The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) hosted a ribbon cutting for the agency's new headquarters located in Lexington County on August 12.

Agency employees, current and former State Board of Education members, students, educators, faith leaders, and invited guests were in attendance for Monday's ceremony. Former State Superintendents of Education Inez Tenenbaum, Jim Rex, Mick Zais, and Molly Spearman also joined current State Superintendent Ellen Weaver for the ribbon cutting.

"This is a beautiful representation of the reality that the educational success of our students is a shared civic endeavor that requires each of us to do our part," said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver.

The agency's new 150,000 square foot building provides collaborative spaces to those committed to the educational future of South Carolina's students.

Superintendent Weaver said, "Symbolically situated at the strategic crossroads of I-26 and I-77, this Department will serve as a point of pride for all who see."

SCDE employees moved into the new location in late June from the Rutledge Building located in downtown Columbia. That location served as the home of the state agency for 60 years.

"The Rutledge Building stood sentry over South Carolina’s education struggles and triumphs as the home of the Palmetto State’s education mission and thousands of committed SCDE employees," Superintendent Weaver said. "And now, we celebrate the turning of yet another page and the opening of a new, hope-filled chapter in South Carolina’s education story."

The project was many years in the making. It was initiated at the behest of the South Carolina General Assembly, designed by Studio 2LR, built by Pyramid Contracting, and is owned by Stern Development, representing a new era of public/private partnerships in South Carolina government.

"It is my prayer that this building will serve as a beacon of hope and shared purpose in making that dream a reality for generations of students yet to come," Superintendent Weaver said.