Driving School in Sumter, SC

Dr. Gerald Gary has been offered the job as the new Sumter School District superintendent.

SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter School District announced in their meeting this evening they had picked a new superintendent.

The Board of Trustees unanimously selected Dr. Gerald Gary as Sumter School District Superintendent pending successful negotiations.

Gary is a Sumter native.

The decision comes just days after the district wrapped up community meet and greets with the finalists last week.

Dr. Gerald Gary born at Tuomey Hospital, and a product of Sumter schools. Both of his parents were career educators. He attended Willow Drive Elementary School and Bates Middle School and graduated from Sumter High School in 1994. Members of Dr. Gary’s family reside in Sumter, and he continues to attend St. Luke A.M.E. Church.

Dr. Gary currently serves as Chief Operations Officer of Lexington-Richland School District Five, a cabinet-level position he has held for approximately one year. In this role, he oversees facilities, transportation, technology, and student nutrition services for the district’s 27 schools and 16,400 students. He has also been actively involved in long-range and strategic planning with district-level staff for several years.

Previously, Dr. Gary served for 13 years as an elementary, middle, and high school principal in Lexington-Richland School District Five and for six years as an elementary principal in Kershaw County School District. He also has classroom teaching experience in Richland School District Two and taught summer school in Sumter for one year.

In his current role, Dr. Gary is leading preparations for a significant change to school attendance zones and overseeing $240 million in construction projects. He has also taught school finance for 10 years as a faculty member of the South Carolina Executive Institute for Education and Leadership. Additionally, having worked in districts with significant military populations, Dr. Gary is keenly attuned to the needs of students from military families.

SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. – A Sumter man was arrested early Monday after deputies allegedly found him hiding on a property that had just been burglarized.

According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 3 a.m. Monday to a home on Cains Mill Road after a homeowner reported seeing a suspicious person on a video surveillance camera outside the residence.

Dispatchers alerted deputies to the scene following the call, and responding officers began searching the area around the home.

During that search, deputies located a suspect hiding nearby and identified him as Brian O’Steen, 45, of Beulah Cutino Road in Sumter, authorities said.

Investigators say O’Steen was allegedly found with burglary tools in his possession and was taken into custody at the scene.

According to the sheriff’s office, O’Steen has been charged with:

Deputies transported O’Steen to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he is currently being held while awaiting a bond hearing, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office did not release additional details about the alleged burglary or whether any property was taken from the home.

Home surveillance footage has increasingly played a role in identifying suspects during overnight incidents, particularly when residents are alerted to activity on their property in real time.

Incidents reported in the early morning hours can affect nearby commuters and residents as deputies respond and search surrounding areas.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

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Two South Carolina singers have made it to the next round of American Idol.

Tiana Roberts of Sumter and Chloe Lauren of Warrenville will compete in the Ohana round on Monday.

Roberts received a golden ticket after her audition in which she sang the hymn “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior.”

Judge Carrie Underwood said, “You have an incredible voice. I feel like we’ve been waiting for you all day.”

Roberts is a graduate of Sumter High School, where she was homecoming queen, and of University of South Carolina Sumter in 2021. In her audition, Roberts told judges she decided to overcome fears and audition for “American Idol” because the risk was worth the sacrifice.

“No risk, no story. So here I am,” she said.

Chloe Lauren, 25, is a stay at home mom who sang “Maybe” at her audition.

She began singing as a young child in church and around family, and had not performed in front of an audience until Idol.

She said she set her music ambitions aside when she became a mother. Her husband encouraged her to pick it up again. She called it her “second chance.”

In the next round, called Hollywood Week, she sang a slowed down version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” She teared up during her interview with the judges but once she started singing she found her footing.

And when Underwood said, “Chloe…you’re in our Top 30! Believe it, girl!” she seemed once again overcome.

“Things like this don’t happen to people like me,” she said.

Filmed at the Aulani Resort in Hawaii, it is a new round this season featuring the top 30 contestants.

The judges — Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bruan — will critique the performances and get insight from three other groups, the contestants, the artists’ family and friends and a group from the music industry.

Ten contestants will be cut.

“American Idol” airs on Monday nights at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Sumter School District residents met three superintendent finalists during public forums, sharing feedback on leadership, transparency and support for educators.

SUMTER, S.C. — The search for the next leader of Sumter School District is moving forward as community members get the opportunity to meet the candidates and share their input.

The district is hosting a series of public engagement events where residents can meet the three finalists for superintendent and provide feedback before a final decision is made.

A series of meetings have been held across Sumter County, giving residents a chance to hear directly from the final three candidates for the school district’s top position.

The finalists are: Dr. Cassandra Baker-Carr, Dr. Gerald Gray, a Sumter native; and Dr. MiUndrae Prince.

During the forums, candidates shared their leadership backgrounds and vision for the district while answering questions from the community.

Key issues raised by residents included transparency within the district, superintendent turnover, school funding, charter schools, parent involvement and how to better support and care for educators.

One parent, who attended all three nights, said she hopes the district’s next leader will demonstrate strong decision-making and a focus on students.

“I definitely what someone who is going to make a decision and stay with it," said parent Rhonda Evans Montgomery. "We want someone who is going to lead with integrity, and want someone who is going to put the kids first.”

Others in attendance said leadership and communication between the superintendent and the school board will also play a critical role in the district’s success.

“The district will be better served or well served by any of them. I was laboring on the assumption when this started that we should have someone that is already a superintendent, but after seeing all of the candidates and hearing them, we all have to start some place and have different experiences so they can have a better start to serve us on day one,” said community member Chuck Wilson.

Community leaders also stressed the importance of collaboration and inclusion as the district moves forward.

“Be inclusive. You know, reach out to people. People are willing to help. And being the only civil rights organization in this county, that we need a seat at the table. We need to be involved. Not to tell, but to help. To help bring people together. Because we know, as being a leader in the community, we know what people are saying and what people want. And if we've got a seat at the table, we can help implement that or suggest that to them,” said Roland Robinson, president of the Sumter NAACP.

District leaders say community feedback from the engagement sessions will help inform the school board as it works to select the next superintendent.

Less than a week after Drew Marlowe officially stepped down as the head football coach at (SC), he has landed on his feet at another program in the same position.

According to a report by The Sumter Item, Sumter (SC) has hired Marlowe as the program’s next head football coach. Marlowe led South Florence to SCHSL Class 4A state championships in 2022 and 2024.

During his time as the South Florence head coach, Marlowe over the course of six seasons compiled an overall record of 63-16, which included four state championship game appearances and falling just short of a third 4A title in 2025, losing to South Pointe, 35-14.

The Bruins have seen a long-term level of success, with the last time the team having a losing season coming back in 2012. Since then, South Florence has racked up 13 straight winning seasons, including six double-digit victory campaigns.

Sumter finished with a 9-2 record and as the No. 5 ranked team in the state, according to the final South Carolina 2025 High School Football Massey Rankings.

More about Sumter High School

Sumter High School, located in Sumter, South Carolina, is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12. With an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students, it is the second-largest high school in the Midlands of South Carolina and the fifth largest in the state. The school’s mascot is the Gamecocks, named after General Thomas Sumter, known as “The Fighting Gamecock.” Sumter High offers a comprehensive athletics program with a rich history of success in various sports.

How to Follow South Carolina High School Football

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