Another lawmaker calls on Rex to change PACT

A second Republican lawmaker is calling on the Democratic state schools chief to take the lead in eliminating the annual testing program for elementary and middle school students and replace it with new exams that do a better job measuring academic achievement.

State Sen. Kevin L. Bryant of Anderson sent Jim Rex a letter Friday urging the superintendent to marshal a switch in tests with the help of two politically appointed panels that oversee public education. Bryant also posted the letter on his web site.

Click here to read Bryant's letter

Continue reading "Another lawmaker calls on Rex to change PACT" »

A bill that would have allowed lenders to garnish the wages of student loan holders has been sent back to committee by the House, meaning it is likely dead for the session.

The bill was sent back to the Judiciary Committee

The House gave a second approval to a bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving state-funded scholarships.

Most S.C. college students receive one of the half dozen  state-funded scholarships the state allots on merit. Needy students can also qualify for state funded grants.

The bill would disqualify anyone who cannot verify legal citizenship from getting state aid.

A House panel has approved a bill that will extend the state's charter school certification from its current five years to 10 years. The bill, according to charter school advocates, will help the schools qualify for bank loans to build school facilities.

Charter schools are funded with public money, but most are run independently of school districts and all are exempt from most state education regulations.

College students who live in South Carolina and hold down full-time jobs in Georgia and North Carolina counties contiguous to this state would  be allowed to pay in-state college tuition fees under a bill that received committee approval Wednesday.

The bill's effect would be to relieve an undetermined number of college students from the existing one-year residency requirement that is in place in order to qualify for the lower, in-state tuition rates, by virtue of physically living in the Palmetto State, and working full time outside of state.

Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, said the bill primarily will affect counties contiguous to Rock Hill in the Upstate, and Aiken in the western Midlands.

However, Peeler questioned the projected $1 million price tag that state economists estimate the relaxed residency requirements would cost.

The Senate Education Committee agreed Wednesday to change the make-up of the Board of Trustees of South Carolina State University.

Three slots on the troubled 13-member board would be appointed by the university's alumni association under the measure approved Wednesday, with nine slots to be filled by appointment through the General Assembly, and one board member to be appointed by the governor.

The bill moves to the full Senate.

The Senate budget give $20 million less than the House to a program designed to recruit high-tech researchers to S.C.

The program, commonly called endowed chairs, is meant to transform the state's economy. The program is a favorite of House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston.

So far the Senate Finance committee has only released the lottery-funded portion of the budget. The committee expects to reveal more budget details later this afternoon.

A Senate Judiciary Committee meeting that was supposed to take up a bill making sex between students and school employees illegal was canceled this morning.

The bill, which has made it through the House, would punish all sex between students under 19 and school employees.

A Senate education panel considering whether to offer the GED to 16-year-olds decided Wednesday it needed more information before moving the proposal forward.

Right now, S.C. students are prevented from taking the high school equivalency exam until they turn 17, unless they wind up at the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The House has rejected two education-related amendments to the state budget.

The first would cap bonuses given to nationally board-certified teachers at 10 years. The second would provide a cash reward to students who finish high school early.

House members argued over but ultimately rejected an amendment to the state budget that would have given public school students who graduate from high school in three years a check for $2,000.

The House approved Wednesday a new standardized test for public school students in grades three through eight.

The new diagnostic test, called the Elementary and Middle School Assessment Program (EMSAP) will replace the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test in 2010.

The Senate Education subcommittee said it wants to hear from school districts before it makes a 20-minute recess period mandatory for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Libby Berger, an Upstate high school student who proposed the idea for the bill, told lawmakers recess is vital to students' academic development and helps fight obesity.

Lawmakers said they thought they had addressed school recess and student exercise under the 2005 Student Health and Fitness. Act approved by the General Assembly.

The Senate panel said it may possibly modify that Act if recess is not included.

The House has approved a bill expanding a program to attract high-tech researchers to S.C.

Known as the endowed chairs program, the program awards state grants to be matched with federal or private money.

The program has awarded roughly $180 million since its inception.

Gov. Mark Sanford wrote a letter to lawmakers yesterday claiming the bill has failed to meet its goals and asking them to reconsider the bill.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said continuing the program was vital to transforming the state's economy.

The bill passed 107-0.

House members today are debated on the floor the future of the state's endowed chairs program, which on Wednesday was criticized by Gov. Mark Sanford as being wasteful.

The endowed chairs program uses lottery money to establish a fund that research universities can claim by proposing research projects. Those seeking lottery money can get a dollar for dollar match for joint projects with the private sector of the federal government.

The most visible example of the use of endowed chairs money is the establishment of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Excellence. It's a research campus that has a graduate school of automotive engineering and corporate research facilities from companies that include BMW.

Since its start in 2002, the endowed chairs program has received $180 million from lottery profits — $30 million a year. However, the legislation that created the program set limits, saying it should get no more than $200 million by 2010.

Williamsburg Rep. Ken Kennedy, a Democrat, asked Thursday to "put some brakes on (the program)."

Kennedy wanted to adopt an amendment to the program to require more reporting on how funds are spent to the General Assembly.

House Republicans today were accused of short circuiting an education reform bill that, backers said, was a bipartisan effort to curtail the number of standardized test state students take. 

Calhoun Rep. Harry Ott and Georgetown Rep. Vida Miller were among the Democrats who took Republican House Speaker Bobby Harrell to task for filing a similar bill last week.

Republicans, according  to Ott and Miller, introduced the new measure after dubbing the effort Ott and Miller worked on this summer as "a Democratic bill."

"That isn't true," Miller said "It was a bipartisan effort."

Democrats agree with much of Harrell's bill, which includes the elimination of PACT testing. Those standardized tests, given to every South Carolina public school student in grades 3-8, are used to grade schools and school districts on the state's annual school report cards.

A one-stop academic center for children and adults, named for House Majority Whip James Clyburn, will open today in Orangeburg.

The James E. Clyburn Community Empowerment Center will serve as a one-stop facility to provide youth and adults access to technology and education resources that will improve academic performance and prepare them for the emerging job market.

The center will be run by Orangeburg 5 school district. Other partners include HOPE Worldwide, Freddie Mac and the S.C. Department of Commerce. 

 

The initiative, aimed at advancing rural communities, will offer a variety ofservices that include:

• adult education
• basic skills training
• English as a second language education
• entrepreneurial programs
• literacy training
• web-based interactive learning
• leadership development. 

 The center is the fourth of its kind in S.C., according to a news release.

Clyburn will speak at the dedication.

The House failed to muster enough votes to overturn Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of the open school enrollment bill.

The vote, 60 to 52, to overturn Sanford fell 16 votes shy of the two-thirds vote needed to make the bill law over the governor's objection.

The bill, pushed heavily by state Superintendent Jim Rex, would have allowed public school students to cross district lines to attend the school of their choice.

Lawmakers in growing school districts complained the bill would exacerbate their problem of creating space for growing student bodies.

Some black lawmakers feared giving public school students the chance to leave their assigned schools could lead to re-segregation.

Supporters on both sides of the issue offered nearly 90 minutes of speeches on the House floor before voting.

Lawmakers convened for a one-day session to deal with gubernatorial vetoes. The House could take a second vote on open enrollment.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, took to the House floor to make the case for the open enrollment bill vetoed by Gov. Mark Sanford.

