Still, the fact that only half of the state?s ninth graders finish high school in four years - the worst rate in the nation - and that the state ranks ahead of only Hawaii and the District of Columbia on the SAT, have given detractors enough ammunition to keep the debate going.

?It?s very disheartening to hear politicians and people that are pushing an alternative agenda for school choice to downgrade our schools,? Tenenbaum said.

The reference to school choice is aimed, in part, at Gov. Mark Sanford, who was sworn in to a second term Wednesday.

His tax credit proposal, which so far has failed in the General Assembly, ?hurt the image of education,? she said.

?It demoralized our teachers just as we?re starting to see a big upswing in test scores.?

Sanford, a Republican, said he differed with the Democratic superintendent on methods, but not goals.

?Though we?ve had our share of disagreements on how to get there, we have always agreed on how absolutely fundamental education is to success in today?s world,? he said. ?I have always admired her passion and commitment to education, and I wish her the best in this next chapter of her life.?

Tenenbaum, 55, takes some solace in the fact that voters elected a fellow Democrat, Jim Rex, who also opposes using public money for private education, to succeed her.

?It was validation that people thought South Carolina schools were on the right track,? she said.

It also kept the Republicans from sweeping all the statewide offices and proved that voters are willing to cross party lines when it comes to education.

She was the only woman holding a statewide elective office, so her departure leaves the state?s constitutional offices in the hands of the demographic group that has dominated South Carolina politics from the beginning: white men.

The Education Accountability Act

It was a Republican administration, though, that initiated the legislation that has driven much of Tenenbaum?s efforts.

The Education Accountability Act of 1998, adopted under Gov. David Beasley, called for creation of a new standardized test - the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test - and grading of each school in the form of a report card.

The law had teeth. Long before President Bush came along with the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, South Carolina schools and school districts that failed to meet standards faced consequences, such as removal of teachers and principals - and even state takeover of schools and school districts.

Before she had finished her first year in office, Tenenbaum was faced with one such case. She decided, with support from the state Board of Education, to take over operation of the Allendale School District, where the average SAT score was 150 points below the state average and performance in elementary grades was failing as well.

It was a move that put her in opposition with the NAACP in the mostly black county and with local leaders.

But the move paid off. Seven years later, Allendale?s SAT scores are up 129 points. In 1999 only 16 percent of Allendale?s fourth-graders scored Basic or higher on the PACT in math. Lasts year 64 percent scored Basic or above, and if all goes according to plan, the local board will resume control of the district on June 30.

As she leaves office, however, Tenenbaum believes the Education Oversight Committee, a panel established in the accountability law, has outlived its purpose. The EOC?s efforts are duplication of functions of the state Department of Education, and it should be phased out, she believes.

Jo Anne Anderson, executive director of the EOC, said the agency has only eight full-time employees and gives a much-needed independent analysis of the progress of the state?s K-12 system.

?I have great respect for Mrs. Tenenbaum and what she?s contributed to South Carolina,? Anderson said. ?I would hope that all of us would be involved in improving our students improvement, and that?s everybody from school secretaries through the governor.?

The Hodges-Tenenbaum team

Tenenbaum swept into office with fellow Democrat, Gov. Jim Hodges, who had made education - particularly establishing a lottery to fund education - a key campaign issue.

?We were very strong partners in education,? Tenenbaum said.

The Education Lottery was approved, and since it went into business in January 2002, it has put more than $1 billion into scholarships and higher education programs and $390 million into K-12 education.

Hodges also established a new early childhood education program called First Steps that Tenenbaum implemented.

She helped the governor push through a $750 million bond bill for school construction, the largest such expenditure on school facilities in half a century.

But it was her understanding of teachers and their needs that made her a successful leader in education, Hodges said.

?One of her larger accomplishments was that she quickly earned the trust of school teachers and educators around the state and was a steadfast ally for them,? he said. ?She did it by making them a part of the solution rather than beating up on them.?

She also kept pushing education reform in the same direction, where in the previous 30 years, school improvement initiatives had been done in a hodge-podge of directions, he said.

?The one thing I?m grateful for is the fact that Inez was steady and consistent in the approach she took in trying to make our schools better,? Hodges said. ?And as a result I think our schools are better.?

Tenenbaum was ?a real grassroots leader? whose relationship with educators was based on her knowledge of the classroom and her ability to communicate, said Dr. Phinnize Fisher, superintendent of Greenville County Schools.

?She understood what was going on in local school districts as well as at the teacher level because of her own background,? Fisher said. ?She led us through those initial years of implementing No Child Left behind, and she listened to superintendents at our meetings to understand the issues.?

Budget woes

The education reform ship ran into choppy waters in the form of budget cuts as Tenenbaum?s first term drew to a close.

For four years in a row, the General Assembly didn?t fund the ?base student cost? as required by law. That forced local school boards to raise property taxes, which Tenenbaum believes fueled the Legislature?s move last year to replace property taxes for school operations with increased sales taxes.

During that period, when the slumping economy drove state revenues down, Tenenbaum butted heads with the Legislature frequently over money - particularly with Republicans such as then-state Rep. Ronny Townsend of Anderson.

?I think Inez always asked for financial support for public education as she saw was needed, and as any situation with budgets there?s going to be differences of opinions,? said Townsend, who was chairman of the House committee that oversees education.

But he gives her high marks overall for her performance.

?She was knowledgeable and hard working. She had public education and children at heart,? he said.

Inez for Senate

Tenenbaum easily won a second term in 2002, defeating Republican Dan Hiltgen, a Spartanburg college professor. And midway through her second term she was popular enough in her party to be anointed as the Democrats? choice as a successor for retiring U.S. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings.

?At first I said no, I did not what to do that,? she recalled. ?I enjoy being superintendent.?

But supporters convinced her she could continue to have an impact on education as a senator, and on other issues.

The seat was not to remain in Democratic hands, however. Greenville Republican Jim DeMint claimed 53 percent of the vote to give both South Carolina?s Senate seats to the GOP.

Tenenbaum believes negative ads distorted her record and contributed to her loss, but she looks back on the campaign as ?a wonderful experience.?

End of an era

There was still much more to come in education reform before her watch was up, though.

The Education and Economic Development Act in 2005 refocused the curriculum on preparing students for jobs and higher education in ways the old Tech Prep and College Prep programs never did.

The state now is piloting a virtual high school program, which allows students to take online courses from wherever they live.

And a new ?middle college? program allows dropouts to finish high school and earn college credit at the same time.

If she had it to do again, she would have tried to get a system in place in her first year that assigns a number to each student and allows for better computer tracking - which would help give a more accurate picture of the high school graduation rate.

She also wishes the virtual high school program had been implemented sooner.

But for now, she?s happy to ride into the sunset - although she?s not promising she won?t be back. She remains one of the most popular Democrats in the state, whose name has been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate.

She has several job officers to consider, and she won?t rule out a return to politics.

?I am just going to take time to think that through,? she said. ?Then we?ll see what comes.?

Today, though, is a time for reflection, a time to breathe deeply and let go of the responsibilities of a $6.5 million budget and 1,100 schools.

?It has been a very busy eight years,? she said. ?It?s been a great eight years.?