- BIG STORY: What’s ahead in education advocacy for S.C.
- MORE NEWS: S.C. budget deal adds $3M for legislative pay raises
- LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: Beware of DOGE
- BRACK: Good luck, graduates. You’re going to need it.
- MYSTERY PHOTO: White man
- FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
What’s ahead in education advocacy for S.C.
By Jack O’Toole, Capital Bureau | They say all politics is local. So, too, is education, says the incoming president of a major state teachers’ organization who plans to advocate with a strong focus on what teachers want at the local level.
“We talk a lot with our state legislators, which is important because it affects everybody,” said Dena Crews, a Florence teacher and incoming president of the South Carolina Education Association. “But at the same time, I’ve been able to see how we can make change for the better when we work with our local school boards and superintendents.”
Still, it sounds like she’s ready to face the inevitable fights ahead at the state level — starting with the perennially controversial issue of private school vouchers.
“Public money should pay for public schools,” she said. “We should work on making our public schools better, instead of giving those resources away to schools that don’t have the same accountability.”
Crews also weighed in on growing debates over diversity initiatives and control of local school library content.
“We should trust the professionals who’ve been hired to do the job,” she said simply. “We’ve gone to school, we’ve studied, and we’re going to choose materials that are appropriate for our students and help them understand what they’re learning.”
Crews is stepping into a role shaped by her longtime colleague, Sherry East, who’s set to retire after two terms as SCEA president — a tenure East calls “the toughest job I’ve ever loved.”
Steady leadership through ‘tough times’
East, a longtime science teacher in Rock Hill public schools, doesn’t hesitate when asked to grade state lawmakers on this year’s legislative session.
“An ‘A’ on the Educator Assistance Act and an ‘F’ on vouchers,” East told the Charleston City Paper this week. “So for me, they’re sitting at about a ‘C’ right now.”
It’s that kind of candor that’s defined East’s two terms at the helm of the state’s oldest teachers’ association — a seven-year tenure that’s set to end with her term-limited retirement this July.
“This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said, her voice cracking slightly on the other end of the phone line. “But I have truly loved trying to make a difference for the teachers and students of this state.”
Crews, who has served as vice president since 2018, credits East with steady leadership through unprecedented challenges, from the early days of Covid through recent showdowns over teacher pay and vouchers.
“She’s grown as a leader and navigated through some tough times,” Crews said. “But she had a vision that’s moved our association and state forward. We’re going to miss her so much.”
Progress on teacher pay, contracts and … bathroom breaks
Despite deep disagreements over issues like private school vouchers and diversity initiatives, East says she’s been able to work productively with Republican leaders in the Statehouse on meat-and-potatoes matters such as teacher pay, contracts and working conditions.
For instance, she calls conservative Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, R-Horry, “a good listener.”
“I appreciate that he’s always been willing to meet with us and talk about our issues,” East said. “And on some things, he’s been willing to help.”
Thanks in part to solid working relationships like that, minimum teacher pay in the state has jumped from $32,000 to $48,500 during East’s time in office. And with this year’s passage of the Educator Assistance Act, teachers will for the first time have many of the same rights most workers take for granted — like the right to see an estimate of their salary before signing a contract.
“That was a big win,” East said.
But the victory she kept coming back to in her conversation with the City Paper involved an even more basic right.
As Covid worsened an already troubling teacher shortage across the state, she said, school districts began scheduling literally every moment of elementary school teachers’ day with official school business — from classes to parent conferences to lunchroom proctoring.
The result? Teachers couldn’t go to the bathroom from the time the first bell rang in the morning until well after the last one sounded in the afternoon.
East sounds a little incredulous as she describes the long fight it took to ensure that teachers had at least 30 minutes of duty-free time every day to attend to their personal needs.
“It took four years to get that,” East said.
The growing specter of privatization and ‘the radical right’
Perhaps no issue has defined East’s tenure as much as the fight against private school vouchers, which she says divert much-needed resources from the public schools that 90% of South Carolina children attend.
Under her leadership, the SCEA has been a plaintiff in two lawsuits challenging state voucher plans, eventually winning both cases in the S.C. Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, legislators decided to try again in 2025, passing new voucher legislation that aims to provide up to $7,500 to 15,000 S.C. families to send their children to private schools.