Cobb-Hunter said the idea that the bill, which would allow children to cross district lines to attend the public school of their choice, would lead to re-segregation in the state's public schools.

"It is not as simple as saying if we sustain the governor's veto, there will be no segregation," Cobb-Hunter said.

The bill, which passed the House by four votes, has drawn criticism for putting more pressure on the fastest-growing school districts. Those districts often scramble to build enough capacity to house the students within their own districts.

Rep. Cathy Harvin, D-Clarendon, worried that the bill was yet another unfunded mandate from the General Assembly.

"I believe an unfunded mandate is a moving target," Cobb-Hunter said. "It depends on what is being mandated whether that's an issue."

State education superintendent Jim Rex met with fellow Democrats this morning, asking them to override Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of the open enrollment bill.

The bill would allow students to cross district lines to enroll in a public school of their choice. Rex, who was elected in November, ran on a platform of providing public school choice.

Rex used the meeting to reassure African American members of the General Assembly that the open enrollment bill could not be used as a vehicle to re-segregate schools.

"Particularly in the African American community, choice has been used in a lot of ways that is not honorable," Rex said. "This is totally different."

Open enrollment passed the House by four votes. The vote to override Sanford would take two-thirds of the House. The vote is expected to be close.

Rex said if the bill fails it would "give some direction for next year."

A bill that would pave the way for S.C. children to apply to any public school in the state has hit a potentially fatal snag in the General Assembly.

The House voted 49-51 today against a conference committee agreement hammered out Tuesday to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of H. 3124. The Senate approved the report Wednesday. It’s unclear if the report will head back to conference committee.

The report  reflects much of the Senate-passed proposal, but adopts a 3 percent ceiling for transfer of out-of-district  students phased in at 1 percent over five years. The Senate bill had sought a 5 percent acceptance of out-of-district students.

Under the conference report, transfers will be based on the school, rather than the district.

The program would cost $6 million to implement, totaling $19 million at full implementation. The compromise also stipulates that segregation must not be the intent or the result of the open school enrollment in either a school or a school district.

The Senate voted 39-2 today to override Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of  bill, S.243, which establishes South Carolina as a research center for hydrogen technology.

"I sincerely do not understand why the governor vetoed the hydrogen bill," said Lexington Sen. Nikki Setzler. "This is about the future of South Carolina - what is best for South Carolina." The governor raised concerns about revenue expenditures in his veto of the bill.

Most South Carolinians overwhelmingly believe abstinence education should make up the majority of sex education instruction in schools, according to a new survey released by the Palmetto Family Council.

The survey, conducted by USC's Survey Research Laboratory, asked 500 registered voters their opinions on sex education in public schools.

Eighty percent of those responding said schools should emphasize abstinence as the first and best option for students. However, in another question, 43 percent said contraceptive education should receive equal time in class.

Oran Smith, president and executive director of the Palmetto Family Council, said the survey was for edu-cational purposes and was not designed to promote a change in state law. State law allows teens to obtain contraceptives without their parents’ permission. The survey found 53 percent of those responding oppose that access.

Hundreds of sleek new school buses like the one parked outside the State House Thursday will soon be cruising South Carolina roads.
At a press conference, Rep. Bob Walker, R-Spartanburg, thanked supporters of the school bus replacement bill that is awaiting Gov. Mark Sanford’s signature. The bill will replace the state’s oldest-in-the-nation bus fleet during a 15-year cycle. About 450 new buses will be purchased in the coming year, and then 380 annually thereafter.

A group of black ministers said they will hold a petition drive this summer in an effort to put pressure on the Senate to approve more school choice, funded with public money.

"Over the summer, we've got to make this a wedge issue in our community," said the Rev. Richard Davis, of Clergy for Education Options. "This system we have sends more kids to jail and prison than to college."

Twenty ministers met with a group of senators Thursday to protest a Senate vote a day earlier that turned back an amendment that would have provided $2,500 to low-income children to switch schools if they wanted.

The amendment was offered by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, to an open enrollment bill under debate in the Senate.

Grooms met with the ministers.

"You're immediately attacked when you mention vouchers,"  Grooms said. "There's still a generation that's not learning."

Grooms, who said he does not want to destroy public schools, said school choice is perceived as a Republican issue, and any effort at greater choice this summer must be more non-partisan.

The ministers said they supported Grooms' amendment and questioned senators who contended the time was not right for such a change.

"One thing we can agree on is the current system is not working for too many low-income children," said the Rev. Kirk Bellesen of Columbia, who said the Senate "failed to step up to the plate."

The House has put off debate on a bill that would allow more residents to carry guns on public school and college campuses. They are next scheduled to debate the bill on Wednesday.
The bill (H.3964) loosens rules for state concealed weapon permit holders, allowing them to store weapons in a car's glove box or under the seat. In addition, any concealed weapon permit holder would be allowed to bring a gun onto a school campus.
The bill also extends South Carolina privileges to out-of-state visitors with a concealed weapon permit in their home state.

An amendment is expected to be proposed to H. 3124 when the the public school choice bill is debated in the Senate. An anticipated amendment would give students from poor families priority when seeking to transfer among public schools.
Further, the racial makeup of student enrollments may not be dramatically affected, according to the draft amendment authored by senators Darrell Jackson, D-Richland; Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw; and Ralph Anderson, D-Greenville.

The public school choice bill appears to be headed for lengthy debate in the Senate next week. State senators briefly began discussion today on H. 3124, which would allow students to apply to any public school in the state, regardless of where they live.
“This is perhaps the most important and far-reaching bill in education that we’ll take up all year besides the budget,” said Sen. Robert Hayes, R-York.
Today, several senators voiced concerns about who will be allowed to transfer into schools when there is limited space. The current bill and proposed amendments would offer first priority to students who live within a school district’s boundaries, including those in private and home schools.
Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, said family income levels should also play a role in determining admission priority.
Two private school voucher amendments are expected to be sought as attachments to the bill — an issue that has not been debated in the Senate.
A press release from Gov. Mark Sanford’s office said the governor supports the open enrollment concept, but the bill needs the voucher component of an amendment by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley.

The amendment “would give families other options when capacity isn't available in the public sector,” Sanford is quoted as saying in the press release. “We believe that amendment is needed if we are really going to provide parents and students with a variety of educational options for their children.”

Grooms’ amendment limits the vouchers to students who are denied a transfer within the public school system as long as they at-tend a low-rated school and their families have annual incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty margin, or less than about $41,000 for a family of four.
A proposed amendment by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, has a similar amendment without family income requirements.

The Senate gave second reading today to a bill that would allow schools to offer courses on the history and literature of both the Old Testament and New Testament eras.

Authored by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, the bill states that “each course offered must be taught in an objective manner with no attempt to influence the students as to either the truth or falsity of the materials presented.”

The bill, S. 726, has 40 Senate sponsors, but may not make it to Gov. Mark Sanford’s desk this year. That’s because bills approved after May 1 could require a two-thirds vote to be taken up by the other chamber.

Gov. Mark Sanford will be joined Thursday via Internet simulcast by students from the S.C. Governor's School for Science and Mathematics when he signs a bill that will let students earn credit by taking classes online.

