SC Public Charter School District Kids First Podcast

On this episode of Kids First, part one of a two-part conversation, Keven Cohen welcomes Dr. Brenda Hafner, school leader of Liberty STEAM Charter: A School of Inquiry, Innovation, and Impact in Sumter, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. Hafner shares the full-circle story of returning to Sumter, a community she once served as assistant superintendent, to lead a school she has admired from afar for years. She and Chris celebrate just how much Liberty has accomplished since its founding, from hitting one hundred percent of its charter goals and earning top marks in academics, finance, and operations to recent Cognia recognition as a Distinguished School, all while carrying a waiting list of more than two thousand families eager to get in. Stepping into a school with such strong bones, Hafner makes clear she has no intention of resting on its success.The conversation then turns to what comes next, including Liberty's steady growth one grade at a time toward a future high school built around in-demand career pathways, where students can graduate with an associate's degree, a workforce credential, or a clear path to college or military service. Hafner talks about the school's deep commitment to military families near Shaw Air Force Base, its Purple Star support, and the hands-on, innovation-driven learning that pairs students with real industry partners to solve real-world problems. Along the way, Keven previews a deeper look at the Liberty way, the culture of accountability and genuine parent partnership that sets the school apart. It is an energizing glimpse at a beloved Sumter school entering an exciting new chapter.🔗 Learn more: https://libertysteamcharter.org/

On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes back Dr. Brenda Hafner, school leader of Liberty STEAM Charter: A School of Inquiry, Innovation, and Impact in Sumter, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. In this second segment, the conversation digs into the culture of accountability that runs through everything Liberty does. Chris explains the balance at the heart of the charter model, the freedom each school earns to run its own way in exchange for a promise to not just meet state standards but exceed them, and why real transparency to families and taxpayers matters so much. Hafner then shares how that same spirit of accountability extends to parents, who sign on as true partners the moment their child is accepted, committing to get their student to school ready to learn and to give volunteer hours throughout the year.What makes it work, Hafner explains, is that families genuinely embrace those expectations, from a brand new Dads on Duty group greeting students at carline to an active PTA, engaged board members, and community partners who show up in a big way. She and Chris reflect on how parental involvement became one of the quiet silver linings of the pandemic era, and why that commitment continues to fuel the growth of charter schools across the state. The two also return to Liberty's hands-on approach to workforce readiness, where partnerships with real industries help shape students who can graduate ready to earn strong wages and give back to the Sumter community they call home. It is an encouraging look at why, at Liberty, education truly is a partnership through and through.🔗 Learn more: https://libertysteamcharter.org/

On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes Teshia McIver of the Palmetto Promise Institute, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. Teshia introduces Palmetto NavigatEd, the parent-focused resource her team built to help South Carolina families understand and use the state's Education Scholarship Trust Fund, or ESTF. She and Keven walk through how the program came to be, including the legal twists that once left families in limbo, and how the Palmetto Promise Institute stepped in with a rescue fund and a mission to make sure parents always have a place to turn for clear, accurate answers. Chris shares a point of pride too: that the South Carolina Public Charter School District was the very first district to sign on to the program, opening another door for the families it serves.From there, the conversation gets practical and personal. Teshia explains who the ESTF is really designed to help, how funds can go toward real needs like transportation and tutoring, and why that support can be a game changer for families in rural areas or those choosing a charter school that does not provide transportation. Woven throughout is a message both guests return to again and again: there is no one-size-fits-all school, parents know their own children better than any system does, and choosing what is right for your child is never a betrayal of your community. It is an empowering, information-packed episode aimed at helping every family find the fit that lets their child thrive.🔗 Learn more: https://www.palmettonavigated.org/

