Voucher bill passes, 65-49

By a vote of 65-49, the South Carolina House has just approved a statewide voucher bill on second reading.


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Johnson, Smith, Brown speak on the bill

Note: Following is an encapsulation of remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Kevin Johnson: The real losers here are our public school teachers, principals, students.

I am truly disappointed. I came up here assuming I was working with some of the most

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Anthony, Allison, Brown speak on the voucher bill

Note: Following is an encapsulation of remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Mike Anthony: Where is the superintendent who represents 700,000 children in this state?

I said as a freshman, One of these days, you're going to awaken the sleeping giant of this

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Govan makes the case against vouchers

Note: Following is an encapsulation of remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Jerry Govan: Back in 1712, this state provided a nominal amount of money to support school parishes and their teachers.

In 1720, most of these schools, around Charleston, had

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Amendments over, debate on the bill begins

Amendments 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 were withdrawn, and 24 was tabled on a voice vote.

We turn to the bill.


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Pinson's Amendment 28 adopted

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Gene Pinson's Amendment 28 would restrict members of the General Assembly from participating in the tax deduction provided by this legislation.

Pinson: We should set

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Stavrinakis's Amendment 26 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Leon Stavrinakis's Amendment 26: No poor child is going to escape any "failing" school in South Carolina and go to any private school as a result of this bill.

We're

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Anthony's Amendment 25 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Anthony's Amendment 25 eliminates the PASS test and uses another test that can apply to private schools as well as public schools.

White moved to table; Anthony requested

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Smith's Amendment 23 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. James Smith's Amendment 23 seeks to establish accountability.

Smith: This is an important amendment. We want to spend state dollars responsibly and accountably. We

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Ott's Amendment 22 adopted

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Brannon withdrew the next seven amendments, bringing the body to Rep. Harry Ott's Amendment 22.

Ott: This amendment says, Let's try it for five years, then look at it. If

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Brannon's Amendment 15 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Brannon's Amendment 15: Includes the definition of immediate family members, who cannot receive scholarships when a family member is on the private school's board.

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Brannon's Amendment 14 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Brannon's Amendment 14: A private school receiving SGO funds must be currently accredited.

Bedingfield moved to table; Brannon requested roll call.

Vote: 62-49, tabled.

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Brannon's Amendment 13 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Brannon's Amendment 13: A private school receiving SGO funds must have been operating in South Carolina for 12 months before receiving the funds.

Bedingfield moved to

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Brannon's Amendment 12 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Brannon's Amendment 12 adds disabilities or academic achievement to the list of characteristics that private schools cannot discriminate against.

Rep. Steve Parker: I

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Brannan's Amendment 11 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Brannon's Amendment 11 is technical. Various kinds of schools are defined in various parts of the bill; this amendment takes out one code reference because it's "fraught

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Brannan's Amendment 10 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Amendments 4 through 9 are passed over; Amendment 10 is explained by Rep. Doug Brannon.

Brannon: Pointless, but this amendment deal with transparency and accountability.

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Brannon's Amendment 3 is tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Doug Brannon, Amendment 3: If a private school offers any scholarships and they qualify under this bill to receive scholarship funds, then they must accept voucher

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Anthony's Amendment 2 tabled

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Terry Alexander: Is this really apples to apples?

Anthony: No, different levels of deductions for different children, private schools versus home schools.

Alexander

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Anthony's amendment 2 is debated

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Gene Pinson, debating Amendment 2 by Rep. Mike Anthony, asked if there's another measurement to use besides the PASS test.

Anthony: Each state has to declare a state

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Voucher debate begins in the South Carolina House

Note: Following is an encapsulation of actions taken and remarks made by legislators during today's debate. While this note does reflect remarks made by these lawmakers, it is not a full and verbatim transcript of the remarks.

Rep. Rita Allison has offered Amendment 1 to HB 4894, the voucher bill. Allison was one of several Republicans who voted against the voucher bill last year. Her amendment

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A selection of texts on vouchers in South Carolina

Given the possibility that our lawmakers may consider the 2012 edition of their voucher bill, I thought it helpful to offer a catalog of readings on vouchers.

