Too many families paid taxes to lift up SC schools only to be let down. What we changed | Opinion

This school year, nearly 3,000 South Carolina students will begin a new academic journey at the school of their choosing. That’s because the South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund program, which was signed into law last year, empowered low-income families throughout the State with real choices in their children’s education.

For years, these South Carolina students were stuck in consistently underperforming schools or schools that failed to meet their needs. The parents of these children paid taxes to lift up these schools, only to be let down. There were no other options for these families.

The Education Scholarship Trust Fund legislation , which I wrote, posed a simple question: Why not return those hard-earned tax dollars in the form of scholarships for families to use as they choose? Empowering families with choice injects free market principles into our education system, driving innovation and improving the quality of education. It’s a transformational approach, and now it’s law in South Carolina.

The process is easy. Prospective students first apply to the South Carolina Department of Education. The agency then awards education scholarships to qualifying families in the amount of $6,000. These funds may be used to cover education expenses like transportation, textbooks, tutoring, and tuition and fees incurred for attending another public school or private school.

Far from endangering South Carolina’s public schools, education scholarships became law alongside landmark investments in public education.

Over the last seven years, the General Assembly has voted to increase teacher pay by 56%. Public school teachers’ salaries now start at $47,000 annually, and their benefits include paid family leave after the birth or adoption of a child. Individual districts offer starting salaries beyond the state minimum, like the district in my home county of Berkeley, where a new teacher will make $52,450 in his or her first year.

The only thing school choice threatens is the status quo.

As of April of this year, 18 states have deployed an education scholarship program in an effort to expand opportunities for students. Choice in education is winning.

In South Carolina, initial scholarship application data revealed that the number of applications far exceeded the available scholarships. Applicants represent all corners of the state, and more than half come from minority backgrounds.

For the inaugural class, participation was limited to 5,000 students from households with incomes of no more than 200% of the federal poverty level, which is $62,400 for a family of four. By year three, the program will accept up to 15,000 applicants from households with incomes up to 400% of the poverty level.

Despite high demand for one of the limited spots, just over one-third of the applicants were ultimately approved. How did that happen? It’s because thousands of applicants, nearly 80% of those who were denied, applied after the deadline or did not fully complete the application. This must be fixed.

It’s clear to me that the state must improve the application process in order to ensure that the families who wish to participate are able to do so. No student who otherwise qualifies should be turned away over paperwork. I am confident the South Carolina Department of Education will work diligently to make sure qualified students are equipped with any application guidance they may require.

For too long, we’ve invested in systems instead of students. No more.

South Carolina has embarked on a revolutionary path of education freedom and — as I said when the bill was signed — freedom only works every time.

Thanks to education scholarship trust funds, the quality of a student’s education will no longer be defined by his or her ZIP code.

Sen. Larry Grooms is chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 39. He serves Senate District 37, which includes parts of Berkeley and Charleston counties.