On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes back Superintendent Chris Neeley, joining long-distance from Detroit, Michigan, where he testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce on the role military leaders play in public education. Speaking both as a school district superintendent and as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Chris makes the case that strong leadership, the kind forged in military service, is the great equalizer for schools, and shares how the Public Charter School District has built a culture that welcomes veterans and current service members into classrooms, principal's offices, and boardrooms across the state. He points to standout examples, from a four-star general chairing a school board in Jasper County to a student at Orangeburg High School who asked Chris to be his mentor, as proof of what's possible when kids see leadership modeled up close.
The conversation then shifts home, with Chris and Keven checking in on how the school year is going now that all 55 schools are open and enrollment has topped 31,000 students, more than double what it was in 2020. Chris shares encouraging early data on SC Ready and End-of-Course exam performance, talks candidly about the funding gap between charter and traditional districts, and explains why he's pushing to let state dollars follow the child. With the state budget still unresolved and an election year underway, he makes the case for keeping the conversation focused where it belongs: on what's best for kids. It's an energizing look at leadership, service, and what it takes to keep putting kids first, from Michigan to the Midlands.
🔗 Learn more: www.sccharter.org
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