Minimally Adequate or High Quality
Greenwood Today
August 31, 2008
Is there a devil in the details? South Carolina’s public education system has it's share of problems. Despite spending over 11,400 dollars per student every year we rank among the worst in the country by a number of measures. The decrepit condition of our poor rural schools along Interstate 95 lead some to dub the area the “Corridor of Shame.” The poor quality of the public school system in South Carolina makes national news at times. The nation is aware of the problems we have. Our school system has implications on our economy and the welfare of our citizens. If we ever want to get out of the cellar of underachieving in education we must fix our public school system.
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Multi-Pronged Approaches to Education Reform: The South Carolina and Illinois Examples
by Michael Rebell, National Access Network,
August 2008 Litigation is often necessary to spur education funding reform, but successful litigations—and especially successful remedies to adequacy cases—usually involve coordinated media, public engagement, and political activities. Recent events in South Carolina and Illinois demonstrate how multi-pronged approaches, involving both legal and nonlegal tactics, combine to promote education reform. South Carolina:
Since 1993, South Carolina has been entangled in legal proceedings in Abbeville County School District v. State, a case that is challenging the constitutionality of the state’s public education system. The State Supreme Court held in 1999 that the state constitution calls for the General Assembly to “provide the opportunity for each child to receive a minimally adequate education,” which includes the opportunity to acquire, among other things, the ability to read and write, comprehend mathematics and physical science, and understand economic, social, and political systems. In 2005, the trial court declared that the state had indeed failed its constitutional responsibilities to provide adequate preschool education and other interventions through grade three. In regard to the plaintiffs’ claims of educational inadequacy for all other levels of schooling, however, the court found in favor of the state. Cross appeals of all of these issues are now pending before the South Carolina Supreme Court. Oral arguments took place in June, and a final decision is expected in the fall.
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Rex to promote funding reforms
By Diette Courrégé , The Post and Courier
August 15, 2008 S.C. Education Superintendent Jim Rex will spend the next 10 days on a statewide back-to-school tour aimed at ramping up grassroots support for reforming the state's funding formula for schools. Ensuring fair and adequate funding for schools was a key promise of Rex's during his campaign for office, and in order to make that happen, the state also needs to take a "comprehensive look at its antiquated tax system," he said. "The time to act is long past, and we simply have to act now as a state," Rex said. Lawmakers are moved to action when they hear from their constituents at home, rather than from him or the media, Rex said. "I'm hopeful we can get that kind of support," he said.
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We should not accept 'minimally adequate'
By Jim Rex, Spartanburg Herald-Journal
August 17, 2008
Bells will soon ring in public schools across South Carolina as nearly 700,000 students mark the beginning of a new year. It's an exciting time for our students, families and educators.
I meet many parents in my travels, and I'm always asked about ways they can help their children succeed. As an educator and a parent, I can say that there are no easy answers. But here are a few suggestions that parents may want to consider as the new school year begins:
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Rex address District 7 teachers, Converse staff on back-to-school tour
By Lee Gray, Spartanburg Hearld Journal
August 15, 2008
When the man who “killed the PACT” was introduced, Twichell Auditorium burst into deafening cheers and applause.
State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex addressed Spartanburg County District 7 teachers and staff at Converse College on Friday morning during the second stop of his back-to-school tour. District Superintendent Thomas White made the enthusiastic introduction, rallying teachers before the first day of school Tuesday. “Thank you for calling me the PACT killer,” Rex said, “but I’m not, you all are.”
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'Minimally adequate' must receive an upgrade
By Jim Cato, The Beaufort Gazette
July 15, 2008 As the dog days of summer approach, some South Carolinians are assuming more than a lethargic attitude toward the education of the state's younger residents. They want more than a constitutional guarantee of "minimally adequate" education.
Teachers and principals often discuss expectation. They expect students to perform well. They want them to be above average. Parents expect teachers and students to do well. They want both groups to perform above average. Now a group is pushing a petition drive that should tell state legislators that they expect them to perform well -- above average -- when it comes to funding education to provide resources
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Drive seeks to alter S.C. constitution
Group wants more than minimum for schools By Diette Courrégé, The Post and Courier July 14, 2008 South Carolina's public education system has its share of problems. It ranks among the worst in the country by a number of measures, and the decrepit condition of its poor, rural schools along Interstate 95 led some to dub the area the "Corridor of Shame." The quality of Palmetto State schools has implications for its economy and citizens' welfare, and some say the place to start addressing this issue is by making a fundamental change to the state constitution, specifically to change the educational standard interpreted as "minimally adequate" to "high quality."
Get involved in politics to help schools, Rex advises educators
By Diette Courrégé, The Post and Courier
June 19, 2008
It's been less than two weeks since state Education Superintendent Jim Rex won the battle for the state to reform its accountability laws, but he already is rallying education advocates to fight for much-needed changes to the state's decades-old school funding formula. Rex urged educators on Wednesday in his second State of Education Address to mobilize, get involved in the political process and push for this "daunting and important challenge."
