Repair crumbling roads

The state Transportation Department estimates it will cost South Carolina $43 billion that the state does not have to repair and expand the state’s roads system through 2040.

While running for re-election, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley promised to unveil her road-repair plan this month. Haley, who opposes increasing the state’s third-lowest-in-the-nation gas tax, will have several high-profile chances to say what she thinks should be done, starting at her Jan. 14 inauguration and, later in the month, in her State of the State speech.

Facing criticism from constituents, legislators also have been studying the issue and meet again Jan. 12 to try to finalize a proposal.

The most recent proposal would give counties the responsibility to repair and maintain nearly half of the roads currently maintained by the state in return for guaranteed state assistance.

County representatives oppose that idea, wary the Legislature will provide enough assistance.

Fix rural schools

After more than two decades of court battles, the state Supreme Court ruled in November that the state has failed in its duty to provide a “minimally adequate” education to children in the state’s poorest school districts.

The court did not order a specific remedy. Instead, it told lawmakers and the school districts to report back with a plan to address a number of issues, including the state’s unconstitutional way of paying for schools, aging facilities and the difficulty in attracting talented teachers to rural areas.

However, Gov. Haley and state lawmakers filed motions with the Supreme Court earlier this week asking for a rehearing of the education lawsuit.

That request could delay what is expected to be a protracted negotiation between lawmakers and poor schools.

Fix Social Services

The embattled state Department of Social Services has been under scrutiny for more than a year with critics saying the agency does not do enough to prevent child deaths. Former director Lillian Koller resigned in July. Last month, Haley named a new agency leader, Clemson official Susan Alford.

Alford must win confirmation from the state Senate.

Meanwhile, Social Services is trying to hire new caseworkers to reduce the number of children its child-welfare workers must oversee. But efforts to increase the number of child-welfare workers have been hurt by high turnover within the agency, as other workers quit.