Education

McMaster's priorities: Reduced taxes, school choice, civil liability reform

By RICK BRUNDRETT In his eighth State of the State Address on Wednesday before the S.C. General Assembly, Gov. Henry McMaster outlined his priorities as South Carolina’s longest-serving governor, including lowering the income tax rate further, reforming civil liability laws and improving school choice opportunities. The Republican governor, who took...

Rick Brundrett

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January 31, 2025

  • McMaster's priorities: Reduced taxes, school choice, civil liability reform

    By RICK BRUNDRETT In his eighth State of the State Address on Wednesday before the S.C. General Assembly, Gov. Henry McMaster outlined his priorities as South Carolina’s longest-serving governor, including lowering the income tax rate further, reforming civil liability laws and improving school choice opportunities. The Republican governor, who took...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    January 31, 2025

  • Plenty of SC school districts don't livestream official meetings

    Editor's note: This is the first story in a planned series of stories on livestreaming and other transparency issues affecting local or state government in South Carolina. By RICK BRUNDRETT Nearly 30% of South Carolina’s regular school districts don’t livestream official meetings, though nearly all of them have websites and...
    Rick Brundrett

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    October 28, 2024

  • Federal school-choice suit raises questions about future court, legislative actions

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 10/26/23 - The South Carolina Education Association announced that the association, the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and six public school parents filed a lawsuit asking the S.C. Supreme Court to nullify a state law passed earlier this year creating a school-choice program that...
    Rick Brundrett

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    August 11, 2023

  • S.C. Senate expands school choice options for parents

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 5/4/23 – Gov. Henry McMaster signed S.39 into law. The House last week approved the Senate bill by a vote of 79-35 on a key second reading. The S.C. Senate on Tuesday gave key approval to a bill that would provide $6,000 scholarships to low- and...
    Rick Brundrett

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    February 01, 2023

  • Scott pushes unspent covid funds for school choice options

    By RICK BRUNDRETT More than a year after the federal government’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus-relief plan became law, South Carolina’s public school districts have spent relatively little of their share of the money, state records show. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott believes lower-income parents nationwide should be able to use the unspent...
    Rick Brundrett

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    August 12, 2022

  • Voters back school choice bill. Can lawmakers get it across the finish line?

    By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. residents generally support using public money to allow children to attend private schools, a South Carolina Policy Council poll shows – and a key negotiator on a related school-choice bill says he’s pushing to get it passed. It remains to be seen whether the Republican-dominated, 46-member...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    June 23, 2022