The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., where former Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson was schools chief before coming to Seattle in 2007, has published an article on her departure.

Judging from reader comments, Charleston wasn't super crazy about Goodloe-Johnson either, but looks like she might have been slightly more popular back there, because when news of her job offer with SPS broke, not only did the Charleston County School Board offer to extend her contract by a year to try and persuade her to stay, "several hundred students at North Charleston High School broke into a chant urging her not to leave." Some of the stuff she did over there sounds oddly familiar to what she did here.

The article also mentions Don Kennedy, former SPS Chief Financial and Operations Officer, who followed Goodloe-Johnson to Seattle from Charleston and whose contract was also terminated by the Seattle School Board yesterday.

In August 2003, Charleston County School Board members unanimously chose Goodloe-Johnson to become superintendent, the first black and first woman to fill that role in the district.

Six months later. she unveiled her Charleston Plan for Excellence, a six-year plan to make the district the best in the state. A year later she announced her plan to reconstitute Rivers and Brentwood middle schools, both of which had failed for years, and to improve them by using the A-Plus program.

Her tenure was not without criticism, which frequently is the case in that position. She left behind failing schools and some even threatened with a state takeover. Still, SAT scores improved and the number of traditionally underachieving schools closing the gap rose from eight to 20 in the last two years before she left to become superintendent in Seattle.

Kennedy, the district's chief finance and administrative services, accepted a similar job in Seattle after Goodloe-Johnson's hiring.

Never been to Charleston, but judging by these two comments, it must be one fun place to live in.

harrisonbarnes17: What the heck is this line?

THE FIRST BLACK and first woman to fill that role in the district."

I am African American and I am offended to the highest regard. This shall not and will not be acceptable. What am I? Just a thing, a color? I may have to get the NAACP on this.

tbird: We gave Seattle Goodloe-Johnson and her ilk and Seattle gave us Boeing....

Rather ironic and rude on Charleston's behalf, don't you think???