By james art 
Columbia, SC (WCIV) – South Carolina approached Thursday to reinstall a private voucher program for a school, originally considered unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the State.
State senators have adopted a bill to trust the educational scholarships in a vote, which fell apart quite close to the party lines-32-12. Shane Martin, a Republican from Spartanburg, was the only member of GOP to join the Senate Democrats in opposing a bill that has been fighting a two -week debate.
In September 2024, the South Carolina Supreme Court concluded that the dollars of taxpayers could not be used to pay for a private school training – borrowing a program already available for the school year and signed in law in 2023 S
Read more | “McMaster claims that the” devastating consequences “after the Supreme Court has implemented a voucher program.”
To circumvent the Supreme Court’s decision, the Republicans, sunk by pushing a version of school choices, created a bill that allows the use of money from the Education Lottery in South Carolina to finance the voucher program.
The bill allows up to 10,000 students whose parents earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level to receive about $ 7,500 to pay for private training in the next school year.
If signed by law, the program will increase the number of students eligible up to 15,000 and 400% of the federal poverty level by 2027.
In addition, according to this legislation, the amount of the student’s scholarship will depend on the average funding of a student, which every school received from the state in the previous year.
Read more | “The Senate Subcommittee in South Carolina for a revaluation of the school selection program.”
The Senate Republicans advanced the school selection legislation just a day after governor Henry McMaster used his pulpit as a bully to drum at the General Assembly to take action.
“Please send the General Assembly to my desk as soon as a new new bill for the education fund for education for education, which appeals to last year’s decision of the Supreme Court of the State,” McMaster said on Wednesday night. “Parents, not school visit lines, should determine the education that best meets their child’s unique needs.”
Opponents of the election of a school, Senate Democrats and organizations such as the League of Women voters claim that a more effective solution would be simply funding for public schools.
“The answer is not a choice,” said Senator Margi Bright Matthews in the denial of Democrats of McMaster’s state. “Instead of sending our tax dollars to private schools, we must fully fund our public schools – something that South Carolina has neglected for decades. more.
A final procedural vote is needed to send the bill from the Senate and to the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold an over -master and the use of lottery revenue to finance the program is not universally supported.