The signing ceremony will demonstrate the technology students will be able to use to expand their access to academic course offerings. The  S.C. Virtual Schools Bill was passed by the General Assembly earlier this month. The bill signing ceremony will be held in the auditorium of the S.C. Statehouse at 9:30 a.m.

The House has overridden Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill allowing USC and Clemson to borrow more money to build athletic facilities.

Sanford vetoed the bill concerned it would result in higher fees for students. The bill (S.451) was previously overridden in the Senate.

The House voted 98-7. A two-thirds majority of the voting is required to override a veto.

South Carolina law enforcement agencies and the higher education community have been asked to make a report to the Senate Education Committee in August about emer-gency preparedness, Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, said today.

Courson has requested the report in light of the killings at Virginia Tech. He said the Senate Education Committee will meet in August to hear the report before college and universities classes resume.

The House has given key approval to raising the limit on how much Clemson University can borrow to build new athletic facilities.

The bill (S. 451) raises the university's debt limit to $200 million from $60 million, with the bonds funded by revenue from ticket sales. The bonds would not be paid for with any state tax dollars.
A similar bill has been introduced to raise the University of South Carolina's bond limit to $200 million for its athletics facilities.

The Senate Education Committee amended and passed a pair of bills today that would allow students to apply to attend any public school in South Carolina, regardless of where they live.
Committee members amended the House version of the bill — H.3124 — to mirror the Senate version, S. 471.
The bills require a 3-year phase-in of open enrollment in S.C. school districts. By the 2009-10 school year, districts would be required to admit students from outside their own boundaries. However, students could only enroll in schools on a space-available basis, and the number of out-of-district students may not exceed 3 percent of a district’s total enrollment.
Committee members amended the bills to require the state to pay receiving districts the amount of money per student that a district would have received from local funding sources, such as local taxes.

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are upset a bill which would aid poor school districts was not approved on Wednesday.

The bill would allow school districts to use the state as a guarantor for school construction bonds, ensuring lower interest rates and project costs. The districts would pay the cost for building the schools.

Rep. Joe Neal, D-Richland said he was disappointed the bill was not approved by a majority of the. House Ways and Means Committee.

"This is the best effort I've seen...to address one of the most critical issues facing our poor districts," Neal said. It is "just beyond belief we would turn our backs on this effort."

Opponents worried the state could be liable for the loans if school districts defaulted.

The bill is not dead, receiving a 12 to 12 vote. Neal said they will ask for another vote at the next Ways and Means meeting. The Senate could also act on the matter.

Legislation calling for the implementation of a $27 million annual school bus replacement plan is heading to the Senate floor.

The Senate Education Committee passed two bills today; one bill (H.3161) already has been passed by the House.

Committee members approved an amendment to make the Senate version of the bill (S.214) the same as the House version. Sen Wes Hayes, R-York, said sending both bills to the House floor is a tactical move.

The bills call for the annual replacement of about 375 of the state's 5,600 school buses, which is estimated to cost about $27 million a year. South Carolina's state-owned school bus fleet is widely regarded as one of the oldest in the country.

The two bills also call for limiting school bus rides to 90 minutes - something the S.C. Department of Education has sought to get into law for more than a decade, said Don Tudor, the agency's transportation chief.

The Senate bill originally sought to offer bus transportation to children who live more than half a mile from school, rather than the current requirement of more than one and a half miles.

In the bills passed today, however, the one-and-a-half-mile radius will remain unchanged.

State Education Superintendent Jim Rex fears the state could face legal ramifications if a controversial private school voucher initiative sinks legislation to offer statewide 4-year-old kindergarten to poor children.

"It could bring about additional legal action against the state," Rex said today at a press conference in which he asked South Carolinians to ask lawmakers to oppose the voucher plan.

In December 2005, a Circuit Court judge ruled in a school funding equity lawsuit that the state wasn't doing enough to help its poorest youngsters.

A pilot 4K program is running in some school districts, but legislators are considering a bill to expand that program statewide - a plan Rex supports.

A group of state lawmakers plan to attach an amendment to the 4K bill and another education measure that would offer vouchers and tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools. The two bills could come up in the House as soon as this afternoon.

Voucher supporters say their initiative would expand choices for parents whose children attend low-performing schools but cannot afford other options.

Rex called voucher supporters "a relatively small group of people who are attempting to do what has been rejected twice."

"The vast majority of South Carolinians understand that our future is going to be tied to what is happening in our public schools," he said.

Rex also says he has heard from some lawmakers who have been contacted by "one or two groups" and told that, if they do not support the voucher amendment, candidates will be recruited and financed to oppose them in upcoming elections. Rex did not name the legislators nor the political groups.

"I would call that political intimidation," he said.

Rex narrowly defeated well-financed Republican candidate Karen Floyd last fall for the schools chief job. Floyd supported the voucher plan.

The Senate gave final approval today to a virtual schools bill that would expand a state-run pilot program and allow virtual charter schools to open and serve students anywhere in South Carolina.

The bill is destined for a conference committee because the Senate rewrote most of the bill that had previously been approved in the House of Representatives.

The Senate version does not set aside 10 percent of the seats in a state-run virtual school for private and homeschool students — which had been a hard fought compromise in the House. The state-run virtual school will be open to students ages 21 years old or younger, and the state Board of Education is charged with developing procedures for the enrollment of private and homeschool students.

Senators approved an amendment to the bill that would allow a Laurens County orphanage school to convert to a charter school without waiting the requisite one year. The Thornwell Home & School plans to close its private school at the end of the school year and a group is considering launching a public charter school, which could receive state funds.

A public forum on school choice will be held from 7 to 9 tonight at the Richland 2 auditorium at Richland Northeast High School, 7500 Brookfield Road.

Panelists will include:

• Cynthia Jackson, a teacher at Hood Street Elementary at Fort Jackson
• Richland 2 superintendent Steve Hefner, chairman of state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex’s transition team committee on school choice
• Larry Watts of the S.C. Independent Schools Association
• Terrye Seckinger of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, an activist group
• Brad Warthen, The State newspaper’s editorial page editor

The forum will be moderated by Bruce Field from the University of South Carolina.
USC is sponsoring the forum along with the S.C. School Improvement Council and the Richland 2 Teacher Forum.

Audience members can submit written questions at the forum or e-mail them ahead of time to barber2@gwm.sc.edu.

School choice has been a hot topic in the General Assembly for several years. This year, there are competing proposals to offer private school tuition tax credits or expand public school options for parents.

A surprisingly controversial bill creating a statewide virtual school system passed the House 85-33 today.

The bill would make permanent an S.C. Department of Education pilot program that offers online classes to students in public schools, private schools or homeschool.

An amendment that was defeated yesterday during heated debate resurfaced this morning; it would have removed the bill’s original requirement that public school students get priority over private and homeschool students for online enrollment.

Lawmakers reached a compromise today to allow 90 percent of the 3,000 seats each semester to go to public school students; the remainder would be reserved for private and homeschool students. Any leftover seats would be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Many House Democrats opposed yesterday's amendment saying it was a back-door effort to fuel the private school voucher movement known as Put Parents in Charge.

Others were concerned that students from poor or rural areas may not have Internet access or computers and therefore could not equally participate in the program.

A similar bill is moving through the Senate.

The S.C. House has approved a compromise to divvy up slots in a statewide online schools program based on the percentage of students attending public and private schools.

