South Carolina House approves measure to expand education scholarships

Education
Blog · March 21, 2024

Palmetto Promise CEO Wendy Damron is quoted in this article by Todd DeFoe at The Center Square. (The Center Square) — The South Carolina House of Representatives signed off on a measure to expand the Education Scholarship Trust Fund. Lawmakers voted 69-32 in favor of H.5164 on its second reading. The measure would expand a

Universal ESA Bill Passes South Carolina House

Education
Blog · March 20, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 20, 2024 Universal ESA Bill Passes South Carolina House  Income and Previous Public School Attendance Requirement Removed  COLUMBIA — By a vote of 69-32, the South Carolina House of Representatives today gave second reading to H. 5164, a bill that, if signed into law, would expand the state’s new Education Scholarship

Palmetto Promise Submits Amicus Curiae Brief in Support of SC’s ESA Program

Education
Blog · March 6, 2024

Today, March 6, 2024, the South Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the legal challenge to South Carolina’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program, Eidson v. SC Department of Education. Palmetto Promise has advocated for the adoption of an ESA program in South Carolina for nearly a decade. We were involved every step of

Universal School Choice is Coming!

Education
Blog · February 29, 2024

Have you heard the news? South Carolina is on its way to universal school choice! Like we said after the full repeal of South Carolina’s restrictive Certificate of Need law, it is time to say goodbye to incrementalism! We wrote then that, “if the South Carolina legislature is willing to listen to citizens and patients

South Carolina education scholarships open

Education
Blog · January 30, 2024

Palmetto Promise President Wendy Damron is quoted in this article from The Center Square on South Carolina’s new ESA program. (The Center Square) — South Carolina is accepting applications for a new education scholarship that proponents say is the future of education in the state. Last year, state lawmakers passed S.39, the Educational Scholarship Trust Fund,

Common Questions About Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs)

Education
Blog · November 16, 2023

What is an ESA?ESAs allow parents to apply for eligible students to receive the state portion of education funds (or in the South Carolina case, a portion of state general funds) into a personal, parent-controlled account. Parents are then empowered to customize an education experience that meets the individual needs of their child, using their

The Gaslighting of South Carolina Parents

Education
Blog · November 14, 2023

Do you know the origin of the term “gaslighting”? The act of “gaslighting” was made famous by the MGM film of that title starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer (1944). Bergman won an Oscar for her role.* The husband-villain in the film (Gregory Anton portrayed by Boyer) plots to steal the estate of his loving

BREAKING: Proposed Library Regulation Passes

Education
Blog · November 14, 2023

On September 28, the State Department of Education (SCDE) published a draft of a “new regulation that addresses school and classroom library materials.” Because it is a state regulation, it is lengthy, but here’s the bottom line. The regulation proposed by the State Department of Education establishes a complaint process and an orderly system for

The NEA Sues South Carolina: Does Their Tillman Constitution Claim Have Merit?

Education
Blog · November 1, 2023

Last week, the National Education Association (The NEA/The SCEA) and others announced that they had filed suit against the State Department of Education, State Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver, State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, and the State Treasurer’s Office. Their target? The fledging Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program passed by the legislature in 2023 that would allow