SC House Making Progress on Judicial Reform
This week, the South Carolina House of Representatives took a substantial step toward judicial reform in the Palmetto State.
South Carolina education scholarships open
Palmetto Promise President Wendy Damron is quoted in this article from The Center Square on South Carolina’s new ESA program. (The Center Square) — South Carolina is accepting applications for a new education scholarship that proponents say is the future of education in the state. Last year, state lawmakers passed S.39, the Educational Scholarship Trust Fund,
McMaster State of the State Touches on Palmetto Promise Priorities
PHOTO CREDIT: SC DAILY GAZETTE Governor Henry McMaster delivered his annual State of the State address last night to the South Carolina General Assembly. Palmetto Promise was thrilled to hear McMaster hammer home a number of the issues we have historically championed. You can read the whole address here, but to save you that trouble,
South Carolina Education Dept. launches $6k student scholarship application portal
ABC News 4 quoted Palmetto Promise in this article by Bryce Jacquot originally published in January 2024. SOUTH CAROLINA (WCIV) — A portal created by the South Carolina Department of Education to accept applications for $6,000 scholarships to qualifying South Carolina students is now open. The Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) was created by the legislature
Common Questions About Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs)
What is an ESA?ESAs allow parents to apply for eligible students to receive the state portion of education funds (or in the South Carolina case, a portion of state general funds) into a personal, parent-controlled account. Parents are then empowered to customize an education experience that meets the individual needs of their child, using their
The Gaslighting of South Carolina Parents
Do you know the origin of the term “gaslighting”? The act of “gaslighting” was made famous by the MGM film of that title starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer (1944). Bergman won an Oscar for her role.* The husband-villain in the film (Gregory Anton portrayed by Boyer) plots to steal the estate of his loving
BREAKING: Proposed Library Regulation Passes
On September 28, the State Department of Education (SCDE) published a draft of a “new regulation that addresses school and classroom library materials.” Because it is a state regulation, it is lengthy, but here’s the bottom line. The regulation proposed by the State Department of Education establishes a complaint process and an orderly system for
General Election Results 2023 (Local)
This was an off-cycle election, so there were no Presidents, Governors, or US Senators on the ballot in South Carolina, but there were a number of interesting local questions decided. SCHOOL BOARDS School boards across the state have seen turnover in recent election cycles. This was most pronounced in Charleston County, where due to a
The NEA Sues South Carolina: Does Their Tillman Constitution Claim Have Merit?
Last week, the National Education Association (The NEA/The SCEA) and others announced that they had filed suit against the State Department of Education, State Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver, State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, and the State Treasurer’s Office. Their target? The fledging Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program passed by the legislature in 2023 that would allow
Anti-ESA Lawsuit Filed
Statement of Palmetto Promise Institute Eidson v. South Carolina Department of Education October 26, 2023 “The Education Scholarship Trust Fund Act (Act 8), passed by a bipartisan majority of the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, is clearly constitutional. State aid in the ESTF is directed to students, not schools (or to the wide