Palmetto Promise polled private schools on how their operations—instructional, financial, and otherwise—have been affected by COVID-19. We released the results, paired with projections about the range of potential impacts of declining private school enrollment and possible school closures on public school budgets in a first-of-its-kind SC-specific analysis.   This survey sparked a long-overdue public conversation

Palmetto Promise Institute President & CEO Ellen Weaver was quoted in this Post & Courier article about a South Carolina bill to remove barriers to work for military spouses. S.455 will recognize licenses from military spouses moving into South Carolina without them having to go through the expensive and time-consuming license process.  By Thomas Novelly 

A Palmetto Promise Institute blog post is featured in this Post & Courier story regarding reciprocating occupational and professional licenses across state lines for military spouses.  By Thomas Novelly It’s been a tough year for the S.C. Military Base Task Force. More than a dozen bills proposed in 2019 made little traction in the Statehouse. And

Palmetto Promise’s Oran Smith and board chair Phil Hughes are quoted in this Forbes pieces comparing California and South Carolina’s approach to their utilities. To learn more about the research referenced in this article, click here.  By Patrick Gleason, Forbes Contributor  California lawmakers and state officials recently went through a very high profile failure in

ABC Columbia covered the release of the Palmetto Promise Healthcare Freedom Agenda at the South Carolina statehouse alongside doctors and lawmakers from across the state.  By Rochelle Dean View video here.  Columbia, SC (WOLO) — South Carolina lawmakers released their plan to reform the states healthcare system. Under the healthcare freedom agenda, individuals would pay

Tax reform advocate Ellen Weaver of the Palmetto Promise Institute said the surplus shows the state can handle big changes — such as lowering rates and broadening the base — in revenue collections. Weaver added current budgeting practices need to be addressed.

My thanks to state Rep. Russell Fry for standing with Santee Cooper customers. Rep. Fry serves on the special legislative committee that’s considering offers to buy state-owned Santee Cooper, offers that would pay off the enormous debt and ensure lower rates than Santee Cooper’s. Rep. Fry cast a crucial vote on the committee to pursue

This article was originally published in Forbes by author Patrick Gleason. A new Mason-Dixon poll out this week shows that state Education Savings Account (ESA) programs, which expand school choice by allowing families to control a large share of the taxpayer resources going toward their children’s education, aren’t just sound policy for state lawmakers to enact, they’re

PPI Senior Fellow Dr. Oran P. Smith is quoted in this article from The State that appeared on January 20, 2019.