Education is one of the few bipartisan issues that SC Legislators can agree on. There are several different plans that would address the states public education system.One bill sponsored by: Reps. Horne, M.S. McLeod, Brannon, J.E. Smith and Skelton is entitled “The S.C. Jobs, Education and Tax Act” (SCJET).
The legislation is supposed to generate revenue for schools in two ways: by rolling up more than 70 existing school funding sources into a single funding stream and by establishing a uniform statewide 100-mill levy. Revenue would be distributed to schools on a per-pupil basis (estimated at more than $5,400 per student), with weightings for factors such as grade level, poverty, gifted and talented, and special needs. The uniform millage rate is not an added levy, but supports the local district levy for school operations.
SCJET is not fully self-funding. To maintain state commitments in prosperous communities and increase funding in poor communities, the Legislature will need a balance of $600 million, with additional money required for the transition to a new system.
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South Carolina Association of Taxpayers 