Public school students will be guaranteed 90 percent of the 3,000 seats per semester, while private school students will receive the rest. Any remaining seats would be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The debate began yesterday when private school supporters introduced an amendment that all of the slots should be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. That proposal set off public school advocates who narrowly defeated the amendment.

The squabbling is all part of a "virtual schools" bill that sponsors originally thought would pass the House with relative ease.

A similar bill is making its way through the Senate.

The House Ways and Means Committee has wrapped up work for the day, and teacher bonuses was the hottest topic this afternoon.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter proposed requiring National Board Certified teachers who receive a state salary bonus to work in poorer and lower-performing school districts. She says the certified teachers mostly worked in the wealthiest districts.

Others opposed the idea, noting the state didn't ask those teachers to move before they earned certification.

The idea will be further debated later.

Tomorrow, the committee likely will work late allocating money for state programs.

The House has voted to give preference to public school students who wish to take classes in a new statewide online school system.

Today's debate was a smaller version of the looming fight over giving parents tax credits to send their children to private schools.

Advocates won a narrow victory to give public school students first preference for the 3,000 openings in the online schools.

The vote came on an amendment to the full bill, which will be taken up again later this week. The House has adjourned for the day.

House Democrats are geared up for fight today to keep a pilot program designed to bring Internet access, expand class offerings and improve the opportunity for children to learn in alternative settings, weighted in favor of public school students.

An amendment is expected to attempt to open up the virtual school concept equally to public, private, charter and home-schooled students alike --- all funded with public dollars.

Democrats say the amendment is an effort by Republicans to "feel their way" through Gov. Mark Sanford's failed Put Parents in Charge proposal aimed at moving educational authority and funding away from public-emphasized administration to more control by private interests.

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, is proposing a resolution to create a statewide committee to study the best way to get education dollars into classrooms.

Duncan and House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, introduced the plan today. It comes among increasing calls from the governor to eliminate the dozens of criteria that are used to determine how money is spent and move toward what is known as single weighted pupil funding.

The Senate is working on a similar plan.

Thousands of parents, teachers and children rallied at the State House today in support of a bill that would give tax credits and reimbursements for private school tuition.

"We have choice in South Carolina, but it is by ZIP code or by neighborhood or by wealth," Gov. Mark Sanford said in a speech thanking the rally's attendees. "What if you're born in rural South Carolina and you can't afford that right house in the right neighborhood? What about you?"

The rally was organized by South Carolinians for Responsible Government. A similar rally was held two years ago when the tuition tax credit movement - then called Put Parents in Charge - gained momentum.

Organizers estimated that as many as 4,000 people attended the rally, although no official crowd estimate was available from authorities.

Attendees - mostly private school students and staff - were showing their support for a bill that would give:

- A $1,000 tax credit per child to all families who pay private school tuition, regardless of family income.

- A $500 tax credit for home-schoolers.

- A $4,500 tuition reimbursement for poor students who leave low-rated public schools.

The rally cost about $10,000, said Denver Merrell, spokesman for South Carolinians for Responsible Government. That cost included hiring about 60 chartered buses to transport supporters to and from the rally.

- Lisa Michals

New state Education Superintendent Jim Rex is getting to know legislators who will be making the decisions that affect his agency.

Rex received a warm welcome from members of the House Education Committee this morning and even got some laughs. Rex told members that he's been in his job a full week and "I'm at the peak of my job approval rating."

Rex says he will deliver a report on public schools to the committee within two weeks.

State schools chief Inez Tenenbaum is bidding goodbye to the S.C. Board of Education today, her final full day on the job.

Before addressing the state board this morning, she yielded the floor to her successor, Jim Rex, who takes the oath of office with other constitutional officers tomorrow.

Rex praised Tenenbaum’s eight-year stewardship of the state Department of Education and her willingness to help him make the transition to elected office.
"Coming (into office) after Inez Tenenbaum is not an easy order in any respect," Rex said, noting that she has worked to "pass the baton smoothly."

Tenenbaum, meanwhile, said her two terms in office "made me a better person ... made me a stronger person."

Education superintendent-elect Jim Rex and other Democrats will celebrate his move into statewide public office with a party at the State Museum complex tonight.

Rex's spokesman Zeke Stokes said a VIP reception is set for 6 p.m. It will be followed by an inaugural gala a the EdVenture children’s museum at 7 p.m.

Tickets for that event are going for $50 to $3,500. However, educators are invited to attend as Rex's special guests with no contribution required, Stokes said.

Among those scheduled to speak this evening include former Gov. Dick Riley, former state Teacher of the Year Traci Young Cooper and Rex's predecessor Inez Tenenbaum.

Rex will be sworn in tomorrow along with Gov. Mark Sanford and the rest of the state's constitutional officers.

S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell is proposing $15 million in state grants and tax credits to companies that partner with South Carolina-based research institutions and conduct hydrogen fuels research in the state.

The Charleston Republican said today the incentives are needed to help make South Carolina a leader in alternative fuels technology, which he said could become a major creator of jobs in the coming decades.

The South Carolina Hydrogen Infrastructure Development Fund would be available to private companies that work with the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, South Carolina State University and the Savannah River National Laboratory, Harrell said, and the institutions would have a voice in who receives the financial incentives.

The fund, spread over three years, is front-loaded to encourage companies to commit to research partnerships sooner rather than later. It would be funded at $7 million in 2007-08; $5 million for 2008-09; and $3 million in 2009-210. Funds unspent by June 30, 2012, would relapse to the state under Harrell’s proposal.

The legislation also will require state agencies to consider purchasing equipment and machinery operated by hydrogen fuel cells. The proposal provides for a sales tax exemption for equipment or machinery operated by or used to distribute hydrogen fuel cells.

Sandy Smith, a legislative aide who directs research for the House education committee, is leaving that post to work for state superintendent-elect Jim Rex.

Rex announced Smith as his first senior management team appointment Friday.

Smith will hold the title of deputy state superintendent for policy and legislation and serve as liaison between the Legislature and the state Department of Education.

Smith joined the House education committee staff 11 years ago and played an instrumental role in drafting the legisla-tion that became the 1998 Education Accountability Act. Prior to her work in the Legislature, she was a teacher for 14 years and principal of Satchel Ford Elementary School in Richland 1 between 1992 and 1994.

Smith’s boss, Rep. Ronny Townsend, who opted not to seek re-election this fall, called Rex’s decision “a terrific choice. She enjoys tremendous respect in the General Assembly, not only among House members but among (state)senators as well.”

Townsend said one of Smith’s strengths is that she is “adept at explaining the impact that policy decisions are likely to have at the local level.”

Smith earns $R83,868 as research director of the House Education Committee.

— BILL ROBINSON

No wage garnishment for student loans

A bill that would have allowed lenders to garnish the wages of student loan holders has been sent back to committee by the House, meaning it is likely dead for the session.

The bill was sent back to the Judiciary Committee

Illegal immigrants won't get scholarships under bill

The House gave a second approval to a bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving state-funded scholarships.

Most S.C. college students receive one of the half dozen  state-funded scholarships the state allots on merit. Needy students can also qualify for state funded grants.

The bill would disqualify anyone who cannot verify legal citizenship from getting state aid.

Charter schools' certification extended

A House panel has approved a bill that will extend the state's charter school certification from its current five years to 10 years. The bill, according to charter school advocates, will help the schools qualify for bank loans to build school facilities.

