6/15 NEWSBREAK: Charleston school board to offer superintendent contract to Gallien

The Charleston County School Board voted June 14 to offer a district superintendent contract to Eric Gallien after an 18-month search plagued by delays and controversy, including the withdrawal of the two other finalists.

Board members met virtually Wednesday morning for a special meeting to discuss contract negotiations. After two hours, they voted 6-2 to offer the job to Gallien. Trustees Ed Kelley and Leah Whatley voted against the motion to offer the contract.

The vote was mostly a formality according to media reports, as Gallien was offered the job two weeks ago, but Wednesday’s meeting gave board members the chance to speak their grievances.

A day prior to the vote, community leaders and board members, including Whatley, held a press conference demanding a search for a new superintendent be restarted with a new pool of applicants instead of sticking with the last person in the running.

In other headlines:

CP: Emanuel AME Church gets emotional, physical support from community. The schedule for the church’s eighth annual Emanuel Nine Commemoration, from June 14 to June 23, includes nine events and concludes with the Emanuel Nine Humanitarian Awards Program at the church.

CP: Charleston chef creates ‘starving artist supper club’. Charleston chef Graham Calabria announced a new dinner series he calls “Calabriations,” or the “starving artist supper club” to highlight local visual artists during a dinner-and-a-show style event.

CP: One Way Forward Festival spotlights Charleston artists. The inaugural One Way Forward Festival kicks off June 24, showcasing Charleston’s music scene of uplifting funk, heady rock ‘n’ roll, intricate jams and conscious hip-hop.

CP: One-of-a-kind opera premieres in Charleston. As One chamber opera will be performed by Charleston’s Holy City Arts and Lyric Opera at the Queen Street Playhouse downtown at 7 p.m. June 22 to June 25. As One tells the story of a transgender woman named Hannah told through the voices of Hannah Before and Hannah After.

S.C. legislators approve $14 billion state budget. South Carolina public employees will get at least a $2,500 pay boost starting next month under a nearly $14 million state budget, while teachers K-12 will receive a $2,500 pay bump, though it can vary by district. Legislators passed the budget Wednesday. It heads to the governor for his signature.

Bond restrictions for repeat criminals passed by S.C. legislature. Criminal defendants with repeat violent charges could have a harder time getting out of jail as they await trial and could spend more time in prison if they are convicted of the crime while out on bond, according to a new proposal heading to the governor’s desk.

Details emerge on state’s first massive transit project in Charleston. South Carolina’s first mass transit system is expected to come online in 2029 with construction beginning in 2026, comprising 22 miles of a mostly dedicated median lane for modern, electric buses to move passengers between the Exchange Park in Ladson, North Charleston and onto the Charleston peninsula.

Charleston legislator calls for S.C. Ports to ‘pause, reset and restart’ Union Pier project. S.C. Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, is asking the South Carolina Ports Authority to restart the process and planning for the redevelopment of Union Pier, citing concerns over the lack of communication and transparency while the plans for the land were being created.

Proposed hotels in Charleston could contribute $1M to affordable housing. Charleston City leaders reviewed plans for two new hotels on the peninsula that, if approved, could contribute over $1 million to increase affordable housing in the city thanks to a 2019 ordinance that requires hotels to donate a certain amount of money.

Soho House coming to Charleston. London-based Soho House & Co. announced June 14 it is bringing one of its private social clubs to downtown Charleston in the 150-year-old Wagener Building. The venue is expected to open 2024 with members-only space on the upper two floors and a public Soho-branded restaurant at ground level.