2. How do you assess the impact of a career teacher
returning to the classroom reinvigorated by the sincere
applause and appreciation of state leaders?
What’s the worth of parents, teachers and
students laughing and talking while enjoying a
spaghetti dinner in the school cafeteria?
Is it possible to calculate the value of high school
students excitedly creating a video of their attempts to
build an edible car?
This is South Carolina Future Minds’ Report Card
for 2015. Like any annual report, it is full of data and
measurements. Still, it is necessarily incomplete. That’s
because we know that, like the 50,000 teachers and 1,200
schools we support, the full measure of our work depends
on the future performance of the 700,000 public school
students that are our focus.
SOUTH CAROLINA
future minds
Jimmy Addison
Rep. Jimmy Bales
Nella Gray Barkley
Blue Bell Creameries
BlueCross BlueShield of South
Carolina
BMW Manufacturing
Company
Bojangles’
Bridgestone
Rep. Grady Brown
R.L. Bryan Company
Calhoun County Public
Schools
Center for Educator
Recruitment, Retention and
Advancement
Charleston County School
District
Childs & Halligan, P.A.
Board and Staff of Clarendon
One School District
Rep. Gary Clary
Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter
Compass Municipal Advisors
Comporium
Darlington School District
Data Recognition Corporation
Rep. Greg Delleney
Dibble Family Fund of Central
Carolina Community
Foundation
Dillon School District Four
Rep. MaryGail K. Douglas
Trip DuBard
Theodore DuBose
Duff, White & Turner, LLC
Duffie Law Firm
Duke Energy
Edcon
Elliot Davis Decosimo
Anita Fersner
Rep. Laurie Funderburk
Fairfield County School
District Supt. J.R. Green
Donors
3. Excellence in South Carolina public schools. That’s the goal of South Carolina
Future Minds. In 2015, we did our homework and successfully:
• Organized the 50th
anniversary of the SC Teacher of the Year Celebration,
at which each school district’s Teacher of the Year was honored and the State
Teacher of the Year announced
• Distributed a total of 3,000 books across SC, to each district Teacher of the
Year’s school
• Launched “This School’s Got STEM”, a free statewide competition encouraging
science innovation across SC
• Expanded a statewide “My First Library” program for 5K students in
distressed schools and raised funds for the first 7,000 books
• Gave out another couple of TONS of spaghetti to SC schools, through our
partnership with Mueller’s Pasta
• Hosted our largest ever SC Conference of Public Education Partners,
involving more than 100 groups
• Saw a 500% increase in online donations for SC public schools, as well as
nationwide support for the “Flood Relief for SC Schools” fund we created at
the request of the SC School Boards Association
All in all, we think we earned a gold star in 2015. But make up your own mind!
Read on for the details.
excellence
reportcard
in south carolina public schools
4. 2016 SC Teacher of the Year Suzanne Koty of Sumter accepts congratulations from the crowd and
SC Supt. of Education Molly Spearman (left) and 2015 Teacher of the Year Jennifer Ainsworth.
Rep. Jackie Hayes
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A.
The Reverend Susan
Blackburn Heath
Jim Hoffmeyer
Horace Mann Insurance
Agents
Hospice of Chesterfield
The Intertech Group
Jackon and Sims Architects
Jostens
Kelly Temporary Services
Rep. Ralph Kennedy
Susanne Laffitte
Leadership South Carolina
Lee County School District
Lindsey Insurance and
Financial Services
Liollio Architecture, Inc.
Harry Logan
Marion County Legislative
Delegation
Sen. Larry Martin
Sen. Thomas McElveen
Michelin North America
Cherokee County School
District Supt. Quincie
Moore
Mueller’s Pasta
Nelson Mullins Riley and
Scarborough, LLP
Notre Dame Club of the
Western Carolinas
Orangeburg Consolidated
School District Three
Rep. Russell Ott
Palmetto State Teachers
Association
Sen. and Mrs. Luke Rankin
Dr. Jim Rex
Richland School District Two
Education Foundation
Roche Carolina
Santee Cooper
SC Public Charter School
District
Donors
5. A U.S. Dept of Education study recently found that teachers leaving the profession
report more than twice as much “professional prestige” in their new jobs. “Work-
ing conditions” – such as respect – is one of the main reasons they give for leaving
teaching. In SC, about 5,300 teachers leave each year, yet our colleges annually
graduate only about 2,200 new teachers. Obviously, retaining great teachers is a
concern for all of us.
SC Future Minds has been teacher-focused since its creation and reflects that
tradition through its management of the annual SC Teacher of the Year Celebration
held since 1965. For the past decade, BMW has been the underwriting sponsor of
this festive evening, one of the largest in the nation.
In 2015, former U.S. Education Secretary Dick Riley addressed a record crowd at
the 50th Anniversary Celebration, sponsored by nearly 100 different companies or
individuals.
The next morning, teachers had a private breakfast followed by a press conference
at which Gov. Nikki Haley proclaimed May as Teacher Appreciation Month. The day
concluded with introductions and standing ovations in both the House and Senate.
