This week, two students at Hidden Treasure Christian School received life-changing checks, thanks to South Carolina's new Exceptional Needs Tax Credit Scholarship. These scholarships will allow them to afford an education that meets their unique needs and equips them to reach their full God-given potential. It was an incredible experience to witness this joyful celebration!

This week Kevin Chavous, a leading voice for giving every child a chance and a choice, highlighted Greenville's own Legacy Charter School in a national oped, praising their mission to value all children and their refusal to write kids off based on their background, home life or previous school experience. Wonderful to see such a South Carolina success story in the news!

I come here personally today not as an academic policy expert but as someone who loves our home state of South Carolina and believes passionately that the path of opportunity both for our people and our state starts with bold, big picture thinking about how we put together key puzzle pieces for South Carolina’s future. We focus on the issues of energy, health care, tax & budget policy…and of course, righting the injustices of our education system, which is why I am here talking with you today.

Jay Jackson liked his local public school and did well on his report cards. He even enrolled in some of the advanced classes that his school offered. However, Jay's parents, Randy and Janice, noticed something peculiar: They never saw Jay do any homework.

Kimberly Diveley was fortunate to have a Blue Ribbon public school just down the street.

Morgan Faucett started her education at a private school. But her mom, Pam, felt the school was too small and didn’t have enough to offer Morgan. In second grade, Morgan moved to a public school and excelled there.

In the wake of the recent South Carolina Supreme Court ruling on the Abbeville case, the SC legislature has been handed a mandate to improve the education system for our rural school systems. While those who have vested interested in maintaining the status quo say that this ruling simply mandates more funding to the powers that be, our education system needs real reform. Check out these ten real steps to reform.

I am Oran Smith, and I come to you this afternoon in two capacities. I am President & CEO of Palmetto Family, a faith-based, public policy research organization founded in Spartanburg and based here in Columbia since 1994. I am also glad to be part of Palmetto Policy Forum, a new type of policy organization dedicated to expanding opportunity by building consensus around common sense solutions.

Today, at its 2nd Annual VisionSC Summit, Palmetto Policy Forum released the latest version of Empower Opportunity: Education Options for South Carolina Families. Featuring a foreword from U.S. Senator Tim Scott on the power of education choice, this groundbreaking publication is designed to equip South Carolina families with information about education options currently available to Palmetto State students. It also highlights policy success stories in states where they have created even more choice and flexibility than currently exists here.