Superintendent
Dr. Frank Rodriguez, Superintendent
The first Hispanic superintendent in SC, Dr. Rodriguez starts off each of his personally recorded robocalls in English and Spanish by saying, "This is your proud Superintendent Frank Rodriguez," which is a genuine reflection of his commitment and dedication to serving everyone in his community.
Named the 2025 South Carolina Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Rodriguez has significantly impacted Beaufort County since his arrival. Under his leadership, two major bond referendums have overwhelmingly passed, one in 2019 for $344 million and another in 2023 for $439 million, the largest in the district's history.
"I am driven by the notion that a great education is the key to a person’s future, and I dedicate myself to ensuring that each and every child receives one."
His engagement with the community is evident through over 75 speaking engagements in the past year and his recognition as one of 25 "Superintendents to Watch" by the National School Public Relations Association for his communication efforts.
He testified before the U.S. Congress about the success of the district's extended learning programs, a collaborative effort involving community organizations to address pandemic-related learning loss. This innovative use of ESSER funds no doubt contributed to the district achieving its best-ever English Language Arts scores on the 2022, 2023, and 2024 SC Ready state assessment. Additionally, the district has also reached the highest College or Career Readiness scores at 82.8% and the highest graduation rate at 88.6%.
Dr. Rodriguez spends a morning visiting students in our elementary schools.
Under his leadership, the district's FY2023 budget was unanimously approved, raising the starting teacher salary to $50,066 and propelling the district from 53rd to 1st in teacher compensation in the state at that time. Additionally, he has introduced free and reduced-cost afterschool childcare for staff as well as an induction and mentoring program for new teachers.
In 2025 Dr. Rodriguez was inducted into the Citadel's Zucker Family School of Education Wall of Fame for Outstanding Career/Lifetime Contribution to Education and additionally named Superintendent of the Year 5A/4A by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association.
Before joining Beaufort County, Dr. Rodriguez dedicated 26 years to the South Florida education community in various administrative roles, further underscoring his extensive experience and commitment to education.