Unlike previous efforts, this year’s bill includes several bureaucratic and financial workarounds specifically designed to sidestep the state constitution’s ban on state spending that directly benefits private schools — a process East has likened to “putting lipstick on a pig.”
“There’s just no common ground on the public-private issue,” she said of her discussions with Republican leaders. “I think they’re being unreasonable and they think I am. We just can’t get anybody to change their mind on that one.”
East says that disconnect is part of what she sees as a larger problem — the growing influence of far-right factions in both chambers of the Statehouse.
“The radical right is definitely changing the climate,” she said. “In fact, several legislators we’ve worked well with over the years are quietly talking about just not running again.”
As for East’s future, she said it could include anything from more teaching to additional work on behalf of teachers. But when asked specifically if it might also include a run for office, she didn’t shut it down.
“I don’t enjoy politics, but if it would help teachers and children I wouldn’t rule it out,” she said. “I would say I’m open to all suggestions.”
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
S.C. budget deal adds $3M for legislative pay raises
By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | With a wary eye on Trump administration tariffs and federal budget cuts that experts warn could blow a hole in South Carolina’s budget next year, state lawmakers moved this week to sock away another $500 million for a rainy day.
That was the key takeaway from a $14.7 billion 2025-26 state budget deal hammered out Wednesday by S.C. House and Senate negotiators — an agreement greased by the last-minute discovery of $1 billion in new money thanks to updated revenue forecasts.
The extra money also allowed negotiators to fully fund each chamber’s top spending priorities, with hundreds of millions added for roads, bridges, Hurricane Helene recovery and more.
The changes come on top of already agreed-upon new spending for income tax cuts, teacher pay raises and an extension of the freeze on in-state college tuition costs.
But grabbing the spotlight was a much smaller expenditure that originated in the Senate — $3 million to raise lawmakers’ total compensation by $18,000 a year.
Currently, lawmakers are paid $10,400 in annual salary, plus a stipend of $1,000 a month for “in district expenses.” Under the agreement, that stipend would rise to $2,500 a month. It’s the first pay raise for legislators since 1995.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, one of just 15 no votes on the pay raise when it was first proposed, told reporters he supported it during negotiations because he felt “honor bound” to represent his members.
“We’re here to advocate for the Senate position,” Peeler said.
The full House and Senate chambers are expected to reconvene on May 28 to give final approval to the spending plan.
In other recent news
New S.C. laws will affect schools, teachers, students. Nearly a dozen new state education laws are set to go into effect this year, affecting everything from teacher and contract rights to school security and more.
McMaster to sign fentanyl homicide bill despite solicitors’ concerns. Gov. Henry McMaster announced on Wednesday that he plans to sign a bill creating the crime of fentanyl homicide despite a recent letter from a dozen S.C. prosecutors saying the law would likely be ineffective.
Statehouse bill wants to fix utility issues. Legislators hope a new bill that is on McMaster’s desk will hold utility companies like Ripple Fiber accountable when property damage occurs during construction work.
S.C. senator’s boat not considered abandoned, despite being stuck for months. A boat belonging to state Sen. Matt Leber, R-Johns Island, has been stuck in Charleston waters since August. But according to the SCDNR, the boat is not officially abandoned since Leber affirmed his ownership of the boat after it was tagged by the agency.
Goldfinch considering run for state attorney general. S.C. Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, told members of the Richland County Republican Party he is strongly considering a bid to become South Carolina’s top prosecutor next year.
Federal Medicaid changes could have lesser impact in S.C. The potential federal changes to Medicaid would impact Medicaid expansion states the most. South Carolina is one of 10 states, mostly in the South, that have not expanded Medicaid and could see less of an impact.
S.C. arts programs to suffer after federal slash of grant funding. The Charleston Symphony expected a $30,000 grant for a new fellowship program, and the Berkeley County Museum in Moncks Corner planned on vital support for its annual Colonial Days fundraiser. But without warning in the last month, the federal government yanked away its money.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Beware of DOGE
Award-winning cartoonist Robert Ariail has a special knack for poking a little fun in just the right way. This week, he has a particularly interesting take on the new federal Department of Government Efficiency.
- Love this week’s cartoon or hate it? Did he go too far, or not far enough? Send your thoughts to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Good luck, graduates. You’re going to need it.