Anderson Independent Mail weighs in against vouchers

Vouchers and "school choice" remain political, not educational

Kozol: Vouchers are part of corporate privatization plans

Loftis op-ed on vouchers, tuition tax credits doesn't mention

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Vouchers on the House agenda today?

Word has it that the South Carolina House intends to debate its voucher bill, HB 4894, this afternoon.

To review its content, read the full text at the legislature's website.


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Greenville News defends public employment penalties

Editors of the Greenville News praised today the legislature's move to raise public employees' required contributions to their retirement fund, calling it "not perfect" but "necessary."

Indeed, it's imperfect. It's also unnecessary, as lawmakers could have adopted -- could still amend themselves and adopt -- a host of alternative strategies, from raising sufficient revenue to address the state's

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Royster tapped to succed Fisher in Greenville

The Greenville Board of Education voted last night to hire deputy superintendent Burke Royster to succeed retiring Superintendent Phinnize "Penny" Fisher as leader of South Carolina's largest school district.

In a split vote, Royster edged out Lynn Moody of Rock Hill and Eugene White of Indianapolis, Indiana.

The process to reach this decision was long and presumably intense, as the board met

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Haley attacks Rainey, hides behind secrecy rules

Despite his service as chairman of the state's Board of Economic Advisors, John Rainey is likely best known in South Carolina politics as the man who recruited Mark Sanford to run for governor in 2002. To put that decision in context, Sanford's reputation in 2002 was as a principled ultra-conservative -- even Libertarian -- Republican who was famous for limiting himself to three terms in Congress

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Rainey continues fight for transparency, ethics

Former chairman of the Board of Economic Advisors John Rainey continues to fight for clean government, transparency and ethics, with a terrific column in today's edition of the Orangeburg Times and Democrat.The resignation of former Lt. Gov. Ken Ard, followed shortly by his indictment and guilty plea, marks another milestone in the long road of ethical lapses by public officials in South Carolina

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PLThomasEdD: Zais lacks experience, expertise

Blogger PLThomasEdD, who posts at DailyKos, published another great commentary there yesterday, this one taking Superintendent Mick Zais to task for his claims in an opinion-editorial in The State.

I hope readers will share PLThomasEdD's commentary far and wide among educators, because he's precisely the sort of education leader that's missing from government: Experienced, expert and

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Haley ignores education questions, promotes book

A huge thank-you to Paul Bowers of the Charleston City Paper for catching Governor Nikki Haley's book-promotion gimmick on Facebook yesterday and documenting the interaction. If such things happen again, we should share the word as quickly as possible, to get as many interested South Carolinians as possible involved in asking questions.

That is, the ones who are Haley's Facebook friends.

Here

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Parents defending public schools offend right wing

Here's the good that has come from this post: Anyone wishing to communicate their support for traditional public schools in South Carolina are armed with a great set of talking points!

As I understand it, a family moved to a small town in South Carolina because of the "notoriety" of its public schools. (No, I don't understand that reference, either.) And when they arrived, they joined the local

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Study: Southern abstinence-only policies not working

Anyone who's landed on such unfortunate programs as "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant," or who has spent a few hours in a normal middle or high school in our state could confirm some of this:Young people in the South have higher STD and teen pregnancy rates than their peers in other US regions, and the solution may be comprehensive sex education, according to a recent study by Auburn

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AT&T sets its sights on education in SC

Uh-oh.

Another corporate giant has discovered that there are potentially billions of dollars to be made once South Carolina converts all of its public schools to private alternatives, and it's laying down a big, fat marker on those future profits.

From Midlands Biz comes the announcement:As access to skilled workers becomes increasingly vital to the U.S. economy, AT&T is launching a

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Sanford-Haley advisor denies critique of state's economy

A couple of old adages come to mind here. One is that a kicked dog barks. The other is that figures lie and liars figure.

I think the average South Carolinian feels the truth as it's described in an economic report issued by TD Economics recently, which says that our state lawmakers' budget decisions over recent years contribute to our inability to rebound after the recent recession.

