Superintendent Bridget Huggins told the Charleston County School District Board on Jan. 12 that the district’s midyear operational work is showing early gains and new investments intended to accelerate student supports.

Huggins said six CCSD high schools earned recognition on the College Board AP Honor Roll this year — an increase from four last year — and that the district is expanding college and career readiness options including AP and dual‑credit offerings. “This acknowledges access and opportunity has expanded in these schools,” she said.

She also highlighted capital projects completed with the penny sales tax, including a new Morningside Middle School (described in the meeting as 125,000 square feet with a $66,000,000 cost) and a new Ladsen Elementary (reported in the presentation as roughly 110,070 and $70,000,000). Trustees were invited to visit both campuses and staff said the projects were funded through the local sales‑tax program.

On student supports, Huggins announced two grants: a multi‑year mental‑health grant the district described as $5.5 million and a $500,000 opioid‑awareness grant. Miss Lisa Allison, who the superintendent introduced as a former school psychologist, said the mental‑health grant focuses on seven North Charleston schools and will fund additional school‑psychologist FTEs (some reported as 0.5 FTE allocations at specific schools), recruitment incentives, internships and university pipeline partnerships. “Having those additional psychologists at those schools not only meets intensive needs but helps shift the ratio across the district,” Allison said.

Trustees pressed staff for operational details: Trustee Bailey asked how many psychologists the grant would add; Allison and Miss Simmons said the plan is to add five additional school psychologists to the district’s existing cadre (the presentation later cited a current total of 52 school psychologists). District officials said deployment will vary by school need and that some schools will receive partial‑time increases (for example 0.5 to 0.75 FTE) rather than full‑time positions.

Huggins framed the grants and facilities as part of a broader strategy that includes expanded learning, reading interventions and a neighborhood‑school public campaign. She said the district will provide implementation planning and report back to the board as details are finalized.

The board did not take a formal vote on these announcements; Huggins said follow‑up materials and budget planning will be part of upcoming budget workshops and the FY27 process.