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| Supt. Jim Rex |
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| Barringer’s is awarded the 2008 Business of the Year award.
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State Superintendent speaks at the
Annual Chamber Banquet
Cindy Lesieur
Editor
The Greater Mullins Chamber of Commerce held their annual banquet last Monday at the Marion County Technical Education Center celebrating 70 years of service.
This year's guest speaker was State Superintendent Dr. James " Jim" Rex provided his plans to improve education.
"I know first hand struggles and challenges.....but the most common ground for all of us is our children," Rex says. "In order for the state to move forward, we must reform and be open to new ideas."
Among his priorities were reform accountability which include changes in school ratings, the replacement of the PACT test along with reduction in testing accountability.
Rex also recognized the effect of poverty and says funds must be spent on early childhood education to help students be ready to learn. This will a fully funded voluntary four-year old programs for at-risk children.
One of his main issues is public school choice providing options for parents, students and communities in every school district in South Carolina.
"The plans would not include mandated cross-district transfers, but would instead mandated new choices within each of the state's 85 public school districts at the elementary, middle and high school levels within three years," he says.
Another priority for state education would the equitable and adequate funding.
"There is $9,000 per student difference between the wealthiest and poorest districts in the state," Rex says.
He is presently supporting the allocation of a $6 million in nonrecurring funds to conduct a statewide assessment of the building and infrastructure needs of all state school districts.
"We need to work with the legislators because four years of education can make or break a child," he says. "With re-elections coming up this year, it will hard to get changes on election year."
Mayor Kenneth McDonald presented City Employee of the Year Award to Katie Johnson, who is employed in Human Resources for the City of Mullins.
The Community Service Award was presented to Mary Ann Corley, who is presently a volunteer Social Worker for Helping Hands and a volunteer reader for public schools. She worked for 13 years with DSS and is a former board member of the Mullins Chamber of Commerce. Corley presently works as an office manager at her husband's law firm and is very active in the Relay for Life activities as a cancer survivor.
The 2008 Business of the Year was presented to Barringer's who celebrated their 60th anniversary in November of last year. Martin Barringer, his daughter, Nancy Williams who came back to manage the store in 1977, along with Drew Foil, Polly Sawyer and Polly Buffkin all attended the banquet to accept the award.
Anderson Brothers Bank presented a scholarship to Marcus Howard for his achievements in entrepreneurship in the REAL Program.
At the end of the banquet, President Gena Jones passed the gavel to the 2008 President John Hughes.
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