South Carolina has a new leader at the helm of its private school choice program, and people are speculating he could make the program much more expansive:
Efforts to expand private-school choice in South Carolina are about to ramp up.
Chad Connelly has been named executive director of Exceptional SC, a nonprofit created by the state GOP-controlled Legislature to run the state’s private-school choice program. That nonprofit raises money to give tuition grants to children with disabilities so they can attend private schools.
Connelly, a former S.C. Republican Party chairman and faith outreach director for the national GOP, has been hired to push for the program’s expansion, according to a news release from the nonprofit.
“Connelly’s national reputation in both political and alternative educational circles makes his selection a crucial next step in Exceptional SC’s efforts to expand the state’s scholarship program from $11 million to $25 million during the coming legislative session,” the statement said.
No doubt it will be an uphill battle for Connelly, but luckily for him there are more parents than members of teachers unions.
SOURCE: TheState.com
IN THIS ISSUE:
- KANSAS CITY: Charter schools are growing in Kansas City as traditional public schools fail.
- COLORADO: The upcoming school board election in Douglas County, CO could change school choice nationwide, EdNext reports.
- MICHIGAN: Legislation in Michigan would fund charter schools fairly.
Common Core and Curriculum Watch
- DATA MINING: Congress introduced a bill that involves collecting student data.
- CAREER AND TECH: Career and technology education doesn’t get more kids to go to college, Truth in American Education reports.
- NORTH CAROLINA: A group in North Carolina says liberal indoctrination in schools is stealing children’s innocence.
- GIRLS: A 10-year-old girl wants her fellow females to raise their hands more often in class.
- DeVOS: Politico analyses the influence and limitations of Betsy DeVos, whom they call one of Trump’s “most controversial” cabinet picks.
- SEATTLE: Seattle could lose $1.2 million a day if bus drivers go on strike.
- BULLYING: NYC is planning to spend $8 million to try to curb bullying.
Teresa Mull is a policy advisor for education and an editor at The Heartland Institute.