By Andy Brack
Dear Ellie,
It seems like just yesterday when you donned a navy school shirt and tan skort to head to school. Now, years later, you’re among 3.9 million American high school graduates.
Congratulations to you and students across the country. It’s a big milestone, much like your decision to attend a particular college was your first big life-impacting choice.
Now you’ll face new challenges and opportunities. It will bring fun, heartbreak, frustration and sheer joy.
The big world you are entering is far different from when I crossed the stage decades ago. Back then, there were no cell phones or personal computers. The internet was a dozen years away. Social media was in newspaper classified pages. People used Yellow Pages to find businesses and bought vinyl rock ‘n’ roll albums.
Today’s world is meaner, coarser and faster. The United States of America has lost some of its luster. We’re still strong, but the world is looking at us in new ways as our freedoms seem to shift. Your class is not in competition with other Americans as much as it is with the world.
And that means you and your generation are going to use your well-educated brains to compete in new ways to build more opportunities for your lives. You’re going to have to be faster, smarter and more strategic. You’re going to have to connect in new ways – just like my generation adapted to the deluge of information now available compared to the four national television networks during boyhood.
So as you proceed in college and through your life, here are a few things you may want to keep in mind:
Think. Don’t be rushed into doing something you don’t want to do. If you are unsure, call a personal time-out and think about what’s right. In your heart of hearts, you will know what to do.
Have fun. You’re only here once. Make the most of it. Enjoy each day.
Try new things. Explore our world. Taste different foods. Smell roses in English gardens. Make art. Live beyond South Carolina — and then come back and make it better.
Fall forward. Don’t be scared to fail. Through failure, you learn. Through learning, you find new paths forward. If you don’t fail every now and then, you won’t grow.
Question. Don’t accept everything at face value. Question authority — and then question those questioning authority.
Listen. Slow down and really hear what other people say. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn — and grow — just by listening.
Use common sense. Too many people seem oblivious about too many things. Whenever you are at a decision point, examine it practically and use common sense to figure out the best choice. Listen to your gut and ask for advice.
Laugh. Don’t take things too seriously. Some drama you have today probably will be forgotten by next year. Enjoy life. Laugh at it and yourself. A good sense of humor will take you a long way.
Cultivate deep friendships. Some of the best friends I ever made came from daily interactions in an intense college environment. Find good people throughout your life and learn from their perspectives. Make sure to keep up with them.
Honor your past. Too many people these days don’t have the manners and courtesy that come from being raised in the South. Don’t forget your roots.
Seek truth and justice. People and our country are at their best when they pursue truth and justice. Incorporate those values into your daily living and don’t follow whatever dramatic shiny ball is in the moment.
Read. Turn off the TV and social media as much as you can. Your brain will grow more from reading than it will by being glued to an idiot box or screen.
What’s ahead is exciting and a little scary. But if you follow the core values and beliefs you’ve grown up with, you’ll do just fine. Live large every day.
Love, Dad
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
White man
Here’s an image in South Carolina that seems to have undergone a little bit of graffiti modification. Tell us where you think it is specifically, not just the town. Make sure to add your name and hometown to your guess and send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Our most recent mystery, “Red, white and blue,” shows an American flag hanging from the front balcony of Randolph Hall at the Cistern at the College of Charleston. Starting tonight, Spoleto Festival USA will host world-class musicians, such as Mavis Staples, Patti Smith and Jeff Tweedy, at its Cistern concert series. Randolph Hall, named for a prominent early 19th century Virginian, is a classic example of Greek Revival architecture and has been featured in many films, says Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Others correctly identifying the location were: Laura Villeponteaux, Addison Ingle, Lester Dempsey and Bruce Jarrad, all of Charleston; David Lupo of Mount Pleasant; Frank Bouknight of Summerville; Jay Altman and Nancy Barksdale, both of Columbia; Bill Segars and Don Clark, both of Hartsville; Truett Jones of Summerton; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; and Will Williams of Aiken. Thanks all!
- Send us a mystery picture. If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Send us your thoughts
Please send us your thoughts about politics and policy in South Carolina, but make sure to leave phone numbers and hometowns to help us verify them for publication. We publish non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your views.
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Statehouse Report, founded in 2001 as a weekly legislative forecast that informs readers about what is going to happen in South Carolina politics and policy, is provided by email to you at no charge every Friday.
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Statehouse bureau chief: Jack O’Toole
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