Charter schools are funded with public money, but most are run independently of school districts and all are exempt from most state education regulations.

Bill expands who's eligible for in-state tuition

College students who live in South Carolina and hold down full-time jobs in Georgia and North Carolina counties contiguous to this state would  be allowed to pay in-state college tuition fees under a bill that received committee approval Wednesday.

The bill's effect would be to relieve an undetermined number of college students from the existing one-year residency requirement that is in place in order to qualify for the lower, in-state tuition rates, by virtue of physically living in the Palmetto State, and working full time outside of state.

Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, said the bill primarily will affect counties contiguous to Rock Hill in the Upstate, and Aiken in the western Midlands.

However, Peeler questioned the projected $1 million price tag that state economists estimate the relaxed residency requirements would cost.

Bill would change how S.C. State elects trustees

The Senate Education Committee agreed Wednesday to change the make-up of the Board of Trustees of South Carolina State University.

Three slots on the troubled 13-member board would be appointed by the university's alumni association under the measure approved Wednesday, with nine slots to be filled by appointment through the General Assembly, and one board member to be appointed by the governor.

The bill moves to the full Senate.

Endowed chairs get $20 million less from Senate

The Senate budget give $20 million less than the House to a program designed to recruit high-tech researchers to S.C.

The program, commonly called endowed chairs, is meant to transform the state's economy. The program is a favorite of House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston.

So far the Senate Finance committee has only released the lottery-funded portion of the budget. The committee expects to reveal more budget details later this afternoon.

Meeting on ban of students-teacher sex canceled

A Senate Judiciary Committee meeting that was supposed to take up a bill making sex between students and school employees illegal was canceled this morning.

The bill, which has made it through the House, would punish all sex between students under 19 and school employees.

Senate considers letting 16-year-olds take GED

A Senate education panel considering whether to offer the GED to 16-year-olds decided Wednesday it needed more information before moving the proposal forward.

Right now, S.C. students are prevented from taking the high school equivalency exam until they turn 17, unless they wind up at the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Education proposal shot down in budget debate

The House has rejected two education-related amendments to the state budget.

The first would cap bonuses given to nationally board-certified teachers at 10 years. The second would provide a cash reward to students who finish high school early.

House discusses $2,000 for early graduates

House members argued over but ultimately rejected an amendment to the state budget that would have given public school students who graduate from high school in three years a check for $2,000.

House votes to replace PACT testing

The House approved Wednesday a new standardized test for public school students in grades three through eight.

The new diagnostic test, called the Elementary and Middle School Assessment Program (EMSAP) will replace the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test in 2010.

Senate to consider making recess mandatory

The Senate Education subcommittee said it wants to hear from school districts before it makes a 20-minute recess period mandatory for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Libby Berger, an Upstate high school student who proposed the idea for the bill, told lawmakers recess is vital to students' academic development and helps fight obesity.

Lawmakers said they thought they had addressed school recess and student exercise under the 2005 Student Health and Fitness. Act approved by the General Assembly.

The Senate panel said it may possibly modify that Act if recess is not included.

House passes endowed chairs bill

The House has approved a bill expanding a program to attract high-tech researchers to S.C.

Known as the endowed chairs program, the program awards state grants to be matched with federal or private money.

The program has awarded roughly $180 million since its inception.

Gov. Mark Sanford wrote a letter to lawmakers yesterday claiming the bill has failed to meet its goals and asking them to reconsider the bill.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said continuing the program was vital to transforming the state's economy.

The bill passed 107-0.

Endowed chairs debated in the House

House members today are debated on the floor the future of the state's endowed chairs program, which on Wednesday was criticized by Gov. Mark Sanford as being wasteful.

The endowed chairs program uses lottery money to establish a fund that research universities can claim by proposing research projects. Those seeking lottery money can get a dollar for dollar match for joint projects with the private sector of the federal government.

The most visible example of the use of endowed chairs money is the establishment of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Excellence. It's a research campus that has a graduate school of automotive engineering and corporate research facilities from companies that include BMW.

Since its start in 2002, the endowed chairs program has received $180 million from lottery profits — $30 million a year. However, the legislation that created the program set limits, saying it should get no more than $200 million by 2010.

Williamsburg Rep. Ken Kennedy, a Democrat, asked Thursday to "put some brakes on (the program)."

Kennedy wanted to adopt an amendment to the program to require more reporting on how funds are spent to the General Assembly.

Democrats take GOP to task over education bill

House Republicans today were accused of short circuiting an education reform bill that, backers said, was a bipartisan effort to curtail the number of standardized test state students take. 

Calhoun Rep. Harry Ott and Georgetown Rep. Vida Miller were among the Democrats who took Republican House Speaker Bobby Harrell to task for filing a similar bill last week.

Republicans, according  to Ott and Miller, introduced the new measure after dubbing the effort Ott and Miller worked on this summer as "a Democratic bill."

"That isn't true," Miller said "It was a bipartisan effort."

Democrats agree with much of Harrell's bill, which includes the elimination of PACT testing. Those standardized tests, given to every South Carolina public school student in grades 3-8, are used to grade schools and school districts on the state's annual school report cards.

Clyburn center to open in Orangeburg

A one-stop academic center for children and adults, named for House Majority Whip James Clyburn, will open today in Orangeburg.

The James E. Clyburn Community Empowerment Center will serve as a one-stop facility to provide youth and adults access to technology and education resources that will improve academic performance and prepare them for the emerging job market.

The center will be run by Orangeburg 5 school district. Other partners include HOPE Worldwide, Freddie Mac and the S.C. Department of Commerce. 

 

The initiative, aimed at advancing rural communities, will offer a variety ofservices that include:

• adult education
• basic skills training
• English as a second language education
• entrepreneurial programs
• literacy training
• web-based interactive learning
• leadership development. 

 The center is the fourth of its kind in S.C., according to a news release.

Clyburn will speak at the dedication.

Open enrollment bill defeated

The House failed to muster enough votes to overturn Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of the open school enrollment bill.

The vote, 60 to 52, to overturn Sanford fell 16 votes shy of the two-thirds vote needed to make the bill law over the governor's objection.

The bill, pushed heavily by state Superintendent Jim Rex, would have allowed public school students to cross district lines to attend the school of their choice.

Lawmakers in growing school districts complained the bill would exacerbate their problem of creating space for growing student bodies.

Some black lawmakers feared giving public school students the chance to leave their assigned schools could lead to re-segregation.

Supporters on both sides of the issue offered nearly 90 minutes of speeches on the House floor before voting.

Lawmakers convened for a one-day session to deal with gubernatorial vetoes. The House could take a second vote on open enrollment.

Cobb-Hunter defends open enrollment

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, took to the House floor to make the case for the open enrollment bill vetoed by Gov. Mark Sanford.

Cobb-Hunter said the idea that the bill, which would allow children to cross district lines to attend the public school of their choice, would lead to re-segregation in the state's public schools.

"It is not as simple as saying if we sustain the governor's veto, there will be no segregation," Cobb-Hunter said.

The bill, which passed the House by four votes, has drawn criticism for putting more pressure on the fastest-growing school districts. Those districts often scramble to build enough capacity to house the students within their own districts.

Rep. Cathy Harvin, D-Clarendon, worried that the bill was yet another unfunded mandate from the General Assembly.

