Send your legislators an email using the following template. Be sure to personalize the email with your district-specific information. Email addresses can be found on the legislator contact sheet here.

Dear Senator ____________,

As a school board member in DISTRICT NAME, I want to thank you for your service to our community and our state. I am reaching out to ask for your support on several bills making their way through the Senate as follows:

• Please vote no on Senate bill 202 that authorizes the placement of schools and school districts under the auspices of the Office of the State Inspector General, which is an entity within the state’s executive branch of government. The legislation is unnecessary and the ramifications of changing the definition of schools and districts as ‘state agencies’ and removing them as political subdivisions could be numerous. There are many references, in both statute and case law referring to school districts as political subdivisions and could impact many areas of law and practice including procurement, employment and tort reform. Schools and districts are already subjected to more accountability and oversight that any other governmental entity. They must, by law, procure annual outside audits of their budgets. Both the S.C. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education conduct regular audits of district program expenditures. Districts are required to keep online checkbook records and post monthly credit card statements. They must report categorical spending though In$ite, which is published and available to the public. Additionally, they are required to post administrative costs on their websites. The General Assembly also in recent years enacted the Financial Accountability Act that directed the SCDE to identify fiscal practices and budgetary conditions that, if uncorrected, could compromise the fiscal integrity of a school district, and advising districts to take appropriate corrective actions. The comprehensive accountability program includes three escalating levels for school districts to address weaknesses and correct problems.
• Please vote to remove the provision in House bill 3610, which is the companion bill to the Senate-passed 201 that dissolves school boards in districts declared to be a state-of-education emergency. The House bill currently resides in the Senate Education Committee. I thank you for supporting the changes that were made to the Senate version of the bill but unfortunately the provision to authorize the dissolution of school boards remains. In general, I believe the result is the disenfranchisement of district voters and it is unnecessary. Under current state law, when the state superintendent takes over the management of a school district, which includes, among other things, all budgetary and personnel decisions, it leaves the sitting school board nearly powerless. Dissolving democratically-elected school boards is not the solution to addressing the myriad of socioeconomic challenges that are present in many communities in our state. What it does create is animosity, division and a stigma that stays in the community for many years after the state leaves. Instead, the legislation should direct the state to work with elected leaders during a takeover to instill ownership in any improvements that may occur. Doing so would ensure improvement efforts are sustained long after the state leaves.

School boards, like our state lawmakers, are working hard every day supporting our district’s efforts to confront and address the many challenges brought on by ongoing pandemic. The challenges will linger for K12 education long after our lives may return to normal. We will be faced with an unprecedented teacher shortage that has been exacerbated during the past two years, and at the same time, focus on groups of students who may have fallen short academically and need increased instruction from experienced and exceptional teachers. I believe we are stronger together and we need your support now more than ever.

Sincerely,

Dear Representative ___________,

As a school board member in DISTRICT NAME, I want to thank you for your service to our community and our state. I am reaching out to ask for your support on several bills making their way through the House as follows:

• Please support providing additional funds in House bill 4100, which is the FY 2021-2022 state appropriations plan that passed out of Ways and Means Committee, to provide all teachers with at least a two percent pay raise as requested by State Superintendent Molly Spearman. Public schools are at critical juncture of the teacher shortage crisis that will greatly impact the future competitiveness of our students and our state. I am grateful that funding was added the Education Finance Act to help school district pay for the mandate step pay increase for teachers, our school board must also fund local funding to provide pay increases for all other personnel. We do not want our teacher pay to fall further behind our neighboring states.
• Thank you for your support recently to concur with the Senate version of House bill 3609 that allocates up to $50 million for districts to retroactively provide a teacher step pay increase for the current school year. The changes will ensure the actual cost to districts will be funded and to ensure the cost of fringe benefits are included.
• Please oppose House bill 3976 currently residing in the House Ways and Means Committee that would enact, in essence, a private school voucher program through the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) Act. The cost of such a program would be at the expense of the students who attend and remain in the public schools and most importantly, there is no evidence to confirm existing ESA state programs (enacted in six states but only operational in four states). These programs are unaccountable, unaffordable and unproven.
• Please vote to remove the provision in Senate bill 201, which is the companion bill to the House-passed bill 3610, that dissolves school boards in districts declared to be a state-of-education emergency. The Senate bill currently resides in the House Education and Public Works Committee. In general, I believe the result is the disenfranchisement of district voters and it is unnecessary. Under current state law, when the state superintendent takes over the management of a school district, which includes, among other things, all budgetary and personnel decisions, it leaves the sitting school board nearly powerless. Dissolving democratically-elected school boards is not the solution to addressing the myriad of socioeconomic challenges that are present in many communities in our state. What it does do is create animosity, division and a stigma that stays in the community for many years after the state leaves. Instead, the legislation should direct the state to work with elected leaders during a takeover to instill ownership in any improvements that may occur. Doing so would ensure improvement efforts are sustained long after the state leaves.

