Candidate for Superintendent of Education
By Stan Welch
Molly Spearman, one of eight Republican candidates for state superintendent of education, was on hand at the Williamston Municipal Center Monday evening to meet the voters and explain her ideas about South Carolina’s educational system.
Spearman, who served four terms in the General Assembly, and who spent six years working with Inez Tanenbaum during her tenure as Superintendent of Education, says she was drafted by a coalition of educators and business people who value her experience and approach to education.
“I gave a great deal of thought to this campaign and whether I wanted to get back into politics. But the decision to run is the only one that brought me peace, so it must be the right one,” said Spearman, who added that this trip through the Upstate has been something of a discovery.
“I married a Spearman man, but since I have been doing some family genealogy, I have learned that my four time great grandfather was David Spearman, who gave the land for the Shiloh Baptist Church. So I have a double dose of Spearman.”
Spearman, who also spent eighteen years as a teacher and assistant principal in the public schools, said she wants to provide positive leadership for South Carolina’s education system. “I’m tired of the negativity and the chaos surrounding our schools and our system. The legislature has made its will known by its vote on Common Core recently, but now we need to review our status and establish meaningful standards. I would engage the best consultants available to do just that.”
Spearman served in the South Carolina Association of School Administrators for nine years and says that the experience she gained will be invaluable if she is elected. “I am well prepared for the job I am seeking. I have a broad perspective because of my experience in different areas of the educational world.”
She also pointed out that the manufacturing renaissance underway in South Carolina is creating tens of thousands of jobs that don’t require four year college degrees. “We have to begin reeducating parents and teenagers to the fact that the traditional dream of going to college may not be the only route to good jobs and careers, or even the primary one. It is very difficult to graduate from college, possibly saddled with debt, and be unable to find a good job.”