On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes back CR Ruszkowski of the South Carolina Children's Fund, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. CR shares the wide-ranging journey that brought him here, from teaching middle school in Miami-Dade to working at a national think tank to serving as a charter authorizer and Secretary of Education in New Mexico, and explains how all of it convinced him of one core belief: a child's zip code should never determine the quality of their education. He and Keven talk about what the Children's Fund actually does, bringing philanthropy, expertise, and connections to schools that are proving what is possible for students, including many in the public charter sector that have long gone without the same resources other schools enjoy. By the end of the year, the Fund will have put roughly two million dollars into the field.The conversation then opens up into a bigger vision for what CR calls the new "21st century education ecosystem," a world where families can weigh traditional, public charter, independent, homeschool, and other options side by side. He and Chris dig into the "grand bargain" at the heart of charter schools, the autonomy a school earns in exchange for real accountability, and why independent, local governance has become one of the quiet secrets to their success. They also turn to the communities that still have no options at all, the rural counties where a great school could change everything, and make the case that business, civic, and philanthropic leaders all have a role to play in getting there. It is a thoughtful, energizing look at how South Carolina can help every child thrive.🔗 Learn more: https://www.southcarolinachildrensfund.org/

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

On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes back Sara Jane Arnett of the Military Child Education Coalition, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. As a new school year begins, the three look at what that transition means through a military lens, a perspective Sara Jane knows firsthand as a military mom whose family has moved again and again. She opens up about the reality of PCS season and the fact that military-connected children often change schools many times before they graduate, and she shares why the Purple Star designation has been such a lifeline for families trying to find the right fit from one state to the next. Chris explains the pride behind the district becoming what he believes is the first and only statewide Purple Star district in the country, reaching military families in every corner of South Carolina.The conversation then turns to the emotional side that outsiders rarely see, from the quiet stress children carry during a deployment to the signs parents and educators can learn to spot. Sara Jane previews the support the Coalition is bringing to the district's leadership summit this fall, and shares a striking statistic about how military-connected students in South Carolina have been performing year after year. Both guests reflect on the idea of building a "village" wherever the military sends you, and close with heartfelt, hard-earned advice: Sara Jane for the spouses holding things together at home, and Chris, drawing on his own deployments, for the service members serving far away. It is a warm, honest, and deeply human look at how the right school community can help military kids not just adjust, but thrive.🔗 Learn more: https://militarychild.org/

On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes Kevin Mason, Executive Director of the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. Mason explains what the Alliance actually does, serving as a statewide voice for charter schools of every model, mission, and size, advocating for them at the State House and beyond, walking alongside them on the operational side, and amplifying the good work happening in classrooms across South Carolina. Together, he and Chris tackle one of the most stubborn misconceptions in education, the idea that "charter" means private or costly, when in fact these are tuition-free public schools open to any student in the state. They also dig into why the deep commitment charter parents make, including getting their children to school without the convenience of a bus, so often translates into real success.From there, the conversation turns to the work of leveling the playing field. Mason and Neeley make the case that charter schools are delivering strong results with significantly less funding per student, and that the goal is not necessarily more money in education but a fairer way of allocating what the state already spends. They talk candidly about the families in rural communities who still have no public school choice at all, the untapped potential in counties across South Carolina, and why the whole effort keeps coming back to a single idea: connecting with each student and putting kids first. It is a clear-eyed, energizing look at the partnership working to expand opportunity for families statewide.🔗 Learn more: https://sccharterschools.org/

On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes Kelli Campbell and Dr. Jacinta Bryant of Acceleration Academies, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. Together they unpack a simple truth that drives everything the academies do: a traditional high school is not built for every student, and when a young person struggles, the reason is usually something happening in life rather than an inability to do the work. Campbell shares a few short student stories that capture exactly who these tuition-free public charter schools are for, from a teen who needed a fresh start to one balancing full-time work to another who simply needed to focus on one course at a time. With locations serving the Myrtle Beach, North Charleston, and Summerville areas, the academies are reaching hundreds of students across South Carolina who might otherwise have slipped away.The conversation goes deeper into what makes the model work, including a flexible hybrid schedule, a "one course at a time" approach, and wraparound support from content coaches and mentors who help students clear the non-academic barriers standing in their way. Campbell and Bryant describe welcoming, lounge-like spaces designed around real student needs, along with community partnerships that have helped young people facing homelessness and other hardships not just graduate, but build a life afterward. Woven throughout is a belief Chris Neeley returns to often: that every child carries a spark, and that the right environment can help that spark catch fire. It is a hopeful, eye-opening look at how second chances become success stories.🔗 Learn more: https://www.accelerationacademies.org/our-locations/south-carolina/