Ordinary

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Zais insults students, schools receiving awards

Last week, local and regional newspapers trumpeted the announcements that various schools in their coverage areas had been recognized with Palmetto Gold and Silver awards for student achievement.

And why not? In South Carolina, where public schools are denigrated daily by ideologues who favor privatization, corporatization, segregation and elimination, the news that so many students and schools

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Supporters propose a memorial for Judge J. Waties Waring

Here's wonderful opportunity to do a good thing for our state, our children and ourselves. I hope our state's educators will support this wholeheartedly and actively.

I've written several times to praise Judge J. Waties Waring of Charleston, a man whose leadership did much to change -- against the wishes of Charleston society -- the course of South Carolina's and America's history.

In this

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Daily Gamecock: Charter expansion a poor plan

Look at this: Even the students at the University of South Carolina agree that charter school expansion in South Carolina isn't the panacea for our ills. Reporter Angel Hollen wrote in The Daily Gamecock last week:Decisions regarding South Carolina public schools are currently being discussed in the general assembly.

State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais’s top priority is passing a bill to

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Privatization bill catches national attention

South Carolina's costly and unnecessary proposal to dissolve and privatize the state's school bus transportation system has attracted the attention of a national publication that focuses on student transportation.

Ryan Gray of School Transportation News reported on Friday that the school bus privatization bill under consideration in our legislature has been amended but the issue is still

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Greenville board has adjourned without decision

News comes from Greenville tonight that after a day-long debate among school board members over the selection of a new superintendent, the board adjourned at 11 p.m. without a decision.

And it appears that a decision by Rock Hill school administrators to hold classes during last year's Martin Luther King Jr Day has emerged as an issue in the public discussion, if not the private one.

This

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Lawmakers punish public employees, expand charters

The South Carolina Education Association publishes by email a weekly update of legislative activity, and the update from the past week documents the damage done by our lawmakers to the state's retirement system.

To wit:The House passed H.4976 (Ways and Means Committee), the bill that changes the S.C. Retirement System this week. Included in this bill are:

• Increases in employee contributions

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Study: Charter expansion has re-segregated schools

Language can't get much plainer than this: "The expansion of charter schools has led to classrooms being more segregated today than they were 30 years ago, according to a recent report that provides policymakers with detailed recommendations on how to ensure all students have access to a quality education."

This is the chief conclusion of a study produced by researchers at the University of

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Ravitch: Who demeans teachers harms children

Diane Ravitch, who would be U.S. Secretary of Education in a perfect world, commented this week on the Metlife Survey of the American Teacher in her weekly blog at Education Week magazine's website.

As usual, the logic of her commentary is crystalline.By now, you have seen the latest Metlife Survey of the American Teacher. It shows that teachers' satisfaction with their job has plummeted since

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Haley begs for national attention in Pennsylvania

Two months ago, Governor Nikki Haley spent two weeks with presidential candidate Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, a state that does not appear among South Carolina's voting precincts.

Then she squired him around her own state, which may have been the kiss of death, as opponent Newt Gingrich cleaned Romney's clock in the South Carolina primary -- a primary, I might add, paid for entirely by South

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History repeats: The State on vouchers, 2007

It's possible that our leaders will pull out their warmed-over voucher bill this week for debate in the House.

Haven't we been here before?

We have. The State newspaper published the following editorial on March 27, 2007, almost five years ago to the day:LET’S SAY THE city police have abandoned some neighborhoods. When residents complain, instead of sending the police back in, the city council

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Hutchens: State's history reflects rot from within

Award-winning journalist Corey Hutchens of Columbia's Free Times turned in another fine article this week with a study of South Carolina's intimacy with corruption.

As one who studies our state's past -- partly in search of clues to determine where we went wrong, partly in search of a rational path out of our morass -- and its chief antagonists, I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.To stroll

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"At-will" and "right-to-work-for-less," illustrated

There are states in America where employees -- public and private -- have rights, thanks to the centuries-old concept of collective bargaining. South Carolina and Florida are not among them.

In these two states, and 20-plus more, employees have no rights under the law; we can be hired or fired "at will," which is where the happy label "at-will" comes from.

