This article was originally published by the Greenville News on May 27, 2018. A recent economic analysis released by Palmetto Promise Institute revealed that future utility bills from Santee Cooper – South Carolina’s state-owned utility – must increase anywhere from $166.99 to upwards of $751.03 a year per residential customer for the next 38 years. This

Back in February, we raised the alarm about how the big tax changes out of Washington passed in late 2017 would actually increase state taxes due to the way that South Carolina “conforms” to the federal tax code. Our economist—Dr. Rebecca Gunnlaugsson—outlined a roadmap for how to hold taxpayers harmless and move South Carolina closer

This article was originally published by The Post and Courier on May 21, 2018. The acquisition-hungry utility giant NextEra Energy, which has been eyeing Santee Cooper for months, says it’s still “on the hunt” for a power company after buying one in Florida. NextEra said Monday that it has agreed to purchase Gulf Power, an electric company on

South Carolina has 46 counties but 82 school districts. That’s a lot. Statistically, its 1.78 school districts for every county. To put that in perspective, North Carolina has 100 counties and 115 school districts, Florida has 67 counties and 67 school districts. Georgia has a lot of school districts—181—but they also have 159 counties! Statistically,

This is a companion publication to Santee Cooper’s Uncertain Future. by Katie Player, PhD & M.T. Maloney, PhD Executive Summary Eight months ago, on July 31, 2017, Santee Cooper and SCE&G announced they would abandon work on the V.C. Summer nuclear project. Since then, South Carolina leadership has been grappling with the best path forward

This article was originally published by The State on May 8, 2018. At first glance, Santee Cooper customers seem to be getting a better deal than SCANA customers. However, unlike state-owned Santee Cooper, SCANA has shareholders who can absorb some of the losses from the failed nuclear construction project; Santee Cooper has only debt-holders and customers.

Private schools are a vital part of a healthy education ecosystem that provides parents with the various options they need to find the right education fit for their student. Palmetto Promise recently partnered with EdChoice to conduct a survey of South Carolina’s private school sector. With the vast majority of these schools operating independently, it’s

National School Choice Week is celebrated every January all over America. You saw the video of the amazing outpouring of support for all educational options. Charter, home, private, online, magnet and Christian school students filled the steps of our South Carolina Statehouse. But this legislative week was another type of School Choice Week…more of a policy

Tomorrow (April 18) at 9:00 AM the South Carolina Senate’s K-12 Education Subcommittee will meet to discuss S.622—the South Carolina Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Account Act (ESA’s). ESA’s are an education innovation that is sweeping the country and creating unprecedented flexibility for students and families. This idea would allow parents of eligible students to apply

This article was written by Cindi Scoppe and originally published by The State on April 17, 2018. Depending on who you believe, customers of the state-owned utility could see their rates go up by 7 percent or 14 percent to pay for the abandoned nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer site near Winnsboro. The Palmetto Promise Institute,