It’s been more than a month since South Carolina’s Supreme Court, or rather the former Supreme Court, issued a landmark ruling against the Palmetto State’s fledgling school choice program.
As I reported at the time, the court canceled broad portions of the Educational Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) (as previously structured). ESTF is a program created by the SC General Assembly and administered by the SC Department of Education (SCDE).
The program awarded approximately 5,000 academic scholarships totaling $6,000 each to eligible K-12 students. This means that approximately $30 million worth of scholarships have been selected out of a total “education” budget of $14 billion. Judge Garrison Hill, recently appointed to the court by “Republican” lawmakers, joined the liberal majority in ruling these scholarships unconstitutional, calling the program “a constitutional restriction on the use of public funds.” “This is an attempt to develop a trust to avoid this.” ”
The court’s controversial ruling, which legislative leaders declined to challenge, could not have come at a worse time for students who take advantage of these scholarships.
“The Supreme Court waited more than 180 days after oral arguments to issue a shocking decision for families who believed ESTF School Choice Scholarships would be funded for the entire 2024-25 school year,” Wendy Damron said. said. “In recent weeks, our hearts have been broken by hearing stories of low-income families who were stripped of their scholarships midway through the school year after settling into new schools that better suited their children.”
***Wendy Damron (Provided) ***
Damron is the leader of Palmetto Promise, a conservative advocacy group in South Carolina that pushed for the ESTF bill and helped expand the program.
This week, Damron announced “good news” about the incident.
“Generous donors have come forward to provide funding to private school students affected by recent decisions,” Damron said in a news release.
According to Damron, Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass (who she describes as a “businessman and philanthropist who believes strongly in the power of school choice to change lives”) gave Palmetto Promise a ” It has pledged enough funds to “fund ESTF scholarships for schools.” Tuition fees are payable until the end of the calendar year. ”
“We are aware that next quarter’s tuition deadline is near, and we are moving quickly to get funding to schools as soon as logistics allow,” Damron added in the release.
Thanks to Yas, any student currently attending a private school in the Palmetto State as part of the ESTF program can receive funding.
While promoting Yas’ gift, Damron encouraged South Carolinians who support school choice to be courageous as well.
***
“If you would like to support ESTF families throughout the 2024-25 academic year, we will continue to accept donations. 100% of donations will go towards tuition fees for ESTF families,” she said. “For $3,000, you can sponsor a spring ESTF student.”
Click here if you would like to support the program. While efforts continue to help students who were in this particular elective program, lawmakers are already debating which elective programs should move forward in 2025.
South Carolina Senate President Thomas Alexander and South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith have insisted that school choice will be a “top priority” in the next Congress, which convenes in January. There are still several weeks until legislation is introduced ahead of that session, but several bills proposed in the previous (2023-2024) session are expected to resurface.
One bill, H. 4645, would eliminate the state as a middleman and simply give money directly to parents in the form of refundable tax credits. Such an approach would avoid constitutional entanglements by preventing cash from leaving government coffers in the first place. Tax Credit Proposal – Submitted by State Representatives jordan pace – Offers more than scholarships, $7,000 per child with unlimited eligibility.
Pace confirmed to the outlet that he plans to reintroduce the bill during the 2025-2026 legislative session, which begins in January.
*** South Carolina Sen. Tom Davis addresses a panel during a Congressional hearing in Columbia, South Carolina, October 16, 2024 (Will Folks/FITSNews) ***
Another earlier bill – S. 285 – would have provided “an income tax deduction for contributions to scholarship funding organizations that provide subsidies for students to attend certain independent schools and home schools.” The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Davis, is supported by many school choice advocates because it would be privately run.
Davis also confirmed to the outlet that he plans to reintroduce the bill during the next Congress.
Davis’ bill is supported by longtime supporter Olga Lisinska, a South Carolina Republican activist.
Lisinska said the bill could be “quickly passed” and signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster “without the need for Mr. Yass’ $4.2 million contribution.”
Lisinska criticized Damron’s group and its founders, former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and state Superintendent Ellen Weaver, for supporting flawed school choice proposals.
“As we have been warned by Mr. Yass, South Carolina legislators, families, school officials, and Governor McMaster, we believe that Jim DeMint and Ellen Weaver are responsible for causing this fiasco in the first place. “I would like to remind you that under the guidance of Palmetto Promise Institute itself, the ESA is unconstitutional and all legal challenges will fail,” Lisinska said.
My media has actually been consistently advocating for expanded school choice for over a decade. As I have pointed out many times, choice is the “magic bullet” in education that “unlocks academic achievement, stimulates innovation, and creates the only accountability of value: market accountability.” That’s the key.
What should school choice look like in South Carolina? We look forward to hearing from the media as we take a deep dive into each proposal coming up in the upcoming legislative session and share with our viewers our thoughts on each proposal. please. And when House and Senate leaders said in January that this issue would be a “top priority,” you can count on us to hold them to their words.
*** About the author … Will Fawkes (Dylan Nolan)
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Before founding his own news organization, he was a press secretary for the governor of South Carolina, a bass guitarist for an alternative rock band, and a bouncer at a dive bar in Columbia, South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
Want to turn off the sound?
Have something to say about our article or an issue you want to actively address? We have an open mic policy. Send your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email here. Do you have any hints about the story? click here. Have a technical question or want to report a bug? Click here.