If you work for me, and you're sitting

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Greenville finalists White, Royster, Moody profiled

Biographical sketches were published this week by the Greenville News of the three finalists to succeed Dr. Phinnize "Penny" Fisher, retiring superintendent of Greenville County Schools.

I caught the sketches of two -- Lynn Moody of York County and Burke Royster of Greenville -- but didn't see the sketch of Dr. Eugene G. White of Indianapolis, Indiana. I found his biography online, however, at

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Optional reading: "Can't Is Not An Option"

Google "Sentinel HC", or plug that into the internal search engine at Amazon.com, and you'll find what resembles the right wing's secret library. Imagine a Bizzaro-world catalog of Thomas Jefferson's treatises on democracy, perverted.

You'll find titles like "She's the Boss: The Disturbing Truth About Nancy Pelosi," which posits the frightening question "Why Is Nancy Pelosi the Most Dangerous

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Solidarity among educators, workers is imperative

Mark Naison, professor of African and African American Studies at Fordham University in New York and chair of the department of African and African-American Studies, authored a great column I found over the weekend. Given what's happening in our legislature, funded by out-of-state contributors, I thought it appropriate to feature Naison's thoughts here.All over the nation, teachers are under

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Profit motive fuels forced privatization

Today's online edition of The State newspaper includes a reader survey on the bus privatization issue; go here to weigh in, and be sure to forward the link to friends and family who will vote, too.

Reporter Gina Smith catches the crux of the issue in her opening statement: "South Carolina school systems are fearful they are about to be handed a bill for tens of millions of dollars by the S.C.

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Statesman Smith fights for South Carolina's children

When building a South Carolina statesman from scratch, one can't do better than to use Rep. James Smith as a model. His Twitter bio encapsulates the case: "Husband, Father, Soldier, Lawyer, Legislator, Musician & devoted American & South Carolinian; thankful for our freedom & dedicated to an even better SC for all."

In a meritocratic world where earned experience and achievement count for

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Could Glenn McConnell become Governor?

If John Rainey gets his way, it will be so: Glenn McConnell -- now less than a week into his service as Lieutenant Governor -- may succeed Nikki Haley before her first term ends in January, 2015.

As widely respected as McConnell is for his whipsmart political mind, today's news from Columbia may show that McConnell is also the cleverest person in the entire legislature.

The news? It comes from

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Scholastic/Gates study: Teachers are happy workaholics

Today's Washington Post features the summary conclusions of a study conducted by Scholastic and the Gates Foundation, which include the news that educators work a lot, educator don't mind being evaluated, and educators are "satisfied" in their jobs.

I know, I know: This study was funded by the Gates Foundation, so rest assured that I'm not taking the results too seriously -- especially the

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Support for public schools elevated Courson in Senate

According to the account rendered in The State newspaper this week, Sen. John Courson became Senate President Pro Tempore thanks in part to his long-time support for public education in South Carolina.

Reporter Gina Smith writes:Longtime Columbia state Sen. John Courson was elected to the top post in the state Senate Tuesday, but the political musical chairs may not be over.

The 67-year-old

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Anderson Independent Mail weighs in against vouchers

The headline tells the tale: "Here we go again."

Editors of the Anderson Independent Mail, hometown newspaper to Rep. Brian White, chairman of South Carolina's House Ways and Means Committee, have issued their position on the newest-and-unimproved version of the voucher-and-tax-deduction bill sure to arise in the next couple of weeks.Funding private education with public money via tax credits or

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Riley: America depends on quality teachers and schools

Former South Carolina Governor Dick Riley is one of the handful of elder statesmen who can be called "education governors," alongside former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt.

In fact, Riley is one of only two South Carolinians to serve in a presidential Cabinet in the twentieth century; he served as education secretary for former President Bill Clinton, and former Governor Jimmy Byrnes served as

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Wisconsin lawmaker explains ALEC's position on education

Can't add much to this analysis. Listen for notes that will sound similar to the coming legislative debate on vouchers in South Carolina.




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In Beaufort, clothes make the gentleman, and the lady

Approaching three hundred years ago, the sons and daughters of South Carolina's elite had private tutors and governesses to teach them etiquette, and English-made finery to make them presentable.

