What “base student cost” means and why it matters for SC students
Base Student Cost provided 58% of state aid to school districts. It now provides only about 38% of state funding.
Much work remains to fix SC schools
The 2019 South Carolina legislative session saw a strong focus on K-12 education. New education spending topped $150 million. While many important needs were met, most notably the teacher pay increase, there is still work to be done in order to unlock South Carolina’s true potential and improve educational outcomes.
Healthcare sector should publish their prices (like everybody else)
Most South Carolinians facing surgery or other complicated medical procedures have no idea how much they will pay out of pocket. Whether they are covered by private insurance or a government program (Medicare, Medicaid), the common method for determining cost is to have the procedure… and then wait for the bill to arrive.
Long but promising road lies ahead for Santee Cooper
Throughout the fall of 2017, as another football season came and went, PPI watched and waited for someone—anyone—to step up for Santee Cooper customers. Thanks to the actions of two special legislative committees, the public did learn a lot about the demise of V.C. Summer, but there was a clear message: tackle SCE&G first, then Santee Cooper.
Elections shouldn’t impair free speech rights
Last week was “sine die,” the official end of the legislative session. During the legislative term, we updated you frequently on the issues that compose our Freedom Agenda: education, energy, tax reform and healthcare. But those were not the only important issues we tracked in defense of liberty in the 2019 legislative session.
SC teachers deserve big ideas and bold solutions
Many of us have a story of that special teacher that went the extra mile and poured their love of learning into us.
SC Senate advances key resolution on Santee Cooper’s future
Thursday, the South Carolina Senate made significant progress on the Santee Cooper issue. A Joint Resolution, H.4287, passed by a vote of 42-1. It now goes back to the South Carolina House of Representatives.
How a Santee Cooper sale could lower electric rates
Why do key business and government leaders believe a sale of Santee Cooper is in the best interest of consumers?
South Carolina schools are not underfunded
On the school funding debate, our bottom line is this: we have enough money in the system, we just need to let state-appropriated dollars follow the child, not arrive in blocks for programs.
Timeline: Why does healthcare cost so much?
In 1930, Americans spent $2.8 billion on healthcare—$23 per person and only 3.5% of the GDP. We currently spend $3.5 trillion, which comes to over $10,000 per person and 18% of the US GDP.