South Carolina education system needs major overhaul to fix inequities
The recent “Minimally Adequate” series published in The Post and Courier exposing the condition of public education in our state has received wide acclaim — justifiably so, in my view.
South Carolina has a long history of underperforming on behalf of its children, practically from birth. Much of that history was invested in assuring that children of color were left out, beginning with an 1835 statute that made it illegal to teach a black child to read and extending well into the 20th century, when we invented state assessments to keep black children out of Clemson and the University of South Carolina. The “Minimally Adequate” series lays it all out.
One would think that we in South Carolina would, therefore, feel a special responsibility to correct these inequities. Certainly, we would fully fund our own statutory commitment to support our schools. We might even feel obligated to lead in the development of funding formulas that are based on need.