Today, at least in Beaufort County, students of ordinary South Carolinians have access to the same training and clothes, thanks to the nonprofit Peters Group Foundation and its Gentlemen's and Ladies

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Parent-activist warns parents, educators in Sumter

Forewarned is forearmed, and long-time parent-activist Ceresta Smith, now of Charleston, rang the alarm in Sumter on Tuesday -- and her remarks were covered by the Sumter Item.Is the "public" being taken out of public schools?

That was the topic of a public talk given Tuesday in Sumter, sponsored by the South Carolina Education Association and the Sumter Education Task Force.

Ceresta Smith, a

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Rock Hill's Moody is a finalist for Greenville supt

This, from today's Rock Hill Herald online:Rock Hill schools Superintendent Lynn Moody is one of three finalists in the running to lead Greenville County schools.

If chosen Moody would take charge of a district with more than four times as many students as Rock Hill’s.

The other finalists are Burke Royster, Greenville County schools’ deputy superintendent of operations, and Eugene White,

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Louisiana's teachers denigrated by governor, lawmakers

Is this what the new conservative world order will look like? Teachers locked out of their State House, interrogated by lawmakers for daring to speak up on the issues that affect them?

Is this where we're headed in South Carolina, too?With the 12-6 vote -- which came almost 11 hours the committee convened -- two of the four principal measures of Jindal's overhaul of primary and secondary

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South Carolina native poet Finney speaks at USC

Here's a great candidate for South Carolina poet laureate: Nikky Finney, the Conway-born daughter of retired Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney and a Newberry-born elementary school teacher, Frances Davenport Finney.

Raised right here in South Carolina, Finney attended public schools through our delayed period of integration, and graduated Sumter High School in 1975. She studied here in the South,

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Educators blocked from State House in Baton Rouge

Shades of Governor Nikki Haley?

Weeks after sharing a luncheon table with our governor at the White House, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal blocked thousands of educators from gaining entry to the State House in Baton Rouge this morning, while a package of his proposals to dismantle public education in that state was being rolled out in a legislative committee.

There's more to this story -- and

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Congratulations to Beaufort County high school seniors

Who doesn't love a banquet held in honor of high students for their academic achievement?

Anyone who spends time at the State House has seen team after team of high school basketball, baseball or jerseyed football players lined up along the House rostrum, necks draped with striped ribbons and awards of some sort, being regaled by Representative Proud O'Mine and the whole Pickyer County

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National educators group offers lobbying tips

The American Association of School Administrators, the national association with which the South Carolina Association of School Administrators is affiliated, has published a helpful note on its website on the topic of gaining greater funding for public education.

It is helpful because it reminds educators in South Carolina of two facts: One, public education and its funding is under attack

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Popular versus expert: Who should be trusted in education?

Blogger PLThomasEDD, who posts at DailyKos and elsewhere, has shined a light on a significant topic in his most recent note: Should education be governed by individuals who happen to have amassed certain popularity or by individuals who have earned expertise in the field?

This hits my sweet spot, as I have noted here many, many times that in our blessed state, public education is governed wholly

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Out-of-state readers: Welcome, and help!

I've noticed something about the readers of Educating South Carolina over the past year, and it has both entertained and puzzled me: Many of ESC's readers are reading from outside South Carolina.

I don't mean that a bunch of South Carolinians are taking vacations across the border and checking-in via their Blackberries. I mean there have been a good many readers from across the nation, regularly

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Florence 1 votes against vouchers, bus privatization

They're only resolutions that express the school board's consensus views on issues being considered at the State House, but the two statements adopted last night by the Florence 1 school board ought to be considered by the rest of our elected school boards.
Florence School District 1 trustees Thursday night at their monthly meeting took a stand against legislation that would provide tax breaks

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Lieutenant Governor Ken Ard has resigned

Adam Beam of The State newspaper has reported that Lieutenant Governor Ken Ard has resigned his office, via a press statement.The resignation comes after a nine month investigation by a state Grand Jury into ethics violations, including allegations Ard used campaign money to buy personal items, including iPads, clothes, football tickets and a TV. Attorney General Alan Wilson and SLED Chief Mark

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Report: State's graduation standards reflect definition of rigor

Just as few days after declaring that South Carolina's school standards were too low -- and blaming former Superintendents Inez Tenenbaum and Jim Rex for weakening them -- Superintendent Mick Zais is unfortunately unable to comment upon a new report that shows some of the state's high schools deliver quite rigorous curricula -- rooted in high standards and expectations.