School boards, like our state lawmakers, are working hard every day supporting our district’s efforts to confront and address the many challenges brought on by ongoing pandemic. The challenges will linger for K12 education long after our lives may return to normal. We will be faced with an unprecedented teacher shortage that has been exacerbated during the past two years, and at the same time, focus on groups of students who may have fallen short academically and need increased instruction from experienced and exceptional teachers. I believe we are stronger together and we need your support now more than ever.

Sincerely,

To tag your legislator in a Facebook post, use the “@” symbol followed by their Facebook page name, which can be found on the legislator contact sheet here. You can also send a direct message to your legislator in Facebook using the “message” feature.

K12 Funding

• While we are grateful for the $50 million increase in EFA funding in the House budget plan, the estimated $11 increase in the BSC from $2,489 to $2,500, is well below the $3,140 BSC required under law. If recurring revenue projections go up, lawmakers should increase the BSC beyond the $11 in the House budget.

Private school voucher bills

• Private school voucher programs, aka Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) fund separate and unequal education! Public schools are not funded at the level required by law, yet the push to expand publicly-funded, private school voucher programs continues! Uaccountable! Private schools do not have to adhere to the same laws as public schools. Unaffordable! Private schools will be publicly funded at the expense of students in public schools. Unproven! There is no evidence to prove these programs increase achievement of all students. Vote no for H.3976.

Increasing state control bills

• Strike the removal of school boards provision in H.3610 and S.201. Dissolving democratically-elected school boards disenfranchises voters and is unnecessary. Under current law, when the state superintendent assumes the management of districts the sitting school board is nearly powerless. Instead, of dissolving boards, the bill should direct the state to work with elected leaders during a takeover to instill ownership in any improvements that may occur. Doing so would ensure improvement efforts are sustained long after the state leaves.
• Vote no for S.202! Changing the definition of school districts from political subdivisions to a state agency in S.202 could impact many areas of law and practice including procurement, employment and tort reform. School districts are already subject to several state-level agencies for financial or operational oversight. This is unnecessary!

Bills to advocate for

• Please sign on to cosponsor Senate bill 325​, which would eliminate the S.C. Education Oversight Committee and create a joint committee to determine which roles and responsibilities would be given to the S.C. Department of Education. In the last 20 years, the EOC’s role has expanded dramatically. Its members and staff no longer serve in an oversight capacity but rather as a governing body, establishing critical public education policy and appropriating millions of taxpayer dollars with no direct accountability to citizens.
• Minimally adequate is not enough for our students! Sign on to cosponsor H.3993 which seeks voter approval to amend our state constitution to guarantee a high-quality public education for all students in South Carolina. Don’t we want our state to call for every student to reach his highest potential?
• Fair is fair! Please sign on to cosponsor House bill 3128 that would allow local school board members to have the option, afforded to all other locally-elected officials, to participate in the state health insurance program.

To tag your legislator in a Tweet, use the “@” symbol followed by their Twitter name, which can be found on the legislator contact sheet here.

K12 Funding bills

• Teacher steps are important and appreciated. Please consider adding a 2% pay increase for teachers in the budget so that SC doesn’t fall behind neighboring states in teacher pay.
• The teacher shortage is impacting our schools. Please add a 2% teacher pay increase in the budget to help our district attract quality teachers!
• When schools reopen in the fall, our number one priority is to address the learning gap. While we appreciate the $11 increase in the BSC, please consider increasing this to help provide extended learning opportunities for our students.
• Thank you to our House and Senate for retroactively providing our teachers a step pay increase for the current school year! Our district is fortunate to have such innovative and inspiring teachers.
• When the BSC is not fully funded, the fiscal burden falls to local taxpayers to cover shortfalls that can impact classroom sizes and staff shortages. If revenues increase before the budget passes, support increasing the BSC beyond the $11 increase in the House budget.

Private school voucher bills

• Public funds for private schools is a loss of funding for public schools and threatens academic programs and services for our public school students. Vote no for H.3976.
• Public schools aren’t funded at the level required by law, yet we want to consider expanding publicly-funded, private school voucher programs?! Vote no H.3976!
• Vote no for H.3976! “No money shall be paid from public funds nor shall the credit of the State or any of its political subdivisions be used for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.” –State Supreme Court
• Private school voucher proponents claim their program empower parents by providing choices but it is the private schools that choose which students they will accept. Public schools welcome all children — fully fund them first! Vote no for H. 3976!

