Officials from Greenville County Schools are expressing worries about the funding calculation method applied to public school districts versus charter schools in South Carolina.
District authorities stated that most of the additional state funds — approximately $112 million — will go to charter schools according to the present allocation method for their state support to educational institutions.
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An excessive amount of funds have been designated for charter schools, but this isn’t an issue with them per se. Charter schools require financial support too,” stated spokesperson Tim Waller. “The concern lies in how this aligns—or rather misaligns—with our understanding of what state assistance to classrooms should aim to achieve. The intended purpose was to ensure equitable distribution of resources among public school districts across the state so they can offer top-tier education.
Waller stated that under the present formula, all charter schools would get approximately $90 million from state funds, while the leftover $22 million would be distributed among public school districts.
He said there are about 57,000 students enrolled in charter schools in South Carolina. By comparison, he said Greenville County Schools has about 78,000 students enrolled.
” $90 million for charter schools, $3.7 million for one district that has more students than all of the charter schools in South Carolina,” Waller said. “We’ve seen this increase year after year, and what we’re asking lawmakers is to take another look at the weighting.”
State Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, said he is working on a temporary fix to the funding formula.
Nevertheless, he informed WYFF News 4 that modifications to the formula would encounter resistance from the Senate as well as virtual charter schools.
There are significant financial challenges we face, coming from state requirements as well as various expenses related to education,” Waller stated. “We strive hard never to reduce personnel or increase taxes, yet these pressures are extremely intense.
On Tuesday evening, the South Carolina House agreed to decrease the virtual charter school weight from 0.65 to 0.36.
The House also approved the creation of a study committee, proviso that, according to the South Carolina School Boards Association, “establishes that the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office (RFA) will review the student weightings used in the State Aid to Classrooms funding formula. The RFA will explore ways to better align funding with student enrollment and ensure more consistent distributions to districts and charter authorizers. The agency must consult with policymakers and relevant stakeholders as determined by the RFA.”
The SCSBA stated, “Any proposed modifications should be forwarded to the Chairperson of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, the Governor, and the Superintendent of Education by December 1, 2025.”
The modifications to the proviso have yet to be finalized because both the House and Senate need to convene in a conference committee to reconcile the differences between the two variations of the state budget that were approved in their individual chambers.
Waller said reduced funding to public schools could impact proposed raises for teachers.
He said under the current funding, teachers could expect a raise of more than $1,000 next school year. However, if the temporary change is approved, he said teachers could expect an additional $200 increase.
“When the weighting doesn’t provide the funding that we need to hire those quality teachers, it directly impacts the kind of education we can provide to students,” Waller said. “This is not fair to the taxpayers who expect a certain level of quality.”
District officials said right now, all three of their budget proposals for next school year do not include a millage increase.
Officials also said, as of now, they do not see themselves cutting or laying off staff due to reduced funding.
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A school district in Upstate New York expresses worries over state financial support.
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