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Rock Hill School District partnership with Clinton College could help with teacher shortage

Clinton College is working to add an elementary education program in the next year.

ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Rock Hill School District announced a partnership with Clinton College, with the latter adopting Sunset Park Elementary School. As students returned to school for a new academic year Monday, Clinton College students cheered them on in the carpool lane. 

"Clinton College has been working, I guess for the last couple of years, to be working more public-facing and being a better neighbor to our surrounding neighborhood, and what better way to do that than to embrace these students and their parents?" Lester McCorn, President of Clinton College, said.

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The partnership opens up new opportunities.  

McCorn said Clinton College is in the process of adding an elementary education program with hopes the partnership will open a pathway for Clinton graduates to teach at Rock Hill Schools.   

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Schools across the nation are struggling to recruit and retain teachers. Despite this, the Rock Hill School District is starting the school year 98% staffed.

In addition to a robust, year-long recruitment effort, Rock Hill Schools superintendent Tommy Schmolze said the new partnership with Clinton College means the district will tap into Clinton College graduates.

“We cast a larger net this year going outside just our local communities and outside the state even," Schmolze said. "One thing we’re really focused on is diversity. We think it’s important that kids see themselves in the classroom as leaders and mentors.”

Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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