Rodriguez named SC’s top superintendent after busy 5 years leading Beaufort Co. schools

Frank Rodriguez has navigated rough waters in his five-year tenure at the helm of Beaufort County schools. The COVID-19 pandemic upended nearly every aspect of school operations. Not long after came parent-led challenges of nearly 100 library books for supposed “adult content,” plunging the district into a contentious book-banning process that fueled discord for teachers, librarians and parents alike.

Now, Rodriguez is being honored for his leadership of the 38 schools encompassing over 20,000 students throughout the county. He was named early this month as South Carolina’s 2025 Superintendent of the Year, beating out 77 other superintendents across the state.

The award’s annual recipient is decided by the S.C. Association of School Administrators (SCASA), who review nominations and select finalists before interviewing the top candidates in front of a large panel of teachers and community leaders.

“It’s just overwhelming, honestly,” Rodriguez told WSAV 3 News. “This is something that you share with everybody on the team because it takes a team. I’m blessed to have a great one to work with.”

Rodriguez’s contract ends in 2028 and his annual salary is $251,254, making him the highest-paid school district employee in Beaufort County. He spent 26 years as a social studies teacher and administrator in Florida before making the move to the Hilton Head area, he told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in a sit-down last fall.

Committee judges say they appreciated Rodriguez’s student engagement programs to combat pandemic learning loss, resulting in the district’s highest-ever language arts scores on 2023 state tests, according to a SCASA press release. They also lauded his efforts to pass a referendum for $439 million in bonds to, in part, fund school renovations and construction of new facilities.

Rodriguez was the third Beaufort County superintendent to receive the honor since 2005, when Herman Gaither received the award. Dr. Valerie Truesdale won in 2010.

The award includes a scholarship, which Rodriguez can use to assist a student or teacher with professional development or college courses.

SCASA members also named the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence as a “Palmetto’s Finest” institution in late April, recognizing the high school for top-tier education and leadership. The technical school, which prioritizes vocational coursework and pushes students to obtain industry certifications, became the first school in Jasper County to win the statewide award.