"I believe an unfunded mandate is a moving target," Cobb-Hunter said. "It depends on what is being mandated whether that's an issue."

Rex makes case to Democrats for open enrollment

State education superintendent Jim Rex met with fellow Democrats this morning, asking them to override Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of the open enrollment bill.

The bill would allow students to cross district lines to enroll in a public school of their choice. Rex, who was elected in November, ran on a platform of providing public school choice.

Rex used the meeting to reassure African American members of the General Assembly that the open enrollment bill could not be used as a vehicle to re-segregate schools.

"Particularly in the African American community, choice has been used in a lot of ways that is not honorable," Rex said. "This is totally different."

Open enrollment passed the House by four votes. The vote to override Sanford would take two-thirds of the House. The vote is expected to be close.

Rex said if the bill fails it would "give some direction for next year."

Stalemate on open enrollment bill

A bill that would pave the way for S.C. children to apply to any public school in the state has hit a potentially fatal snag in the General Assembly.

The House voted 49-51 today against a conference committee agreement hammered out Tuesday to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of H. 3124. The Senate approved the report Wednesday. It’s unclear if the report will head back to conference committee.

The report  reflects much of the Senate-passed proposal, but adopts a 3 percent ceiling for transfer of out-of-district  students phased in at 1 percent over five years. The Senate bill had sought a 5 percent acceptance of out-of-district students.

Under the conference report, transfers will be based on the school, rather than the district.

The program would cost $6 million to implement, totaling $19 million at full implementation. The compromise also stipulates that segregation must not be the intent or the result of the open school enrollment in either a school or a school district.

Senate votes to override Sanford veto of hydrogen bill

The Senate voted 39-2 today to override Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of  bill, S.243, which establishes South Carolina as a research center for hydrogen technology.

"I sincerely do not understand why the governor vetoed the hydrogen bill," said Lexington Sen. Nikki Setzler. "This is about the future of South Carolina - what is best for South Carolina." The governor raised concerns about revenue expenditures in his veto of the bill.

Abstinence education favored by most in South Carolina

Most South Carolinians overwhelmingly believe abstinence education should make up the majority of sex education instruction in schools, according to a new survey released by the Palmetto Family Council.

The survey, conducted by USC's Survey Research Laboratory, asked 500 registered voters their opinions on sex education in public schools.

Eighty percent of those responding said schools should emphasize abstinence as the first and best option for students. However, in another question, 43 percent said contraceptive education should receive equal time in class.

Oran Smith, president and executive director of the Palmetto Family Council, said the survey was for edu-cational purposes and was not designed to promote a change in state law. State law allows teens to obtain contraceptives without their parents’ permission. The survey found 53 percent of those responding oppose that access.

New school buses on the way

Hundreds of sleek new school buses like the one parked outside the State House Thursday will soon be cruising South Carolina roads.
At a press conference, Rep. Bob Walker, R-Spartanburg, thanked supporters of the school bus replacement bill that is awaiting Gov. Mark Sanford’s signature. The bill will replace the state’s oldest-in-the-nation bus fleet during a 15-year cycle. About 450 new buses will be purchased in the coming year, and then 380 annually thereafter.

Black ministers: We'll continue fighting for vouchers

A group of black ministers said they will hold a petition drive this summer in an effort to put pressure on the Senate to approve more school choice, funded with public money.

"Over the summer, we've got to make this a wedge issue in our community," said the Rev. Richard Davis, of Clergy for Education Options. "This system we have sends more kids to jail and prison than to college."

Twenty ministers met with a group of senators Thursday to protest a Senate vote a day earlier that turned back an amendment that would have provided $2,500 to low-income children to switch schools if they wanted.

The amendment was offered by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, to an open enrollment bill under debate in the Senate.

Grooms met with the ministers.

"You're immediately attacked when you mention vouchers,"  Grooms said. "There's still a generation that's not learning."

Grooms, who said he does not want to destroy public schools, said school choice is perceived as a Republican issue, and any effort at greater choice this summer must be more non-partisan.

The ministers said they supported Grooms' amendment and questioned senators who contended the time was not right for such a change.

"One thing we can agree on is the current system is not working for too many low-income children," said the Rev. Kirk Bellesen of Columbia, who said the Senate "failed to step up to the plate."

School gun debate postponed

The House has put off debate on a bill that would allow more residents to carry guns on public school and college campuses. They are next scheduled to debate the bill on Wednesday.
The bill (H.3964) loosens rules for state concealed weapon permit holders, allowing them to store weapons in a car's glove box or under the seat. In addition, any concealed weapon permit holder would be allowed to bring a gun onto a school campus.
The bill also extends South Carolina privileges to out-of-state visitors with a concealed weapon permit in their home state.

Open enrollment to give priority to poor

An amendment is expected to be proposed to H. 3124 when the the public school choice bill is debated in the Senate. An anticipated amendment would give students from poor families priority when seeking to transfer among public schools.
Further, the racial makeup of student enrollments may not be dramatically affected, according to the draft amendment authored by senators Darrell Jackson, D-Richland; Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw; and Ralph Anderson, D-Greenville.

Further debate on open enrollment

The public school choice bill appears to be headed for lengthy debate in the Senate next week. State senators briefly began discussion today on H. 3124, which would allow students to apply to any public school in the state, regardless of where they live.
“This is perhaps the most important and far-reaching bill in education that we’ll take up all year besides the budget,” said Sen. Robert Hayes, R-York.
Today, several senators voiced concerns about who will be allowed to transfer into schools when there is limited space. The current bill and proposed amendments would offer first priority to students who live within a school district’s boundaries, including those in private and home schools.
Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, said family income levels should also play a role in determining admission priority.
Two private school voucher amendments are expected to be sought as attachments to the bill — an issue that has not been debated in the Senate.
A press release from Gov. Mark Sanford’s office said the governor supports the open enrollment concept, but the bill needs the voucher component of an amendment by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley.

The amendment “would give families other options when capacity isn't available in the public sector,” Sanford is quoted as saying in the press release. “We believe that amendment is needed if we are really going to provide parents and students with a variety of educational options for their children.”

Grooms’ amendment limits the vouchers to students who are denied a transfer within the public school system as long as they at-tend a low-rated school and their families have annual incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty margin, or less than about $41,000 for a family of four.
A proposed amendment by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, has a similar amendment without family income requirements.

Bill allows schools to teach Bible

The Senate gave second reading today to a bill that would allow schools to offer courses on the history and literature of both the Old Testament and New Testament eras.

Authored by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, the bill states that “each course offered must be taught in an objective manner with no attempt to influence the students as to either the truth or falsity of the materials presented.”

The bill, S. 726, has 40 Senate sponsors, but may not make it to Gov. Mark Sanford’s desk this year. That’s because bills approved after May 1 could require a two-thirds vote to be taken up by the other chamber.

Sanford to sign virtual schools bill

Gov. Mark Sanford will be joined Thursday via Internet simulcast by students from the S.C. Governor's School for Science and Mathematics when he signs a bill that will let students earn credit by taking classes online.

The signing ceremony will demonstrate the technology students will be able to use to expand their access to academic course offerings. The  S.C. Virtual Schools Bill was passed by the General Assembly earlier this month. The bill signing ceremony will be held in the auditorium of the S.C. Statehouse at 9:30 a.m.