“The overall enthusiasm for public education was the biggest plus of the night.
It was a GREAT way to promote the great things going on in schools and to
celebrate the hard work of teachers.” – Teacher participant
In conjunction with the
SC Teacher of the Year celebration ...
Bojangles’ stores across South Carolina hosted 15 ceremonies coordinated
by SC Future Minds to honor the 87 district Teachers of the Year. Some 3,000
books were donated by Bojangles’ through SC Future Minds in honor of these
teachers. Since 2010, Bojangles’ has donated 18,000 books to SC public schools.
Each contains a nameplate for a district Teacher of the Year, so that the students
through the years will learn of their teacher’s honor.
the teaching profession
elevating
reportcard
6. Gov. Haley declared May to be “SC
Teach Appreciation Month,” at the
request of SC Future Minds. Hundreds of
individual teacher tributes were posted by
grateful current and former students at the
scfutureminds.org website. And once
again, one teacher was randomly chosen
to receive a special gift from Bojangles’,
founding sponsor of Teacher Appreciation
Month. In 2015, Nicole Smith, a teacher at
Lakeview Middle School in Greenville, won
the four-day, five-night Caribbean cruise as
part of Bojangles’ May Teacher Appreciation
Month promotion.
The Outdoor Advertising Association of SC honored teachers by making
possible 39 billboards sponsored by local businesses and erected as close to teachers’
schools as possible. Business leaders and superintendents alike report widespread
community excitement at seeing their educators so honored.
Ms. Smith is an amazing teacher. She has been a huge
support system throughout my seventh and eighth
grade school years. I don’t know where I would be
without her guidance. I’ve become a better student and
a better person because of her.
– Student tribute to Nicole Smith
SC School Boards Association
SC School Boards Insurance
Trust
SC State Board of Education
Security Federal
The Self Family Foundation
Sen. Katrina Shealy
Sen. Vincent Sheheen
Rep. James Smith
Rush Smith
Rep. Murrell Smith
Sodexo
South Carolina Electric & Gas
South State Bank
Southern Roofing
Spartanburg County School
District Two
Spartanburg County School
District Six
Spartanburg County School
District Seven
Springhill Assisted Living
Sunshine Shoppe
TD Bank
TEFON Construction
Lance Thompson
The SC Education Association
USC School of Education
Chris Verenes
Rep. David Weeks
Wells Fargo
Williston Business/Education
Community Partnerships
York School District Three
And more than 500
individual donors using
the SC Future Minds “Donate
Now” button to support
schools, districts and public
education initiatives across SC!
Donors
Nicole Smith talks to the press after win-
ning a Caribbean cruise from Bojangles’.
7. celebrating
and supporting students
This School’s Got Talent/STEM – SC Future Minds for the fifth year
organized the largest statewide talent contest for public school students –
“This School’s Got Talent” – sponsored by Comporium. The TSGT contest
this year had high-quality entries from around the state vying for first, second
and third place prizes of $500, $250 and $100 respectively. Chesterfield County
drummer Andrew Wilkerson ultimately won and performed at the 2015 SC
Teacher of the Year Celebration.
Also in 2015, SC Future Minds joined with Comporium and S2
TEM Centers
SC based at Clemson University for “This School’s Got STEM,” a statewide
competition promoting science, technology, engineering and math. Contestants
vied for the cash prizes, and, after two weeks and more than 2,600 votes, Curry
Labs in Clarendon School District Two emerged as the winner. Among the entries?
A creative but ultimately unappetizing attempt at an edible car.
My First Library – Since 2011, the SC Department of Education has used
public funds to organize end-of-school book fairs in schools identified as “high-
risk.” Summers away from school have been shown to cause as much as two-
thirds of a student’s reading gap by ninth grade. The State’s program generally
targets students in grades 1-4 with free books to read over the summer.
South Carolina Future Minds worked through 2015 to develop its “My First
Library” program to complement the State-funded program. Bojangles’
September 2015 in-store efforts collected nearly 35,000 individual $1 donations.
Those dollars will provide roughly 7,000 books to some 700 five-year-old
kindergarteners in SC’s poorest schools for summer reading. SC Future Minds
created the program with support from USC Teaching Fellows, the SC Education
Oversight Committee and state Board of Education Chair Traci Young-Cooper.
reportcard
8. SC Future Minds continues its measured rollout of a
digital “Donate Now” button for SC public schools. By
the end of 2015, 264 schools in 28 school districts – 22%
of all schools and 34% of districts – had signed up for the
button, allowing them to accept donations online directly
from their school websites. SC Future Minds provides
the back-end infrastructure, collecting and forwarding
donations to the school minus a small transaction fee.
SC Future Minds has developed three statewide “surges”
– Back to School, Holiday Season and Teacher Appreciation
Month in May. Online donations to SC schools through SC
Future Minds increased 500% in 2015 to nearly $50,000,
including more than $10,000 in flood relief contributions from around the U.S.
