Current Issues
Do You Need Information About Tax Reform and Education Funding?
Tax reform is a hot topic in the SC General Assembly this year and it can be difficult to understand this complicated issue. The Winter 2006 issue of "Council News" features "Property Taxes for Education Funding: Good, Bad, or Both?" by Bob Davis, CFO of Richland School District Two. You can also find two segments of Council Update on ETV-SIC Streaming Video, where Mr. Davis explains "Education Funding: The Basics" and "Education Funding: Beyond the Basics".
Find a variety of reports and publications on funding and revenue in South Carolina, including Evaluation of the South Carolina Revenue System, at The Palmetto Institute's website.
Holley Hewitt Ulbrich and Ada Louise Steirer from the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University have developed two Citizen's Guides to help people understand state government financing and education funding: Financing Education in SC - A Citizen's Guide (6,865 KB) and Paying for Government in SC - A Citizen's Guide (286 KB).
Visit the SC General Assembly page at scstatehouse.net and click on Citizen’s Interest to learn more about property tax reform. A comprehensive storehouse of information about education funding in South Carolina is also located at this site, which contains all the documents utilized by the Joint Education Funding Study Committee.
Do You Understand the Voucher/Tax Credit Debate?
The hot debate now raging across South Carolina about vouchers/tax credits in the public school system began with the introduction of the "Put Parents in Charge" bill a few sessions ago. The legislation proposed by Governor Mark Sanford and some members of the state legislature would allow individuals and businesses to receive state income tax credits in return for dollars spent to pay tuition for students to attend private schools. Proponents of the bill say school choice should be available for all parents and that the legislation could actually provide more money for public education. A stated purpose of the bill is to "expand educational opportunities for children of families living in poverty." Those opposed to the bill say it would do just the opposite: cut funding for public schools and leave poor children behind in under-funded schools while helping the wealthy to send their children to private schools. They say the bill is unproven, unaccountable and unaffordable. Want to know more? Click on the link below to download an analysis of the original bill.
Understanding the "Put Parents in Charge" Bill (114 KB)
Education Equity Lawsuit
Eight rural school districts sued the state of South Carolina over a decade ago contending that the state did not provide them enough funding to provide the “minimally adequate” education required by the state constitution. Judge Thomas Cooper issued a ruling on the lawsuit (493 KB) in 2006. The case is currently under appeal.