House overrides Sanford veto on athletics spending

The House has overridden Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of a bill allowing USC and Clemson to borrow more money to build athletic facilities.

Sanford vetoed the bill concerned it would result in higher fees for students. The bill (S.451) was previously overridden in the Senate.

The House voted 98-7. A two-thirds majority of the voting is required to override a veto.

Colleges' to submit emergency plans to Senate

South Carolina law enforcement agencies and the higher education community have been asked to make a report to the Senate Education Committee in August about emer-gency preparedness, Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, said today.

Courson has requested the report in light of the killings at Virginia Tech. He said the Senate Education Committee will meet in August to hear the report before college and universities classes resume.

Clemson gets House OK to borrow up to $200 million

The House has given key approval to raising the limit on how much Clemson University can borrow to build new athletic facilities.

The bill (S. 451) raises the university's debt limit to $200 million from $60 million, with the bonds funded by revenue from ticket sales. The bonds would not be paid for with any state tax dollars.
A similar bill has been introduced to raise the University of South Carolina's bond limit to $200 million for its athletics facilities.

Open school enrollment gets key approval

The Senate Education Committee amended and passed a pair of bills today that would allow students to apply to attend any public school in South Carolina, regardless of where they live.
Committee members amended the House version of the bill — H.3124 — to mirror the Senate version, S. 471.
The bills require a 3-year phase-in of open enrollment in S.C. school districts. By the 2009-10 school year, districts would be required to admit students from outside their own boundaries. However, students could only enroll in schools on a space-available basis, and the number of out-of-district students may not exceed 3 percent of a district’s total enrollment.
Committee members amended the bills to require the state to pay receiving districts the amount of money per student that a district would have received from local funding sources, such as local taxes.

School bond bill failure upsets caucus

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are upset a bill which would aid poor school districts was not approved on Wednesday.

The bill would allow school districts to use the state as a guarantor for school construction bonds, ensuring lower interest rates and project costs. The districts would pay the cost for building the schools.

Rep. Joe Neal, D-Richland said he was disappointed the bill was not approved by a majority of the. House Ways and Means Committee.

"This is the best effort I've seen...to address one of the most critical issues facing our poor districts," Neal said. It is "just beyond belief we would turn our backs on this effort."

Opponents worried the state could be liable for the loans if school districts defaulted.

The bill is not dead, receiving a 12 to 12 vote. Neal said they will ask for another vote at the next Ways and Means meeting. The Senate could also act on the matter.

Senate panel OKs bill for new school buses

Legislation calling for the implementation of a $27 million annual school bus replacement plan is heading to the Senate floor.

The Senate Education Committee passed two bills today; one bill (H.3161) already has been passed by the House.

Committee members approved an amendment to make the Senate version of the bill (S.214) the same as the House version. Sen Wes Hayes, R-York, said sending both bills to the House floor is a tactical move.

The bills call for the annual replacement of about 375 of the state's 5,600 school buses, which is estimated to cost about $27 million a year. South Carolina's state-owned school bus fleet is widely regarded as one of the oldest in the country.

The two bills also call for limiting school bus rides to 90 minutes - something the S.C. Department of Education has sought to get into law for more than a decade, said Don Tudor, the agency's transportation chief.

The Senate bill originally sought to offer bus transportation to children who live more than half a mile from school, rather than the current requirement of more than one and a half miles.

In the bills passed today, however, the one-and-a-half-mile radius will remain unchanged.

Rex blasts voucher amendment

State Education Superintendent Jim Rex fears the state could face legal ramifications if a controversial private school voucher initiative sinks legislation to offer statewide 4-year-old kindergarten to poor children.

"It could bring about additional legal action against the state," Rex said today at a press conference in which he asked South Carolinians to ask lawmakers to oppose the voucher plan.

In December 2005, a Circuit Court judge ruled in a school funding equity lawsuit that the state wasn't doing enough to help its poorest youngsters.

A pilot 4K program is running in some school districts, but legislators are considering a bill to expand that program statewide - a plan Rex supports.

A group of state lawmakers plan to attach an amendment to the 4K bill and another education measure that would offer vouchers and tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools. The two bills could come up in the House as soon as this afternoon.

Voucher supporters say their initiative would expand choices for parents whose children attend low-performing schools but cannot afford other options.

Rex called voucher supporters "a relatively small group of people who are attempting to do what has been rejected twice."

"The vast majority of South Carolinians understand that our future is going to be tied to what is happening in our public schools," he said.

Rex also says he has heard from some lawmakers who have been contacted by "one or two groups" and told that, if they do not support the voucher amendment, candidates will be recruited and financed to oppose them in upcoming elections. Rex did not name the legislators nor the political groups.

"I would call that political intimidation," he said.

Rex narrowly defeated well-financed Republican candidate Karen Floyd last fall for the schools chief job. Floyd supported the voucher plan.

House-Senate conference to settle virtual schools plan

The Senate gave final approval today to a virtual schools bill that would expand a state-run pilot program and allow virtual charter schools to open and serve students anywhere in South Carolina.

The bill is destined for a conference committee because the Senate rewrote most of the bill that had previously been approved in the House of Representatives.

The Senate version does not set aside 10 percent of the seats in a state-run virtual school for private and homeschool students — which had been a hard fought compromise in the House. The state-run virtual school will be open to students ages 21 years old or younger, and the state Board of Education is charged with developing procedures for the enrollment of private and homeschool students.

Senators approved an amendment to the bill that would allow a Laurens County orphanage school to convert to a charter school without waiting the requisite one year. The Thornwell Home & School plans to close its private school at the end of the school year and a group is considering launching a public charter school, which could receive state funds.

School choice forum tonight

A public forum on school choice will be held from 7 to 9 tonight at the Richland 2 auditorium at Richland Northeast High School, 7500 Brookfield Road.

Panelists will include:

• Cynthia Jackson, a teacher at Hood Street Elementary at Fort Jackson
• Richland 2 superintendent Steve Hefner, chairman of state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex’s transition team committee on school choice
• Larry Watts of the S.C. Independent Schools Association
• Terrye Seckinger of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, an activist group
• Brad Warthen, The State newspaper’s editorial page editor

The forum will be moderated by Bruce Field from the University of South Carolina.
USC is sponsoring the forum along with the S.C. School Improvement Council and the Richland 2 Teacher Forum.

Audience members can submit written questions at the forum or e-mail them ahead of time to barber2@gwm.sc.edu.

School choice has been a hot topic in the General Assembly for several years. This year, there are competing proposals to offer private school tuition tax credits or expand public school options for parents.

Virtual school bill weathers storm, passes House

A surprisingly controversial bill creating a statewide virtual school system passed the House 85-33 today.

The bill would make permanent an S.C. Department of Education pilot program that offers online classes to students in public schools, private schools or homeschool.

An amendment that was defeated yesterday during heated debate resurfaced this morning; it would have removed the bill’s original requirement that public school students get priority over private and homeschool students for online enrollment.

Lawmakers reached a compromise today to allow 90 percent of the 3,000 seats each semester to go to public school students; the remainder would be reserved for private and homeschool students. Any leftover seats would be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Many House Democrats opposed yesterday's amendment saying it was a back-door effort to fuel the private school voucher movement known as Put Parents in Charge.