Creating More Efficient Fundraisers – Traditional sales-based fundraisers
generally leave schools with half or less of the total money raised, the rest going to a
private fundraising company. In September, 2015, SC Future Minds provided the back-end
infrastructure that allowed Anderson School District 4 to nearly double its percentage of net
fundraising proceeds. The district used SC Future Minds to collect donations that supported
a district-wide color run, with proceeds going to field trips and high school clubs.
Spaghetti Night Sponsored by Mueller’s continues to be a huge hit with schools
across South Carolina, bringing parents, teachers and students together for evenings of
fellowship and fun. For any SC public school that signs up at the scfutureminds.org
website, Mueller’s offers free pasta to promote development of relationships within school
communities.
Since beginning the program in 2011, Mueller’s and SC Future Minds have distributed
almost 25 tons of spaghetti to hundreds of schools. That’s nearly 200,000 meals, or
more than 1,000 miles of spaghetti – enough to encircle South Carolina and leave a little
left over to plop on top of the Statehouse!
strengthening
schools
Special thanks to our
other partners and
supporters
(in alphabetical order)
House Education Committee
Chair Rita Allison
House Majority Leader Bruce
Bannister
Center for Educator
Recruitment, Retention and
Advancement
State Board of Education
Chair Traci Young-Cooper
Senate Education Committee
Chair John Courson
Fort Mill School District
Furman University’s Riley
Institute
WIS-TV’s Judi Gatson
Greater Florence Chamber of
Commerce
Gov. Nikki Haley
Senate Finance Committee
Chair Hugh Leatherman
Lexington School District One
House Speaker Jay Lucas
Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster
Members of Hootie and the
Blowfish
Parents as Teachers
Senate Majority Leader
Harvey Peeler
Supporters
Fort Mill School Board Chair and
SC Future Minds Board Member
Patrick White presents check for
$1,460 raised through the “Donate
Now” button to Jason Johns, prin-
cipal of Banks Trail Middle School.
9. creating
collaborations
Great ideas rarely happen in isolation, but bubble up from creative
collaboration. In October, our Eighth Annual SC Conference of Public Education
Partners hosted more than 100 different organizations interested in strengthening
public schools.
Breakfast was sponsored by the USC Center for Educational Partnerships,
lunch was hosted by The Riley Institute at Furman University, and the afternoon
featured a conversation on science and the arts education, moderated and hosted
by S2
TEM Centers SC at Clemson University. This year’s winner of the “Dick and
Tunky Riley ‘What WorksSC’ Award for Educational Excellence” went to the
Teacher Cadet Program at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and
Advancement.
S2
TEM Centers SC joined the conference after historic flooding canceled the SC
STEM Summit. SC Future Minds reached out to offer support, and as a result, the
2015 SC Conference of Public Education Partners included the rescheduled Grand
Challenges in SC STEAM Conversation, organized by S2
TEM Centers SC.
SC Conference of Public Education Partners feedback
“Great opportunity to network and find common ground!”
“Diverse, great audience each year and LOVE the small group sessions that allow
for intimate and in-depth networking.”
“I meet new folks every time. They all have great ideas.”
Innovation Initiative/TransformSC – Together with the State Board of
Education and the SC Education Oversight Committee, SC Future Minds created
a study group which produced an Innovation Initiative report presented to the
State Board on Oct. 10, 2012. That report led to the creation of TransformSC,
which works with districts across the state. In 2015, that effort continued to
move ahead under the direction of the SC Council on Competitiveness, and SC
Future Minds continues to serve on the effort’s steering committee.
House Speaker Pro Tem
Thomas Pope
Project Lead The Way
House Minority Leader J.
Todd Rutherford
SC Association of School
Administrators
SC Campaign to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy
SC Chamber of Commerce
SC Dept. of Commerce
SC PTA
SC School Boards
Association
SC School Improvement
Council
SC S2
TEM Centers
Senate Minority Leader
Nikki Setzler
Students First
Supt. Of Education Molly
Spearman
Teacher Cadet Program
Teaching Fellows
The Reading Warehouse
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
USC Center for Educational
Partnerships
House Ways and Means
Committee Chair Brian
White
Supporters
10. our mission
South Carolina Future Minds champions
world-class student achievement by
promoting and celebrating educational
excellence, encouraging collaboration and
connecting private support to public schools.
SCFutureMinds.org • 803.741.5646 • info@scfutureminds.org
88%
12%
* From SC Future Minds’ IRS Form
990 ending July, 31, 2015
Programs*
Management, general, fundraising*
SOUTH CAROLINA
future minds
SC Future Minds undergoes an annual
audit, which in 2015 was conducted by
Elliott Davis Decosimo of Columbia.
Guidestar, a central source for non-profit
information, named SC Future Minds a Gold
Participant, the highest level possible, in
its GuideStar Exchange program for non-
profit transparency. To view IRS form 990s
and other information for SC Future Minds,
visit www.guidestar.org and look up “South
Carolina Future Minds.”
our vision
A South Carolina education system
that equips each and every student
with the tools, knowledge and
attitude for success in work or
post-secondary education.
financial integrity
