A new opportunity for Colleton County students may be on the horizon. The new prospect is The Colleton County School of Arts and Trades. This charter school would be for grades 9-12. Anthony Wade Razzi, PhD, a Founding Committee Member of CCSAT provided an Executive Summary of what the new high school would entail.
The Colleton County School of Arts and Trades (CCSAT) is a proposed, home-grown South Carolina public charter high school. Our purpose is deeply local: we want to address real community needs by giving our young people meaningful skills, a strong sense of purpose, and a clear pathway to a stable future right here at home. Our hope is to help train the youth of this county to stay here, work here, and fix here, strengthening Colleton County from within.
CCSAT is not sponsored by an EMO. This effort is being developed by local community members and educators who care about the long-term health of our area and the opportunities available to our families.
Program Model (Proposed): CCSAT will pair a rigorous academic program with hands-on, career-focused pathways in the building arts and skilled trades. Proposed trade areas include:
Architectural blueprint reading and design
Framing and carpentry
Plumbing and copper brazing
Welding and metalworking
Masonry and block work
(Planned expansion) Electrical work
Students will graduate not only with a South Carolina high school diploma, but also with industry-recognized credentials and real-world experience such as: NCCER module certificates and OSHA 10/30 along with project-based learning and workforce relationships that connect students to apprenticeships, employment, and continuing education.
CCSAT is currently in the charter development and application process. If approved, our target opening is the 2027 school year.
Executive summary – Colleton County School of Arts and Trades (CCSAT)
Mission Statement
The mission of the Colleton County School of Arts and Trades (CCSAT) is to provide a safe, rigorous, and career-aligned public education that prepares students for meaningful employment, advanced technical training, military service, and responsible citizenship.
CCSAT will integrate strong academics with hands-on instruction in high-demand skilled trades, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, work ethic, and character necessary to thrive in life and the workforce. The school will operate in alignment with the purposes of the South Carolina Charter Schools Act (S.C. Code Ann. § 59-40-10 et seq.) by increasing learning opportunities for students, encouraging the use of innovative and accountable educational programs, closing opportunity gaps, and preparing students to be productive members of the state’s workforce and communities.
Alignment with the South Carolina Charter Schools Act (§ 59-40-20)
The fundamental purpose of CCSAT is directly aligned with the purposes of S.C. Code Ann. § 59-40-20. CCSAT will: increase student learning through rigorous academics integrated with career and technical education, provide expanded choices in public education for families in Colleton County and surrounding areas, implement innovative instructional strategies, including project-based and work-based learning, establish high standards of accountability for academic, technical, and workforce outcomes, prepare students to enter the South Carolina labor market with industry-recognized skills and credentials, provide additional opportunities for students at risk of academic failure or disengagement. Through this mission-driven model, CCSAT will meet both the academic and practical imperatives of a modern charter high school: improving postsecondary readiness, contributing to regional economic development, and equipping students to succeed in high-demand trade careers.
Target Student Population and Community Served
CCSAT will serve students in grades 9–12 residing in Colleton County and nearby rural and underserved communities in the Lowcountry region. Many students in the target population demonstrate strong aptitude for mechanical, technical, and constructionrelated work, but lack access to structured programs that connect these strengths with academic success and career pathways. CCSAT will respond through small school environment and strong relationships, embedded reading/writing in technical instruction, advisory and mentoring structures, community and employer partnerships, comprehensive counseling and career-planning supports. Non-academic challenges include economic barriers, inconsistent access to technology, and limited family awareness of skilled-trade career pathways.
Key Features of the Educational Program
CCSAT’s academic model is built on three integrated pillars: Rigorous Core Academics aligned to SCCCR standards, High-quality Career and Technical Education (CTE) aligned to South Carolina CATE programs, Work-Based Learning and Industry Credentialing. Key program components include: full-day weekly trade immersion labs, pathways in carpentry/framing, masonry/brickwork, metalworking/welding, and plumbing/copper brazing, project-based learning tied to real construction and fabrication projects, OSHA-aligned safety instruction, blueprint reading, trade mathematics, and applied physics, senior capstone “masterpiece” project demonstrating craftsmanship and academic integration, dual-enrollment or apprenticeship options where feasible, industry credential opportunities (e.g., NCCER, OSHA-10/30, welding certifications). This model is expected to increase student engagement, attendance, and achievement, particularly for students who benefit from applied learning environments. Academic instruction will remain rigorous and fully aligned to graduation requirements while being intentionally connected to real-world trade applications.
Founding Group / Planning Committee Capacity
The CCSAT Founding Committee consists of educators, business leaders, trades professionals, parents, architects, and community stakeholders who recognize both the regional workforce demand and the student need for high-quality trade education. The committee formally organized to design a school that connects classroom learning with meaningful career opportunities while maintaining high academic standards. The committee has engaged in: analysis of local labor-market needs, development of bylaws, governance structures, and policy frameworks, drafting of budgets, staffing models, and multi-year enrollment plans, consultation with industry partners, development of facilities and shop-space concepts, implementation of community outreach and support-gathering efforts. The founding group believes it possesses the capacity to open and sustain a highquality charter school because members bring expertise in: K–12 education and curriculum design, construction and skilled trades, school governance and policy, facility planning and architecture, finance and operations, community engagement. Together they are committed to Kids First decision-making, transparent governance, and compliance with the South Carolina Charter Schools Act and SCPCSD accountability expectations.
Education Management Organization (EMO/CMO) Partnership Status
At this time, the CCSAT Founding Committee: does not intend to contract with an EMO/CMO
CCSAT will be governed by an independent, nonprofit charter school board accountable to its authorizer. If the school later considers contracting with an EMO or CMO, the board will follow competitive procurement processes, conduct due diligence, maintain full fiduciary responsibility, and ensure compliance with all state law and SCPCSD policies.