Jay Ragley, Zais's press

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Poll: Americans reject attacks on public employees' rights

Give average Americans an opportunity to demonstrate their humanity and intelligence, and they'll take it.

Bloomberg News Service conducted the poll and is reporting its findings, so no one can argue that this is a liberal-biased poll.A new Bloomberg News national poll finds that Americans believe, by a wide margin, that public sector workers should have the right to collectively bargain. 64

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Tax exemptions, meet transparency

Phil Noble of Charleston published a great column in the online magazine Like The Dew -- "A Journal of Southern Culture and Politics" -- that I highly recommend:It is often said that South Carolina is a one-party state, and usually this is understood to mean the Republican Party. However, in many areas, it’s really the ‘good old boy’ party that is in charge – the party of legislators in both

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Lawmakers in 2008 voted to hide public information

Yesterday's Greenville News weighed in on a strange addition to the 2008 budget bill that blocks the public from knowing what lawmakers -- and others -- collect in retirement benefits. In this era of transparency -- and the avoidance of it -- the News explains why that hidden change in the law was so important:The South Carolina Legislature has done it again: It has passed a law that few

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Vice President Nikki Haley? Or, is it President Nikki Haley?

The capricious young woman we elected Queen is baring her teeth again, this time incomprehensibly at legislative leaders in her own party.

Speaking to a gathering of followers who desire a government of no government, and no public services, Governor Nikki Haley lashed out at conservative legislators for crafting a budget bill that doesn't immediately dismantle government in general -- and more

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House robs veteran state employees' retirement benefits

If this action occurred at the intersection of Main and Gervais streets in Columbia, the police would be called, someone would be arrested and 220,000 charges of grand larceny -- felonies, all -- would be filed.

But because it happened a couple hundred yards away, in the House Ways and Means Committee meeting, it's entirely legal. It's still highway robbery -- still grand larceny -- but it's

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Rock Hill Herald advocates pay raise for state employees

And the people said Amen.State workers deserve a raise this year - if only to help offset the anticipated rise in health care and pension costs.

State employees haven't had a raise since 2007. Since then, they have faced furloughs, layoffs and pay cuts.

This year, the S.C. House Ways and Means Committee has approved a 2 percent pay raise starting July 1 for state employees and teachers. Some

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Cobb-Hunter raises equal-standards argument in voucher bill

Although House Ways and Means Chairman Brian White told WJBF yesterday that he has enough votes to pass his $37 million voucher-and-tax-deduction bill from the House, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter has raised concerns about using public dollars without public accountability.At the committee meeting, State Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said the plan also doesn't hold private schools to

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Kozol: Vouchers are part of corporate privatization plans

A good memory is useful.

Some years ago, I read a note by renowned education researcher and author Jonathan Kozol in a magazine, in which he mentioned reading a prospectus by a Wall-Street type interested in penetrating the public education market.

It has taken me a little while, but I found the article. It was published in Harpers Magazine in August 2007, and the anecdote is just as I recalled

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Voucher bill passes House committee, 16-8

Adam Beam of The State is reporting that the House Ways and Means Committee approved this year's voucher-and-tax-deduction bill by a vote of 16 to 8.

Assuming that the bill will be "read out" tomorrow, it could be taken up as early as Thursday by the full House of Representatives. With out-of-state billionaires breathing down the necks of moderate House conservatives -- and promising primary

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John Dewey's "pedagogic creed" is worth reviewing

Earlier today, I posted a review by Diane Ravitch of Pasi Sahlberg's most recent book, and Ravitch mentioned in her review that Finland's education system is heavily influenced by the Vermonter, early education psychologist and educator John Dewey.

