Keith Callicutt retiring

Superintendent Keith Callicutt is not likely to leave the cause of education behind.

Fort Mill schools Superintendent Keith Callicutt announced his pending retirement this week, but acknowledged that he will continue to stay involved in public education. After 36 years working in education, it no doubt would be hard to simply walk away.

Callicutt still has much to offer in the field of education, but after five years as superintendent in Fort Mill, he also has earned a rest. Callicutt, 59, said he hopes to spend more time with his family.

When he was picked to lead the district in 2005, Fort Mill was a thriving, fast-growing school district with a reputation as one of the finest districts in the state. Nothing has changed except that the rate of growth has increased and the fiscal problems have multiplied, both of which were largely beyond Callicutt's control.

One key element that he brought to the job, however, was an emphasis on long-term planning so that the district would be prepared to confront the problems associated with rapid growth. Since he took the job, the number of students in Fort Mill schools has surged by 37 percent, from 7,288 in 2005 to 9,964.

Prior to his arrival, the district would wait until it was overwhelmed with growth and lack of classroom space, and then make do with portable classrooms until voters could approve construction bonds. Callicutt introduced a 10-year building plan that can be updated according to changing needs but which is designed to keep pace with anticipated growth.

Last year, voters overwhelmingly approved nearly $96 million in bonds for school construction projects.

Another feather in Callicutt's cap was the reconfiguring of the program at the district's alternative school, Fort Mill Academy, off Banks Street. Again, Callicutt took the forward-thinking approach rather than simply reacting to an existing problem.

The program had operated as a night school primarily to help students who had dropped out or were not functioning well in the traditional classroom to get their GEDs. Callicutt hired Marty Conner from Rawlinson Road Middle in Rock Hill as principal and reopened the academy as an all-day campus for middle and high school students struggling with grades, attendance or behavior problems.

Students there attend small classes for at least a semester before going back to their original school. The district's dropout rate has fallen sharply since the new program was instituted.

Callicutt always has been a hands-on superintendent, attentive to the needs of teachers and administrators, maintaining good rapport with the school board and serving as an ambassador for the schools in the community. He also played an active role in selling the most recent school bond package.

Callicutt also has worked with the state Legislature and has taken an interest in bills that affect schools. He is a vocal critic of Act 388, the 2007 bill that exempted most homeowners from paying personal property taxes for school operations in lieu of a penny increase in the state sales tax. Callicutt says the swap was disastrous for state education, especially in fast-growing districts that have trouble keeping pace with rising operational costs.

Callicutt's last day on the job in Fort Mill will be June 30. But it is likely he will follow up on his intention to remain involved in public education in one way or another.

That's good; an educator of his caliber will always be welcome in the discussion about how to improve education in South Carolina.