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Wary justices confront school funding
Don’t ask court to do Legislature’s job, Toal warns
By Bill Robinson, The State newspaper
June 26, 2008 Does state government have a constitutional obligation to provide extra academic aid to students living in poverty to ensure they receive the same “minimally adequate” education as peers in wealthier communities? The question now rests with the S.C. Supreme Court, which spent Wednesday afternoon sorting through the perplexing issue of school funding, how much is fair and what role, if any, the five justices have in making such decisions. The court has no deadline to make a ruling.
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School case heads back to high court
By Bill Robinson, The State newspaper
June 23, 2008 The S.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday 6-25 will consider for a second time whether the state’s rural communities inherently deserve more money to underwrite public schools. The case — pitting 36 of South Carolina’s poorest school systems against the state Legislature — has thrust the term “minimally adequate education” into the national spotlight, attracting interest from education advocates and presidential candidates alike. Yet that attention, along with millions in legal fees and 15 years in state courts, has not resolved the issue.
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Minimallly adequate isn't good enough
Opinion, The Beafort Gazette
June 26,2008 Public schools districts, especially the poor ones, received their day in front of five S.C. Supreme Court justices Wednesday, seeking to answer the long-standing question of"minimally adequate" education in South Carolina. A few weeks ago the General Assembly passed a 2008-09 budget in which 42.8 percent of the $7 billion goes to the Department of Education, along with about $700 million in federal aid, according to The State of Columbia. Regardless of how the justices decide the argument, it is a moral imperative that S.C. lawmakers tackle the issue through the legislative process, not the courts.
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Modern school funding needed
By Paul Krohne, The Greenville News
June 29, 2008 It's not often that those of us who support strengthening South Carolina's commitment to public education find a point of agreement with Gov. Mark Sanford on education issues. It happened recently when, in a message to legislators regarding his decision not to veto the state's newly revised accountability system bill, the governor noted that it is time "to stop studying and start addressing" a revised funding formula for public schools. We couldn't agree more. With accountability revisions behind us, the General Assembly should turn its attention to much-needed changes in the way South Carolina funds our public schools.
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South Carolina needs to amend state constitution
By Dr. Tom Truitt, Published in Florence Morning News (reprinted in the Orangeburg Times and Democrat)
June 15, 2008 A state’s constitution is a covenant between the government and the people. Since most of us haven’t read the South Carolina Constitution, we don’t know what it says about education nor understand why the education clause needs to be amended. But if we want to move from the bottom of the educational rankings and have South Carolina students prepared to compete in a global economy, we need to make a change in our state constitution. Here’s why.
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Public education needs to learn new lessons to raise good citizens
By Nicholas Charalambous (The Cocklebur), Anderson Independent-Mail
May 10, 2008 Conservatives have been mashing the ideological hot button of “choice” in education for more than a decade in South Carolina, and it looks as though a legislative victory on school vouchers is as far away now as it ever was. Sadly, liberals may be confusing the public’s lack of appetite for vouchers with the public’s support for public education as it now is. Emboldened, they’re arguing once again that public education simply needs more money or a more supportive environment to truly succeed.
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Pee Dee education officials support constitutional amendment
By Shireese Bell , Florence Morning News
May 22, 2008
Several Pee Dee education officials have joined more than 6,000 people who signed a petition urging a constitutional amendment to require high-quality schools in the state. Rick Reames, executive director of the Pee Dee Education Center, said the center’s board of directors unanimously voted to support the proposed state constitutional amendment to require “something more than ‘minimally adequate’ education.”
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S.C. standard for education should be higher
T& D Opinion, The Times and Democrat
April 29, 2008 They are more than words in South Carolina. "Minimally adequate" is the description for the education guaranteed the state's public school students. Bowman Sen. John Matthews and others want to change that. It's a definition that's overdue for overhaul.
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No Room for 'Minimal' in Education
South Carolina's educational reputation is low compared to neighboring states. Scores on student testing are often at or near the bottom of nationwide rankings. Public education is one thing that most politicians and citizens can agree on. But upon what are they agreeing?
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Minimally Adequate Education 'Unaffordable'
By Dr. PAUL KROHNE, The Beaufort Gazette
Saturday, April 5 2008
The third annual Break Away South Carolina economic competitiveness report prepared for the State Chamber of Commerce and released recently had some dismal news for South Carolina. Economic competitiveness is down across a range of factors. One of those factors is education and workforce preparedness, which is improving steadily, the report concluded, but not enough to keep track with competing states.
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Petition Drive Backs 'High Quality' Education Standard
State Senator Wants to Upgrade from "Minimally Adequate"
By Eric K. Ward, The Free Times (Columbia, SC)
Issue #21.18 :: 04/30/2008 - 05/06/2008
State Sen. John Matthews wants to put an end to the days of “minimally adequate” education in South Carolina and raise the bar. Matthews, D-Orangeburg, is pushing an amendment to the S.C. Constitution that would require the state to provide a “high quality education, allowing each student to reach his highest potential.”
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'High Quality' Schools Sought
S.C. education advocates push for change in constitution By John Monk, The State Newspaper
Friday, April 25, 2008 The folks who pushed for better public schools by bringing you mass rallies, a $6 million, 15-year lawsuit, and the “Corridor of Shame” documentary have opened up a new front. This week, they launched an Internet petition drive to get 1 million signatures to persuade the Legislature to allow voters to amend the constitution to say South Carolina must provide a “high quality” public education.
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