SC schools chief Molly Spearman endorses head of largest teachers group as successor
State Superintendent Molly Spearman on Monday endorsed the head of South Carolina’s largest teachers organization as her preferred successor.
Spearman, a Saluda Republican who chose not to seek a third term as state schools chief, said she believes Republican Kathy Maness, executive director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, is the best person for the job.
“Kathy is the only candidate running that has the necessary qualifications, experience and track record of advancing student-first policies,” said Spearman, who has worked alongside Maness for years to advance the interests of public education in the state.
Spearman said after speaking with many of her potential successors and reviewing their platforms, she’d been most impressed with Maness, who she believes can hit the ground running as state schools chief.
“I know how important it is to understand all of South Carolina, and there is no one who has traveled within the school districts and within the schools more than Kathy Maness in her work with the Palmetto State Teachers Association,” Spearman said. “She also has spent a career working with the General Assembly, knows all the members, they know her, and that relationship she can hit on Day One.”
Spearman’s endorsement comes eight days out from the June 14 primary, where Maness is squaring off against five other Republican candidates, including the race’s top fundraiser Ellen Weaver. Three other candidates, including the founder of a grassroots teachers group and a longtime state lawmaker, are running on the Democratic side.
Maness, a longtime Lexington town councilwoman and past president of the National League of Cities, has worked with Spearman on education issues dating back to her time in the South Carolina House of Representatives, and said, if elected, she would continue to fight for public education.
“We have to have someone who cares about our public schools, who will support our public schools, support those students and support our teachers,” she said. “I have worked with the members of the General Assembly for many, many years, and I think that’s very important. Because as much as I want to come in and change the world in South Carolina, I can’t do that by myself.”
Maness touted her experience as a parent, classroom teacher and leader of an organization with thousands of educator members, and said the relationships she’s built with lawmakers over the years sets her apart from other candidates in the race.
“I bring a lot to the table that I want to use and make South Carolina public education the best it has ever been,” she said.
Maness’ top priorities are school safety, reducing paperwork for teachers and testing for students, restoring discipline in schools and working to reverse the trend of educators leaving the classroom. She said one of her first acts as state superintendent would be to convene a group of police officers, police chiefs and sheriffs to talk about school safety in South Carolina.
“We have to make sure that our students and our teachers and everyone who works in our schools are safe,” she said.
The former third grade teacher had raised $115,000 in outside contributions, as of May 25, according to campaign filings. Nearly half of Maness’ donors identify as educators or former educators, including Spearman, a former music teacher and assistant principal who gave $1,040 to the Maness campaign last month.
Two other past state education superintendents — Mick Zais and Barbara Nielsen — have endorsed and contributed to Weaver, a longtime aide to former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and president of the Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative advocacy group they launched.
Weaver, who is ahead of Maness in fundraising and endorsements but currently lacks the qualifications necessary by law to hold the office, released a statement late Monday morning that referred to Maness as “Democrat-Lite” and called into question her Republican credentials.
Weaver blasted Maness for visiting the White House last year and posting a picture on Facebook of herself with first lady Jill Biden, criticized her for endorsing Democrat Tameika Isaac Devine in last year’s Columbia mayoral election and claimed she’s had a “liberal record” while serving on the Lexington town council and running the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
“Liberals love Kathy Maness,” Weaver said in the statement. “Looking at her record, it’s easy to see why. She has worked against basic Republican values time and again.”
The broadside from Weaver comes after Maness chided her for an eleventh-hour pursuit of an online degree to meet the statutory requirements of the state superintendent job. Maness said Monday she had a “huge concern” with Weaver’s recent enrollment at Bob Jones University in Greenville, where the conservative think tank president is working to complete a master’s in educational leadership in roughly seven months.
“I think it’s important that if you’re going to be the next state superintendent of education ... you meet the qualifications for this office,” she said. “And that you don’t start a master’s degree on April 1, and think you’re going to get that by November.”
Weaver’s campaign manager Ryan Gillespie said last week that she was “energized and committed” to getting her degree by Election Day and had completed two of 11 required classes so far.
“She believes it’s a great opportunity to show our students by personal example what it looks like to be a life-long learner and to encourage them that they can accomplish anything they set out to achieve,” he said in a statement.
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 9:35 AM with the headline "SC schools chief Molly Spearman endorses head of largest teachers group as successor."