The American Council of Trustees & Alumni announced in October that Dr. Oran Smith, Senior Fellow at Palmetto Promise Institute, has been selected to serve on its Institute for Effective Governance® Advisory Council. Dr. Smith is being recognized for his decades of commitment to improving higher education. Currently, Dr. Smith serves as the Vice-Chair of
This article written by Palmetto Promise board member Bill Taylor was originally posted in the Aiken Standard. The warning lights on the financial dashboard are blinking red. For example, Social Security’s trustees project that reserves supporting retirement and survivor benefits will be depleted in late 2032 — only six years from now. Without congressional action,
The following article was originally published in the Post & Courier. Palmetto Promise Institute honored retiring S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, with its Statesman of Freedom Award during the inaugural Palmetto Promise Honors event on Sept. 30 at the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion in Columbia. Taylor, who is concluding 16 years of service in the
On August 25, 2026, the United States House Committee on Education & Workforce held a hearing on protecting servicemembers in schools, citing concerns where teachers or school board members were discriminated against because they took a leave of absence for military service. Of the three testifiers at this hearing, two were from South Carolina: Chris
I recently had the opportunity to join Stephen Biddix from WIS10 to discuss some of the work that South Carolina is doing to address teacher vacancies. To check out the video interview, you can view the original article here. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – As South Carolina continues to work through a teacher shortage, one organization
This op-ed originally posted in the National Review was written by Palmetto Promise Institute President Wendy Damron and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist. ESAs pair well with income-tax elimination, while tax credit scholarships don’t. In addition to being at the forefront of a national movement to drive down, flatten, and even phase out state
On August 3rd, during the WIS NEWS 10 SCGOP U.S. Senate debate, Palmetto Promise President & CEO Wendy Damron had the opportunity to ask candidates about the SAVE Act. The candidates: Russell Fry, Darline Graham, Mark Lynch, Ralph Norman, and Mark Sanford were posed a questions covering a variety of topics that challenge South Carolina
On June 5, at a luncheon in Columbia, Palmetto Promise Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith was honored by Governor Henry McMaster with the presentation of The Order of the Palmetto. The Order of the Palmetto is considered the highest civilian honor in the State of South Carolina. It was first awarded in 1971 by Governor
The following article originally appeared in the Post & Courier. As the 2025 General Assembly headed out the door, emotions in the public education community were raw. A conflict over funding between traditional public school districts and statewide public charter districts led to a Band-Aid that left neither side happy. As the 2026 General Assembly