I recall fondly first learning of Dewey as a child, when I would take home my report card in a brown envelope featuring a quote by Dewey in large

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Educators win major pension victory -- in Florida

Hooray for Florida's educators and public employees. Thanks to a lawsuit filed last year by the Florida Education Association, changes made by the legislature to the public employee pension system have been blocked.TALLAHASSEE – Circuit Court Judge Jackie Fulford ruled today in favor of the Florida Education Association in its lawsuit on public employees’ mandatory pension “contribution.”

Last

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Ravitch: Lessons from Finland that America won't learn

Every time I read Diane Ravitch -- who takes on Louisiana's governor and ALEC in her most recent blog post -- I learn something new and useful. Last month, I learned a new acronym thanks to her: GERM, which stands for Global Education Reform Movement. Poetic, isn't it?

For the New York Times Book Review, Ravitch reviewed "Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in

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Vouchers and "school choice" remain political, not educational

Since today may turn out to be a bellwether day for so-called "school choice" advocates in South Carolina -- those who, for economic or ideological reasons, want to dismantle and privatize public education -- I thought it was instructive to review an article written by Kevin Carey, policy director of a D.C.-based think tank called Education Sector, published in the January edition of The Atlantic

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Should we pay private-school tuition for the children of wealth?

It appears that today may be a red-letter day for those out-of-state funders who have promoted voucher legislation in South Carolina since former Governor Mark Sanford's first run in 2002. After striking out several times before, they're back in an election year with gallons of red paint, ready to put targets on the backs of any conservatives who vote in support of public education.

And we're

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Report: Virtual learning no less expensive than schools

For those who advocate virtual learning as a cheaper way to "deliver" "education services" -- as if effective teaching could be bottled and distributed like Coca-Cola -- word comes this morning that a recent study suggesting was off-base.

Have to watch those studies; slap "study" on an issue and ideologues perk up like mini-Pinschers.

Says the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and

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Florida teacher charged with voter registration fraud

Watch out, South Carolina. Bad ideas don't take long to get here.

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McCarty: War against public education funds campaigns

Veteran political operative and blogger Brian McCarty has recently made a monumental declaration at his blog, Voting Under the Influence. I'll let you read it there, but I made note of another post of his that begs more attention, and I'm glad to give it that attention here.

McCarty previously covered the topic of campaign financing, and the election cycle of 2012, and he tied the need for

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Wilson: Tenure laws protect effective educators

Here's a welcome perspective that great public school teachers don't hear every day in the debate over tenure and seniority.

John Wilson, former executive director of the National Education Association and now an education columnist for the Washington Post, says that tenure laws don't protect ineffective education professionals; they protect effective ones.Okay! Okay! I know teachers do not have

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Multiple studies show our betters behave worse

I had to read this note from Too Much twice; it doesn't sound at all like the wealthier denizens of our gorgeous state.Academe has historically paid scant attention to the rich. Scholars have placed poor people under all sorts of microscopes. Rich people have largely gone unstudied. But that’s changing. Recent years have seen an explosion of academic interest in how affluence affects behavior.

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Betty A. Padgett, career educator, dies in Spartanburg

From Sunday's Spartanburg Herald-Journal:Betty Aiken Padgett, 83, of Boiling Springs, died Friday, March 2, 2012 at RoseCrest. Born September 28, 1928 in Spartanburg County, she was the widow of the late Glenn Hicks Padgett and daughter of the late Tommy Dee Aiken and Annie Mason Aiken Hayes.

Mrs. Padgett retired from Boiling Springs High School after 28 years of service, a member of Boiling

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South Carolina lags in citizens with college degrees

Poor South Carolina can't catch a break -- but until we decide to join America and move forward, should we expect something different?

This time, it's new Census Bureau figures that show us lagging in higher education. A story from Florence uses a 29-year-old non-traditional student to illustrate the data: "30 percent of the nation's population, aged 25 or older... hold a bachelor’s degree or

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Grade-changing costs Beaufort principal his job

An item in the Island Packet reported Friday that the principal of Beaufort High School, Dan Durbin, had resigned immediately at the request of Superintendent Valerie Truesdale "for changing grades."

