Video: Growing Up Great

Education
Blog · December 18, 2019

Second Baptist Christian Preparatory School (SBC Prep) has been serving students in Aiken, South Carolina with excellence for over 20 years. Dr. Shaunette Parker--mother, educator, and SBC Prep board chair--discusses the need for education freedom and how the school has shaped her own son's life.

A gamechanger for South Carolina students

Education
Blog · December 6, 2019

Yesterday, a S.C. Senate Education Subcommittee resumed public testimony on S.556, a bill to create Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs). Parents, pastors, principals, and both local and national education policy experts testified about the practical way ESAs could transform educational opportunities for low-income, special needs, military, and foster care students in South Carolina. The

Major victory for healthcare freedom handed down from North Carolina court

Healthcare
Blog · November 22, 2019

Two days ago, a court ruled in favor of Dr. Gajendra Singh and against the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on the issue of Certificate of Need (CON). North Carolina’s HHS had sought to dismiss a constitutional complaint against CON from Dr. Singh, who is being represented by our good friends at the Institute for Justice (IJ).  

Fixing South Carolina’s Education Finance Foundation

Education
Blog · October 1, 2019

“South Carolina’s educational funding scheme is a fractured formula denying students…constitutionally required opportunity.” – South Carolina Supreme Court PROBLEM 1: South Carolina’s overall academic performance is poor…and falling below Mississippi. South Carolina is at—or near—the bottom of every major national ranking of education outcomes. In 2017-18, 2/3rds of 3rd-8th graders did not meet grade level

Tale of the Century

Energy
Blog · September 20, 2019

The manufacturing process for Century Aluminum is extremely electricity dependent, requiring at full capacity 400 megawatts of electricity per year. That level of use (400 megawatts would power 80,000 homes) means that electricity is about 40% of the cost of operating the plant, its single highest expense. Unfortunately, high energy costs risk putting it out of business.

New poll shows South Carolinians’ support for comprehensive tax reform

Tax & Budget
Blog · August 30, 2019

A recent poll conducted by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce shows that 71% of registered voters support a simpler state tax code. Since 2017, Palmetto Promise has been doing the research to show how South Carolina’s unfair, unstable, and uncompetitive tax system is killing the little guy. The good news: states like North Carolina

Debunking the myths surrounding education choice

Education
Blog · August 23, 2019

Download this report.  Earlier this month, the online opinion journal EducationNext rolled out the results of its annual poll on issues in American education. We always anticipate this nonpartisan survey because it provides a window into the minds of the general public on issues we track here at Palmetto Promise, like education choice and school

Santee Cooper’s “fact check” fallacies

Energy
Blog · August 16, 2019

Earlier this summer, Palmetto Promise Institute conducted an in-depth study of aspects of Santee Cooper’s finances. Due to the opaque nature of Santee Cooper’s finances, our research was based on Santee Cooper published sources, legal filings, correspondence to elected officials, legislative hearings, and the reporting of The State and The Post & Courier.