Policy in Person: ESTF Families React in Real Time to Stolen Opportunity
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 was a day thousands of parents across South Carolina will never forget: the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the Education Scholarship Trust Fund—the state’s fledgling ESA program—unconstitutional. Immediately, Palmetto Promise Institute took a stand and set out to share the stories of parents all over the state affected by this unjust decision. As a Palmetto Promise Research Fellow, I had the fortunate opportunity to travel with the team and camera crew to hear from families in Columbia, Florence, Sumter, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson. Over the two days we filmed, our team captured nearly 40 testimonials from administrators, parents, and children. You can watch the videos we’ve released thus far here.
There was an overwhelming theme shared amongst parents that depend on the Education Scholarship Trust Fund: this decision is a huge loss for students across the state. Parents shared their raw emotions on and off camera about the devastation this decision will have on their child’s education and their family.
Background
The Education Scholarship Trust Fund provides up to $6,000 per eligible student to use for educational expenses. This year, nearly 3,000 students were accepted and enrolled into the program, only to have their funding stripped from them less than 9 weeks into the school year.
The decision came months after the case was argued before the court, back in early March. Governor Henry McMaster has also shared his disappointment with the ruling. He agrees that after this opportunity is taken away from low-income families, there will be consequences including jeopardizing the enrollment of future students.
Palmetto Promise Institute spent January through March spreading the word on ESTF applications and how to apply for them. They surpassed their goal of 5,000 applicants, reaching 7,907, and nearly nearly 3,000 students were awarded . Now, this court decision has devastated the families who were lucky enough to receive scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year.
Interviews
Over the span of a couple days, Palmetto Promise traveled with a camera and interview crew to 6 schools that have students who use the Education Scholarship Trust Fund to pay for their education.
The interview that stood out the most to me—and left a lasting impact—was that of Jaleesa Johnson She is a single mother of 6 that took full advantage of the Education Scholarship Trust Fund. Her three children using the ESTF will lose the opportunities they have been gifted in the first 5 weeks of school, and she shared many emotions with our team, wiping away tears in between camera takes.
Her 16-year-old son has autism and ADHD and struggled to gain the attention he deserved in a large, public school setting. However, Ms. Johnson was not financially able to provide a private education for her children.
The school her son attends this year, Sumter Christian School, provides a more intentional and personal education, which is needed for children who struggle with disabilities. They even have a specialized program for special needs students. Ms. Johnson became quite emotional when expressing how positive of an impact Sumter Christian School has had on her son. She pleads with lawmakers to consider her son and her story and please reinstate their scholarships.
Another mom, of three Hampton Park Christian School students, expresses her concern for uprooting her children she placed in private school after receiving ESTF Scholarships. After making the change and showing her children how to be courageous in a new school environment, she must remove her children from the school they have grown to love. Her children also added how unfair it feels to be given such an incredible opportunity, promised the funds for the entire year, and then to have them taken away completely. It is a devastation for everyone involved.
Impact on Schools
In addition to interviewing parents and students that take advantage of the ESTF Scholarships, a few teachers and principals shared their thoughts and emotions with the camera crew. Gail Grab, the Principal of Westgate Christian School where 46 ESTF students attend, says that she and other school board members are diligently working to find any possible solution for ESTF families to stay at Westgate and not have to change schools mid-year.
At Maranatha Christian School, where ESTF 24 students attend, teachers and administrators expressed to our team how emotional it is for them to lose students because of a lack of funds. During her interview, Maranatha principal Dawn Kirven broke down crying as she expressed how devastating this decision is for so many families. It is clear the schools care about their ESTF students’ educations and are ready and anxious to get their stories out to lawmakers.
Personal Impact
Having experienced all that school choice has to offer myself, attending multiple private schools in Greenville and exercising public school choice to attend a high school outside my zoned district, I have grown to appreciate the ability to participate in school choice. To know that students in this state were being given the same opportunities I was, regardless of socioeconomic status, was such a joy to see.
After hearing how big of a loss the court’s decision is for thousands of students, I knew I had to join the rest of the Palmetto Promise team in sharing the stories of students and parents affected. I observed 30+ families share their stories and saw the pure fear and loss of hope for their children’s education. I share the fear for the education of children in South Carolina. This program gave all students the same opportunities.
Next Steps
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about the effects this decision has on families across the state. As a bonus, I learned interview skills as I observed the questions and reactions from both sides of the camera.
I hope the captured clips and emotions are noticed by lawmakers. It is clear to anyone who watches the interviews how heartbreaking this decision is and how nervous the future is for students that took advantage of the program.
