On Tuesday, June 16th, Palmetto Promise Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith served as a moderator for the first (and only!) gubernatorial runoff debate between Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette. Held on the campus of Coastal Carolina University, the debate allowed candidates the opportunity to comment on a wide variety of topics,
South Carolina voters went to the polls on Tuesday to select hundreds of nominees for Constitutional offices as well as their Congressional and General Assembly representatives. Every single State House of Representatives seat is on the ballot in November, and many of these seats had primary contests this week. We’ve compiled a complete list of
In this article originally posted in the Post and Courier, Dr. Oran Smith comments on legislation concerning the transparency of University president headhunting. By Anna B. Mitchell amitchell@postandcourier.com CLEMSON — After decades of giving the public a chance to vet candidates for some of the state’s top positions in academia, South Carolina’s leading universities
In this op-ed, originally published in The Post and Courier, I discuss the potential for groundbreaking statewide public charter school funding reform that hinges on a decision resting with the Jasper County Council. They are currently considering giving some local funding to some of their charter schools, which could serve as an important test case
Energy demand in South Carolina is rising. Both families and prospective businesses are poised to draw more from South Carolina’s power infrastructure. The estimated air conditioning costs this summer are already projected to be roughly $100 higher than last year, especially concerning given that South Carolina consistently ranks among the states with the highest household
I recently joined Stephen Biddix from WIS10 to discuss the passage of H.5073, which bans grade floors in traditional and public charter schools and reforms credit and content recovery programs. Check out the story below, or head to the original story to watch my video interview! Columbia, S.C. (WIS10) – Parents across South Carolina could
Governor Henry McMaster recently signed S.454 into law, enacting a plethora of reforms to the public charter school sector. Originally conceived to address the (then-impending) closure of Limestone University and the affiliated Limestone Charter Association, S.454 has been hotly debated and heavily amended during its journey through the legislative process. Now that the dust has
For the 126th South Carolina General Assembly, Palmetto Promise tracked nearly 200 pieces of legislation. Our interest in these bills was guided primarily by the 20 items on our Palmetto Freedom Agenda. During the session, we tracked bills that aligned with the Agenda’s core principles, presented research about those policy issues on our blog, and,
I was fortunate enough to join ABC 4 News (Charleston) to offer some commentary on H.5073, Rep. Fawn Pedalino’s (R – Clarendon) ban on grade floors in public schools. The bill has since been signed by Governor McMaster and will be in effect for the 2026-27 school year. COLUMBIA, S.C (WCIV) — South Carolina lawmakers have
In recent years, there has been a plethora of stories about the great migration of Americans from high-cost-of-living states, namely California and New York, to cheaper, freer states such as Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. So, what about South Carolina? It is actually the Palmetto State that is leading the nation in in-migration. According to Tax
