Public responsibility?
“These students deserve better, and I will not rest until they get it.” – Ellen Weaver
Why, oh, why does the leader of education in South Carolina make a statement like this (about public funds going to private schools)?
Does she have no concept of her responsibility to the many public school students in South Carolina?
Should she not be endeavoring to advance the cause of public education in South Carolina? Level the playing field, in popular vernacular?
Why is Ms. Weaver always working the side of the educational funding street, pandering to those who would have her take what she can and direct it to where they believe she might gain the most political support?
No, Ms. Weaver, I will not vote for you when you run for governor.
Mark Thomas Wishart, Columbia
Restore trust fund
Note: Candace Carroll is the Director of Public Affairs for Americans for Prosperity-South Carolina.
As a mother of two, including one with autism, I am deeply concerned about the South Carolina Supreme Court’s recent decision to invalidate the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) Act. This ruling undermines the essential support many families rely on for educating their children.
The ESTF Act provided necessary funding for alternative educational options, offering hope and stability to more than 2,800 students across South Carolina.
For my child with autism, having access to specialized programs can significantly impact her academic and social development. The abrupt timing of this decision, after the school year has started, disrupts plans and adds unnecessary stress to families already navigating complex educational needs.
School choice is vital for empowering parents to find the best fit for their child’s unique needs.
I urge our legislators to act swiftly to restore and strengthen school choice policies, ensuring every child has access to the education that suits that child best.
I and countless activists with Americans for Prosperity-SC will continue to advocate for a flexible educational environment that supports all South Carolina students.
Candace Carroll, Liberty
Incomprehensible partnership
I am writing to express my profound disappointment and deep disdain regarding the S.C. Department of Education’s decision to partner with PragerU, an organization that has grossly distorted the realities of American history — particularly in its dangerous and misleading interpretation of the Three-Fifths Compromise and its impact on the institution of slavery as one gross example.
PragerU’s claim that the Three-Fifths Compromise was an “anti-slavery” move is a deliberate perversion of historical facts.
The Three-Fifths Compromise, which treated enslaved Black Americans as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning representation, was never intended to combat the institution of slavery. Rather, it was a political agreement that allowed Southern slaveholding states to increase their power in Congress while maintaining the systemic dehumanization of Black people.
By framing this as a step toward abolition, PragerU not only erases the lived experiences of enslaved Africans and their descendants but also propagates a narrative that absolves those responsible for this nation’s darkest sins.
It is incomprehensible that the Department of Education, which has a duty to promote critical thinking and historical accuracy, would align itself with an organization that undermines both.
George Johnson Jr., PhD, Columbia
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