Supporters rally as DD2 infrastructure referendum early voting begins

The ad hoc committee promoting the Dorchester School District Two infrastructure referendum hosted a press event Monday, April 29, at Hutchinson Square in downtown Summerville to highlight the first day of early voting.

Teachers, parents and other referendum supporters attended the event hosted by Dorchester Two Citizens for School Improvements group members to urge people to support the referendum on the first day of early voting. 

The upcoming May 14 referendum is a special election to give voters a choice on whether to extend bonds from the previous 2012 school infrastructure referendum into the future without raising taxes on residents. This would free up money to begin construction on two new elementary schools, provide facilities upgrades at each DD2 school, and implement safety upgrades to ensure children have smaller class sizes and safer schools.

“Our school was built to hold 1,000 students, and we are over 1,200,” said Schoneke Summerhill, a fourth-grade teacher at Beech Hill Elementary and the reigning DD2 Teacher of the Year. “One of my classes, I have 32 students. It is not easy meeting their individual needs in that classroom. For me to serve them well, with fidelity, and being intentional in everything I’m trying to teach them, we need those numbers to come down.”

According to numbers released by the school district, by next school year, DD2 will have five and seven schools considered overcrowded by 2025. Over the next 10 years, DD2 projects student enrollment to increase by 700-1,000 students annually.

Other speakers at the event emphasized the impact of outdated and underfunded facilities on students’ morale and success. They argued that investing in the school district’s future will benefit the community’s future as a whole. 

Meredith Noah is a science teacher at East Edisto Middle School. Noah said she is “deeply invested” in the well-being and education of students. 

“This referendum isn’t just about money and funds. It’s about investing in our children’s future and our community’s future,” Noah said. “By voting yes, I’m supporting critical improvements, like enhanced safety measures across our facilities, building new elementary schools to accommodate the growth and renovating existing schools to provide appropriate learning environments. As educators, we see firsthand how the conditions of our schools impact the students’ morale and success. But this referendum is not just for students. It’s for the teachers who spend countless hours across our district trying to meet their children’s needs in outdated, underfunded facilities.”

Summerville Realtor Roni Haskell is a parent representative on the committee. She said she does not understand why anyone would not support this referendum.

“It was hard for us to fathom why somebody wouldn’t be behind this vote,” she said. “Some people do not want to pay taxes, but people don’t realize that this has to be funded somehow, and we’re not increasing the tax rate. This referendum continues taxes that Dorchester County citizens are already paying. That’s the beautiful thing: it’s not an increase, and the community won’t feel a financial constraint. So, it’s hard to understand why some people are against it.”

Early voting for the No Tax Rate Increase School Infrastructure Bond Referendum is open until Friday, May 10, at the Marcia O’Brien Conference Center at 200 Stadium Circle in Summerville. This is the only early voting location, open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Tuesday, May 14, the day of the special election, people may vote at their usual polling place.