But there's clearly a bigger story here.Truesdale says Durbin violated district policy and state law in changing 200 grades for 33 students over the past two years. Durbin never denied making the

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How much does BMW pay our state in corporate income taxes?

Great news from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal: "Germany-based automaker BMW's Spartanburg County production plant was the country's largest vehicle exporter in 2011, the company announced Thursday. The value of Spartanburg-based BMW Manufacturing Co.'s exports through the Port of Charleston totaled $7.4 billion, a 68 percent increase over $4.4 billion in 2010."

Great questions: (1) How much did

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EOC: Goals 2020 in jeopardy without 'new sense of urgency'

An opinion-editorial was published in the Charleston Post & Courier on Friday by Barbara Hairfield, social studies curriculum specialist and Teaching American History Grant Project director for the Charleston County School District.

Hairfield is also vice chair of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, which makes her the highest ranking educator on that body, as state law prohibits

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Good, bad and ugly: Notes from an education professional

This appeared last week in the New York Times, but it bears reading here in South Carolina. The author is special education teacher William Johnson, who also blogs at Gotham Schools.I AM a special education teacher. My students have learning disabilities ranging from autism and attention-deficit disorder to cerebral palsy and emotional disturbances. I love these kids, but they can be a handful.

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Could Scientologists open a charter school in South Carolina?

Let's see: We have a charter school law that gives interested parties a way to get around local school boards to open charter schools.

And we have a legislature that seems bent on adopting voucher laws that would funnel public money to parochial and private schools, eliminating any wall between church and state.

So, I think the answer is yes, Scientologists could open a charter school in South

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Brack: South Carolina can do better for its public schools

Andy Brack does a great job producing a handy legislative summary called Statehouse Report, and I've praised him for it many times before. In the current edition, he outdoes himself with a superb analysis of our lawmakers' unwillingness to meet their responsibilities when it comes to public education.

To wit:Despite overwhelming evidence that investing more money in early childhood education

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Voucher school leader indicted on federal charges

From the nation's voucher capital -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- comes news that the administrator of a school that operated on voucher funds has been indicted on federal charges of theft and fraud.

Further evidence that voucher schemes are tricky things.United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced Wednesday that Gregory L. Goner has been indicted by a grand jury of theft and fraud counts.

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"Study": Charter progress suffered for lack of state funding

Two of South Carolina's charter school advocates who left our borders for opportunities elsewhere have reached back to deliver a new report on the stresses and strains suffered by the charter movement in South Carolina since former Governor David Beasley signed the first charter law in 1996.

One of their conclusions is half-comical: That charter schools struggle in their early years because they

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Free Times details state's pension reform dilemma

The cover story in this week's edition of the Free Times of Columbia digs deep into the mess that's been stirred up around our state retirement system and the punitive measures being considered by lawmakers to right the ship.

The entire matter can be boiled down to a simple fact which leads to a simple solution.

Simple fact: During the past 12 or so years, thanks to deep and damaging budget

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Baker Maultsby returns to covering public education

Baker Maultsby lives a double, maybe even triple, life: by day, a former reporter for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and communications guy for Wofford College, and small businessman -- and by night, twang-and-rock musician who's performed on "Prairie Home Companion" and had his lyrics quoted in the Wall Street Journal, of all places. And he's a family man, married with children, the whole nine.

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Uh-oh, "the help" are gettin' ideas; time to crack down again

If there's one thing that frightens lawmakers and their corporate sponsors, it's the idea that hundreds of thousands -- even millions -- of low-paid workers might one day realize that millions of low-paid workers have greater electoral power than a few hundred corporate sugar daddies.

It's what led South Carolina's electeds in 1954 to make our state a "right-to-work-for-less" state, meaning that

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Columnist pays tribute to teacher Mildred Almond

Just a reminder: Have you reached out to thank the teachers who helped you become who you are? Columnist Stephanie Harvin of the Charleston Post & Courier does in today's edition.In every school, there are teachers who inspire us long after we have graduated. When we were seniors, in that final flurry of classes, exams, proms and graduation, we didn't think too hard about them.

They were our

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