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Just yesterday, April 28th, the South Carolina Department of Education (“the Department”) released the open enrollment guidelines required by Section 12 of S.62, the bill that re-established the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) after it was struck down by the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2024.  Specifically, this section required the Department to develop model guidelines for interdistrict transfers (i.e. transfers between school districts),

As Palmetto Promise has discussed regularly on this blog, there is a glaring problem with the South Carolina civil justice system that allows what we have termed “billboard lawyers” to target legitimate businesses for “nuclear” verdicts just because those businesses are successful, not necessarily because they are at fault.  The most targeted businesses in the

H.3408, introduced in the 2025-26 General Assembly by Rep. Patrick Haddon (R-Greenville), is designed to prevent the ownership of South Carolina land by foreign adversaries of the United States, such as Iran, North Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation. The threat of hostile countries purchasing American land to gain a strategic

In this OpEd originally published in the South Carolina Daily Gazette, Palmetto Promise CEO Wendy Damron and Investor Choice Advocates Network Founder and President, Nicolas Morgan discuss the strict regulations concerning investing in South Carolina and nationwide. Emily Kapszukiewicz has spent her career in health care — earning a master’s degree in applied economics and

Charleston County School District has created quite the stir in the charter school sector over the last couple of days – first by suggesting amendments to a piece of legislation that reforms and strengthens how charter school authorizers function in South Carolina (amendments that would create different requirements and oversight mechanisms for local and statewide

The South Carolina Senate Finance Committee is currently debating this year’s budget.  On Tuesday, April 7, Senator Greg Hembree (R – Horry) introduced a budget proviso that would: Prohibit “unbundlers” in the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program; Grandfather “unbundlers” from this school year into the program, but treats them like Option 1 (district-approved and

On March 29th Dr. Oran Smith went on Joey Hudson’s podcast to discuss the REINS Act. Check out the video below. Watch this video on YouTube

Palmetto Promise Director of Education Policy Ryan Dellinger recently joined WIS10 reporter Stephen Biddix virtually to discuss a bill that would opt South Carolina in to the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact.  To watch their video coverage, check out the original article here. Columbia, S.C. (WIS10): As school districts across South Carolina continue to grapple with

Palmetto Promise Director of Education Policy Ryan Dellinger is quoted in this article, originally published in the South Carolina Daily Gazette, discussing a bill that would opt South Carolina in to the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. We submitted written testimony on this bill as well, which you can read here. Columbia, S.C. (South Carolina Daily

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are companies that act as intermediaries between drug manufacturers, health insurers, and pharmacies. PBMs do not directly distribute medications, but they play a pivotal role in attempting to control costs, determining quantities of medication available, and altering the overall consumer experience. Most Americans have at some point in their lives been