As a parent, I know firsthand how life-changing it can be to find the right school for your child. My own children each had different needs, and the right fit made all the difference in their growth, confidence, and success. That’s why school choice isn’t just policy to me—it’s personal. Over the past year, the Palmetto

Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp is quoted in this article, originally published in WJBF and WSPA. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – In Columbia, lawmakers are making headway on a bill that would make school board meetings more accessible to the public. Supporters said the legislation, if passed, would increase transparency between school districts and families. The bipartisan

This commentary by Palmetto Promise board chair Phil Hughes was originally published in the Post and Courier. From stem to stern, South Carolina’s lawsuit system is broken — and anyone who’s run a small business, owned a restaurant that offered alcohol or driven a truck knows it. Sky-high insurance rates, nuclear verdicts and the chilling

This column by Palmetto Promise President & CEO Wendy Damron was originally published in the Daily Signal. South Carolina’s school choice program faced a crushing setback when the state’s Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional after hundreds of students had already started classes at new schools. However, a grassroots response has emerged to help families affected by the

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBIA, SC — A new economic impact study by the Palmetto Promise Institute and the Buckeye Institute predicts that passage of the Republican income tax bill (H.4216) could expand South Carolina’s economy dramatically.   According to Zachary D. Cady, Associate Economist at the Buckeye Institute’s Economic Research Center, analysis of the bill found

This op-ed by Dr. Oran Smith was originally published in the SC Daily Gazette. It is no secret that South Carolina has become a magnet for business, industry, and people. Since 2007, our population has grown by over one million, and the U-Hauls keep coming. The in-migration boom includes manufacturing and high-tech industries as well. This generational change

We are proud to share that Palmetto Promise Institute’s President & CEO Wendy Damron was appointed by the US Commission on Civil Rights to the advisory committee for the State of South Carolina.   Below is the press release from the US Commission on Civil Rights regarding Damron’s appointment: On Friday, March 21, 2025, the

This article by Patrick Gleason originally appeared in Forbes. The South Carolina Supreme Court issued a decision last September to strike down the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF), upending a new education savings account (ESA)-style program enacted by South Carolina lawmakers the prior year. The ESTF program struck down by the South Carolina Supreme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DeVos Foundation Donates $250,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund COLUMBIA, SC — The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has made a generous $250,000 donation to the ESTF Families Fund, an initiative launched by Palmetto Promise Institute to assist low-income families impacted by the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision to

Palmetto Promise’s report Sandlapper Shakedown is cited in this piece originally published in Forbes. South Carolina has been among the most successful states recently in attracting individuals, families, and employers from other states. In fact, last year the Palmetto State’s population grew faster than all 49 other states. State lawmakers in South Carolina and Governor