Spartanburg District 7 Golf Partnership Will Not Go Through

Spartanburg School District Seven confirmed Tuesday that their agreement to allow the District 7 golf program to practice and play at The Country Club of Spartanburg course will not go forward, but he hopes that another deal will be worked out for the district's golf teams. In addition, District 7 announced the public information session, as recommended by the administration, will be held on Monday, February 16th at 7pm. The information session on the District’s Athletic Programs, with golf in particular, will be held in the atrium of Spartanburg High School and is open to the public. A moderator will be announced and guidelines for participants will be published as soon as possible.

“I misunderstood, in light of this economic condition, how this agreement would be received by the public. I made a mistake in not anticipating this reaction, and I regret taking the Board and members of The Country Club of Spartanburg down this path,” White said.

White also thanked the CCS leadership for their help putting the agreement on hold.

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Read the complete release – unedited -- from the district below:

District 7 Releases Follow Up to Golf Agreement
In coordination with The Country Club of Spartanburg, Spartanburg School District Seven can now confirm that the agreement to allow the District 7 golf program to practice and play at The Country Club of Spartanburg course for up to 25 years has been officially put on hold. No money has been paid by District 7 to CCS. The agreement was to have gone into effect for the Spring 2009 season.

Superintendent Dr. Thomas White, stated, “I misunderstood, in light of this economic condition, how this agreement would be received by the public. I made a mistake in not anticipating this reaction, and I regret taking the Board and members of The Country Club of Spartanburg down this path. Nonetheless, this is a matter that can and is being corrected. Our Board members are among the finest people I know and I feel the same way about the members of CCS. I appreciate the CCS leadership working with me to put the agreement on hold.”

District 7 Board of Trustees Chairman, Chip Hurst added, “The original intent of the agreement was to find a long-term solution for improving the District 7 golf program by establishing a partnership with an entity with excellent golf facilities. The response from our constituents within the community is mixed – with many angry at why and how the agreement came to pass. As Chairman of the Board, and personally as a Board member, I take responsibility for failing to communicate the purpose for the agreement and how it relates to the overall mission of District 7 as well as any insensitivity that was perceived by the community. The Board is listening and will continue to do so. I feel our current action of delaying the contract implementation and providing a public forum on the subject of athletics, and especially golf, is the best course of action. I hope we will have a lot of participation in the upcoming forums.”

District officials will address the immediate needs of the golf teams, whose spring season is about to begin and will explore long-term solutions as well. “There is a lot of support for the golf program. We will include our stakeholders in developing a permanent solution. That might take a while because hearing from stakeholders is a critical step,” stated Superintendent, Dr. Thomas White.

In addition, District 7 announces the public information session, as recommended by the administration, will be held on Monday, February 16th at 7pm. The information session on the District’s Athletic Programs, with golf in particular, will be held in the atrium of Spartanburg High School and is open to the public. A moderator will be announced and guidelines for participants will be published as soon as possible.

“The Board of Trustees and community have clearly articulated very high expectations for excellence and innovation in all aspects of education in Spartanburg District 7, including athletics, arts, and student activities” continued Dr. White. “Accomplishing this goal within our athletic program requires investment in facilities, coaches, and partnerships for access to world-class facilities. We acknowledge that there are many who still have questions about this overall goal and more importantly about what the District is doing to meet this vision via the athletic program. I urge all to attend and participate in the upcoming Athletic Forum on February 16th. The goal of the Board and the administration is to act in a transparent manner, and the Athletic Forum in addition to other upcoming public information sessions will further support this mission and enhance a more positive and productive dialogue with the community the District serves.”

Dr. White added, “Our district has a tradition of looking to the community for access to resources that would be beneficial to our students. We have partnerships in place with community organizations including Piedmont Community Actions, The Arts Partnership, Urban League of the Upstate, as well as close connections with The City of Spartanburg, Converse College, Wofford College, USC-Upstate and many others. We are able to provide resources and experiences to our students that would not be possible otherwise.”

Chip Hurst continued, “We learned from our experience with Wofford and the use of the Gibbs stadium for our football team, that through community partnerships, we are able to provide our students with resources that would otherwise not be feasible. Throughout the years, we have used this model to establish partnerships within the academic, arts, athletics and activity arenas and will work with our Spartanburg community to continue to do so when it benefits our students.”