Columbia, S.C.Serving over 800,000 students, South Carolina’s public schools continue to receive billions of dollars in taxpayer funding each year, making them a top priority for the state’s budget. The Department of Education is laying out its goals for the next fiscal year as lawmakers get ready to meet again in January.
Ellen Weaver, the state superintendent of education, is pushing for large investments, especially in rural school infrastructure and teacher compensation. Building on recent accomplishments that saw starting pay rise from $32,000 to $47,000 over the previous six years, Weaver wants to raise the minimum teacher compensation to $50,000. In order to draw the best teachers to the most underserved communities, she also suggests spending $5 million to extend a strategic compensation pilot program.
Investment in Rural Schools and Career Readiness
Additionally, by proposing $13 million for career preparation programs in subjects like cybersecurity and computer science, the government is giving priority to rural schools. Weaver also wants to create an Education Infrastructure Bank with $100 million to help rural schools pay for important construction upgrades that exceed their present tax base.
Additionally, charter schools, who presently do not have access to state facilities or transportation funding, would receive cash from the infrastructure bank.
Support for Early Education and School Choice
In order to increase summer reading programs for younger pupils who are at risk of falling behind, Weaver is asking for $30 million.
The Education Scholarship Trust Fund, a school voucher scheme that has encountered legal issues, is allocated an additional $30 million. With Weaver’s assistance, Republican lawmakers want to seek legislation to overturn the state Supreme Court’s recent ruling that public dollars cannot be used for private school tuition.
A Push for the Future
Weaver’s suggestions demonstrate a comprehensive strategy for resolving the state’s educational issues. The superintendent wants to guarantee that every student in South Carolina has access to high-quality education, which includes modernizing rural schools, increasing teacher pay, and extending early education and school choice programs.
When the legislative session starts in January, lawmakers will examine the department’s budget requests.
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