SC Department of Education. Learn more, July 17 Press Release.

Upon being unanimously approved by the SCPCSD as Sumter County’s first tuition-free public charter school on April 16, one of the first few actions taken by the SSC Founding Board of Directors was to create and adopt its 100-day post-authorization plan. Titled, Next Steps: Turning the Vision for SSC into Reality, the plan includes six goals that span the following areas: the hiring of an executive director, the facility approval process, grant funding, community awareness, marketing & branding, and building board capacity. With just one month left in SSC’s 100-day post-authorization period, the board is excited to share the following current summary of its progress. Learn more, July 15 Press Release.

Make sure to check out our latest newsletter, available here.

We're excited to announce our newest community partner, Kona Ice of Sumter & West Columbia. Get your special designed Sumter Steam Charter Kona Ice cup today! Following our meeting on Monday, July 13, board members enjoyed a cool treat served by Daniel Palumbo from Kona Ice.

After facilitating a seven-week nation-wide search with Building Excellent Schools (BES) for its Founding Executive Director (ED), the SSC Founding Board of Directors invited the four named finalist candidates to visit Sumter to engage in a series of meaningful activities to include a private reception with 113 supporting stakeholders & local elected officials, a tour of the community, a visit to the proposed school site, an interview with local media, and an interview with the Board. Personalized videos featuring each candidate were produced and posted on the school’s social media platforms, which yielded a total of 3,553 views. Additionally, community feedback surveys were posted for a 10-day period, which yielded 171 responses. To mark the half-way point in our 100-day post-authorization period, the 11-member board is excited to share that it has unanimously selected Dr. Khalil Graham for its Founding ED. Learn more, June 26 Press Release.