But the schools that have best survived, the few that have thrived, have done so by learning to live with the facts of life in the Charleston County school system. It's not like our system is taking care of us. So schools have found creative ways to get what they need. After the Tiny Little Children of Ron McNair Elementary aired a few 30-minute public service videos about their school's conditions, the Air Force came in and painted student bathrooms. The dramatic little skits continue to help.
Most schools depend on the help of parents.
At Belle Hall Elementary, parents have bought paint. At Memminger, parents helped build a new playground. At Springfield Elementary, kids with classes in trailers sometimes waded in knee-deep water to get to class. It was the parents who paid for the new boardwalk between the trailers. Most parents, principals and teachers feel they are doing about as much as they can be expected to.