Others were concerned that students from poor or rural areas may not have Internet access or computers and therefore could not equally participate in the program.

A similar bill is moving through the Senate.

House compromises on virtual school enrollment

The S.C. House has approved a compromise to divvy up slots in a statewide online schools program based on the percentage of students attending public and private schools.

Public school students will be guaranteed 90 percent of the 3,000 seats per semester, while private school students will receive the rest. Any remaining seats would be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The debate began yesterday when private school supporters introduced an amendment that all of the slots should be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. That proposal set off public school advocates who narrowly defeated the amendment.

The squabbling is all part of a "virtual schools" bill that sponsors originally thought would pass the House with relative ease.

A similar bill is making its way through the Senate.

Teacher bonuses debated among budget writers

The House Ways and Means Committee has wrapped up work for the day, and teacher bonuses was the hottest topic this afternoon.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter proposed requiring National Board Certified teachers who receive a state salary bonus to work in poorer and lower-performing school districts. She says the certified teachers mostly worked in the wealthiest districts.

Others opposed the idea, noting the state didn't ask those teachers to move before they earned certification.

The idea will be further debated later.

Tomorrow, the committee likely will work late allocating money for state programs.

Public school students would get first crack at online classes

The House has voted to give preference to public school students who wish to take classes in a new statewide online school system.

Today's debate was a smaller version of the looming fight over giving parents tax credits to send their children to private schools.

Advocates won a narrow victory to give public school students first preference for the 3,000 openings in the online schools.

The vote came on an amendment to the full bill, which will be taken up again later this week. The House has adjourned for the day.

Virtual school bill facing tough House debate

House Democrats are geared up for fight today to keep a pilot program designed to bring Internet access, expand class offerings and improve the opportunity for children to learn in alternative settings, weighted in favor of public school students.

An amendment is expected to attempt to open up the virtual school concept equally to public, private, charter and home-schooled students alike --- all funded with public dollars.

Democrats say the amendment is an effort by Republicans to "feel their way" through Gov. Mark Sanford's failed Put Parents in Charge proposal aimed at moving educational authority and funding away from public-emphasized administration to more control by private interests.

Panel would study school funding

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, is proposing a resolution to create a statewide committee to study the best way to get education dollars into classrooms.

Duncan and House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, introduced the plan today. It comes among increasing calls from the governor to eliminate the dozens of criteria that are used to determine how money is spent and move toward what is known as single weighted pupil funding.

The Senate is working on a similar plan.

Private school voucher rally draws thousands

Thousands of parents, teachers and children rallied at the State House today in support of a bill that would give tax credits and reimbursements for private school tuition.

"We have choice in South Carolina, but it is by ZIP code or by neighborhood or by wealth," Gov. Mark Sanford said in a speech thanking the rally's attendees. "What if you're born in rural South Carolina and you can't afford that right house in the right neighborhood? What about you?"

The rally was organized by South Carolinians for Responsible Government. A similar rally was held two years ago when the tuition tax credit movement - then called Put Parents in Charge - gained momentum.

Organizers estimated that as many as 4,000 people attended the rally, although no official crowd estimate was available from authorities.

Attendees - mostly private school students and staff - were showing their support for a bill that would give:

- A $1,000 tax credit per child to all families who pay private school tuition, regardless of family income.

- A $500 tax credit for home-schoolers.

- A $4,500 tuition reimbursement for poor students who leave low-rated public schools.

The rally cost about $10,000, said Denver Merrell, spokesman for South Carolinians for Responsible Government. That cost included hiring about 60 chartered buses to transport supporters to and from the rally.

- Lisa Michals

Rex meets with House Education Committee

New state Education Superintendent Jim Rex is getting to know legislators who will be making the decisions that affect his agency.

Rex received a warm welcome from members of the House Education Committee this morning and even got some laughs. Rex told members that he's been in his job a full week and "I'm at the peak of my job approval rating."

Rex says he will deliver a report on public schools to the committee within two weeks.

Tenenbaum passes baton to Rex

State schools chief Inez Tenenbaum is bidding goodbye to the S.C. Board of Education today, her final full day on the job.

Before addressing the state board this morning, she yielded the floor to her successor, Jim Rex, who takes the oath of office with other constitutional officers tomorrow.

Rex praised Tenenbaum’s eight-year stewardship of the state Department of Education and her willingness to help him make the transition to elected office.
"Coming (into office) after Inez Tenenbaum is not an easy order in any respect," Rex said, noting that she has worked to "pass the baton smoothly."

Tenenbaum, meanwhile, said her two terms in office "made me a better person ... made me a stronger person."

Democrats toast Rex at gala tonight

Education superintendent-elect Jim Rex and other Democrats will celebrate his move into statewide public office with a party at the State Museum complex tonight.

Rex's spokesman Zeke Stokes said a VIP reception is set for 6 p.m. It will be followed by an inaugural gala a the EdVenture children’s museum at 7 p.m.

Tickets for that event are going for $50 to $3,500. However, educators are invited to attend as Rex's special guests with no contribution required, Stokes said.

Among those scheduled to speak this evening include former Gov. Dick Riley, former state Teacher of the Year Traci Young Cooper and Rex's predecessor Inez Tenenbaum.

Rex will be sworn in tomorrow along with Gov. Mark Sanford and the rest of the state's constitutional officers.

$15M would go to companies for hydrogen research

S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell is proposing $15 million in state grants and tax credits to companies that partner with South Carolina-based research institutions and conduct hydrogen fuels research in the state.

The Charleston Republican said today the incentives are needed to help make South Carolina a leader in alternative fuels technology, which he said could become a major creator of jobs in the coming decades.

The South Carolina Hydrogen Infrastructure Development Fund would be available to private companies that work with the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, South Carolina State University and the Savannah River National Laboratory, Harrell said, and the institutions would have a voice in who receives the financial incentives.

The fund, spread over three years, is front-loaded to encourage companies to commit to research partnerships sooner rather than later. It would be funded at $7 million in 2007-08; $5 million for 2008-09; and $3 million in 2009-210. Funds unspent by June 30, 2012, would relapse to the state under Harrell’s proposal.

The legislation also will require state agencies to consider purchasing equipment and machinery operated by hydrogen fuel cells. The proposal provides for a sales tax exemption for equipment or machinery operated by or used to distribute hydrogen fuel cells.

Rex names first senior management team member

Sandy Smith, a legislative aide who directs research for the House education committee, is leaving that post to work for state superintendent-elect Jim Rex.

Rex announced Smith as his first senior management team appointment Friday.

Smith will hold the title of deputy state superintendent for policy and legislation and serve as liaison between the Legislature and the state Department of Education.

Smith joined the House education committee staff 11 years ago and played an instrumental role in drafting the legisla-tion that became the 1998 Education Accountability Act. Prior to her work in the Legislature, she was a teacher for 14 years and principal of Satchel Ford Elementary School in Richland 1 between 1992 and 1994.

Smith’s boss, Rep. Ronny Townsend, who opted not to seek re-election this fall, called Rex’s decision “a terrific choice. She enjoys tremendous respect in the General Assembly, not only among House members but among (state)senators as well.”

Townsend said one of Smith’s strengths is that she is “adept at explaining the impact that policy decisions are likely to have at the local level.”

Smith earns $R83,868 as research director of the House Education Committee.

— BILL ROBINSON