Increasing state control bills

• Take out the school boards removal provision in H.3610 and S.201. The automatic dissolution of duly-elected school boards creates an unfair and higher state-imposed standard than for any other elected body.
• Strike the removal of school boards in H.3610 and S.201. The school board dissolution provision is unnecessary. The state superintendent, under a declaration of state-of-education emergency, already assumes the management of districts.
• Vote No to S.201! School districts are already subjected to more accountability and oversight that any other governmental entity!

Bills to advocate for

• Please cosponsor Senate bill 325 supporting the elimination the S.C. Education Oversight Committee.​
• Sign up to cosponsor H.3993 to guarantee a high quality education for all students. Minimally adequate is not enough for our students!
• Please cosponsor and support House bill 3128, allowing school board members to join other locally-elected officials in participating in the state health insurance program.

Use these talking points to call your legislators. Telephone numbers can be found by clicking on your legislators’ names on the legislator contact sheet here.

K12 Funding

• Thank your House members for concurring with the Senate amendment in House bill 3609 to retroactively provide teacher step pay increases for the current school year.
• Thank your Senators for approving amendments to the bill that corrected language in the House-passed version to ensure districts would be funded for the actual cost of the pay increase rather than an average of the cost.
• We support State Superintendent Molly Spearman’s budget request for additional funding (on top of the step increase for 2021-2022) to provide a two percent teacher pay raise to keep our state teacher salaries from dropping further behind our neighboring states.
• Discuss the ways your district is struggling with the teacher shortage and how a 2 percent teacher pay raise on top of the step pay increase will help recruit and retain teachers.
• Let them know specific ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional forms of education and continues to create challenges for your schools and the students you serve. Talk about the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing inequities disproportionately affecting minority students, English language learners and students with disabilities in your area. Let them know that you plan to do everything possible to ensure students can regain any lost knowledge and skills so that they can succeed and so that resources will be required to provide extended learning opportunities that may require additional personnel, transportation and instructional materials.
• Ask that if recurring revenue projections are increased when the BEA meets again in May, we would like increased EFA funding to increase the Base Student Cost (BSC) to assist with increased cost to address the learning gap.

Private school voucher bills

• Reference the State Supreme Court in Adams v. McMaster case last year, where a similar voucher program was struck down by ruling that, “No money shall be paid from public funds nor shall the credit of the State or any of its political subdivisions be used for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.” The proposed ESA program would also likely be ruled unconstitutional, because state funding allocated for public schools would be used to directly benefit private and religious schools in the form of tuition and fees, which are eligible expenses under the proposed legislation.
• Explain how the loss of funding for public schools threatens academic programs and services for students who remain in your schools.

Increasing state control bills

• Urge your legislators to remove the provision in S.201 and H.3610, allowing for the removal of school boards. The automatic dissolution of duly-elected school boards creates an unfair and higher state imposed standard than for any other elected body at the local or state level.
• Explain that the school board dissolution provision is unnecessary. In current state law, the state superintendent, under a declaration of state-of-education emergency, takes over the management of a school district, which includes, among other things, all budgetary and personnel decisions. Instead, the legislation should direct the state to work with elected leaders during a takeover to instill ownership in any improvements that may occur. Doing so would ensure improvement efforts are sustained long after the state leaves.

Call or email your legislators and request a meeting (virtual or in-person) to share district-specific information related to:

• The upcoming K12 budget and how it will impact your district. Use this time to let legislators know how much it will cost your school district to pay for step increases for teachers, and how much it would cost to provide a similar pay increase for all other school district personnel. Discuss your district’s plans for reopening in the fall and the need for increased funding to address any learning gaps/loss that occurred during the pandemic. Ask for increased EFA funding if recurring revenue projections are increased when the BEA meets in May.
• The Education Scholarship Account Act (private school vouchers) legislation and how it will take funding away from your students. Explain how the loss of funding for public schools threatens academic programs and services for students who remain in public schools. Share specifics about the ways your district ensures that students with special needs in your district receive the protections provided to them under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Ask them to vote no for H.3976 and H.3899.
• House bill 3610 and Senate bill 201 and the need to remove the provision dissolving democratically-elected school boards in districts declared to be in a state-of-education emergency. This is not the solution to addressing the myriad of socioeconomic challenges that are present in many communities in our state. The dissolution, however, does create animosity, division and a stigma that stays in the community for many years after the state leaves. Instead, the legislation should direct the state to work with elected leaders during a takeover to instill ownership in any improvements that may occur. Doing so would ensure improvement efforts are sustained long after the state leaves. Ask them to strike the school board removal provision from the bills.