[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6111235,"mediaKeyId","2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621","parentId",2752984,"title","State Department of Education outlines literacy, math and school‑safety priorities and a $200 million teacher‑pay proposal","audioSeconds",1830,"startMs",1769000,"endMs",3599000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621&start=1769&end=3599","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621/thumbnail_1769000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6111235/South-Carolina/State-Department-of-Education-outlines-literacy-math-and-schoolsafety-priorities-and-a-200-million-teacherpay-proposal","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6111235-04d774d286d9bc79a74e5f26a6347f9c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770667067&Signature=Pfq2eWmUsjGDrkkEwzD5rZKZucUwEJyR9rzS~L0EBvdU3CEOEBIVYvliB0bXFymalK6p7D7UzlxU6Nk2mb~dOR3iMANS7JEs2IZb9bVahVoJHpwFJC17WTmrg4ZDnkwRBJp2pEBoQsnXCSwSyHOv1wLgzLx5LSK~cGeDFqwvWcvW2KfG69ilw4E8OvTyhEogU920qZe9Y21zMx2g0zUvf0DxtxbRDavbV8QF3Nk5mlnUuXmn4S-hmAFbuGTPOFbPL7AqQcCwX5vGZ6owG6bdbV8ft~1R8LkXFsDEKXx0007BUvcKisSVoVCyDQW-wq13QXY02YW6O9uBhbshZX5~rQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","article","Philip Cease, director of governmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Education, briefed the House Education and Public Works Committee on the department’s strategic plan and budget priorities.

\"The mission of South Carolina Department of Education is to serve students, support teachers, empower parents, engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential,\" Cease said, summarizing the department’s new mission and its \"one‑four‑one‑four\" strategic framework and a long‑term \"moonshot\" goal to have at least 75 percent of students at or above grade level by 2030.

Cease outlined four strategies: advance evidence‑based instruction for foundational skills (including the Science of Reading and LETRS training), expand access to career pathways and work‑based learning, deploy initiatives that address school culture and behavioral and mental health needs, and launch statewide community engagement to increase volunteer support in schools.

On literacy and early grades, Cease said the legislature funded nearly $40 million two years ago for LETRS professional learning. He said about 20,000 teachers are either in the LETRS pipeline or have completed the training and noted a stipend for completion. Cease also described Palmetto Math Project pilots and a separate math material request scheduled for a Ways and Means hearing.

Cease discussed Read to Succeed 2 and retention: he said the statute’s threshold, had it been applied in the most recent school year, would have made 16,238 third graders eligible for retention; promotion after summer reading camps or other interventions remains possible under the law. He described the department’s expanded summer reading camps and other supports tied to the statute.

Cease reviewed a statewide model policy on student cell‑phone access — branded \"Free to Focus\" in department materials — that the appropriation proviso requires local boards to adopt or risk losing state classroom funding. The model defines the school day as bell to bell, requires a local policy with permitted exceptions, and allows districts to choose how devices are stored during the school day.

On budget priorities, Cease summarized large funding requests the department planned to seek from the General Assembly: a $200 million recurring request to raise starting teacher pay to $50,000 (and additional targeted supports for special schools and strategic compensation); $20 million recurring and $95 million nonrecurring for high‑quality instructional materials (with math materials highlighted); summer reading camps; CTE and rural programming; and a $100 million recurring request for a rural infrastructure bank to help rural school construction and renovation.

Committee members asked about AI tutoring pilots, school resource officers, implementation of the cell‑phone model policy and board training; Cease and the chair said districts have latitude in implementation and that the department is gathering data on implementation outcomes. The presentation did not include formal votes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Education and Public Works Committee -- E.P.W K-12 Subcommittee Wednesday, March 19, 2025 ","oneSentenceSummary","Philip Cease, director of governmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Education, laid out the department’s one‑four‑one‑four strategic plan, described literacy and math initiatives (LETRS and Palmetto Math Project), summarized Read to Succeed 2 retention impacts and the cell‑phone proviso model policy, and outlined budget requests including a $200 million proposal to raise starting teacher pay to $50,000.","taxTitle","Education and Public Works, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17503,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6111231,"DMV director urges modernization, warns of workforce strain and urges Real ID uptake",764,3628000,4392000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621&start=3628&end=4392","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621/thumbnail_3628000.jpg","/articles/6111231/South-Carolina/DMV-director-urges-modernization-warns-of-workforce-strain-and-urges-Real-ID-uptake","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6111231-4696f550a0fedbf0743b28b97459c08b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770667067&Signature=PL3B4B-FWGmeMbPxdBPMyreeSbPuBw09mPBpvriO9N2ZP0DfGPAc-KgbbmWQYJ3FFPvmByhv6H44Jj3CyV4Hf~QIvIp9ABfQnC4nwvFzSHtVTmqtOLxL2p5WqOK0AYzt36m3CFelYZY-H29MG392N06fdd-eHDybjWYkZfVfC4Gt1eJiIDN5amaYnu4clhm39CHXH8EA7Boqy6MNy6LLah0~0E68~qmVZyRyk7~tM172GVygQwGOf3l6jH1WrN9l4ZFazLXusloU0L2dbOlyVCvqAbgHWPWL85wzoqO4K2eQTl06gVgQNzXC8Tiwj6qgF0rpM5900lV-pkUseSdscQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kevin Shweto, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, told the House Education and Public Works Committee the DMV must modernize its aging systems, expand capacity and address high staff turnover to maintain service levels as the state grows.

Shweto said South Carolina’s population has grown from about 4 million to 5.3 million during his tenure and the DMV has seen corresponding demand without comparable staffing increases. \"I have a 33% turnover rate annually. 500 of the 1,500,\" he said, describing the recruitment and retention pressures that force constant training cycles.

He described the DMV’s broad responsibilities — 444 transaction types tied to statutes and federal requirements — and said the agency still operates on a legacy system known as Phoenix written in COBOL. He told members the DMV’s modernization need is roughly $100 million and warned states that attempted certain vendor transitions lost substantial investments. \"When we grow, the reason that we are still fast in terms of in terms of modernizing right, or getting you through lines, it's because I've got certain procedures that we've used... but it's going to continue to grow until you help me monitor this,\" he said.

Shweto urged South Carolinians to obtain Real ID credentials before federal restrictions tighten: he said about 60 percent of the state currently has Real ID and warned that without it travelers and others will face access limits. \"If you don't have your Real ID, you're making a real mistake there because you will not get on an airplane on July,\" he said, adding Real ID is required for entry to many federal facilities and military installations.

He outlined operational changes the DMV plans: centralized issuance of cards beginning in September (so replacements are mailed rather than issued on the spot) and future mobile driver’s‑license capabilities that he said could improve security and reduce fraud long term. Shweto said modernization would make identity verification and fraud prevention more effective and reduce long‑term costs.

On public‑safety topics, he highlighted DUI statistics and argued South Carolina’s law framework contributes to recidivism; in response to a committee question he said first‑offender DUI counts have averaged about 25,000 annually.

Shweto also described the DMV workforce demographic and compensation history, noting a prior salary increase moved many entry positions from about $22,000 to roughly $33,000 but that inflation had eroded purchasing power. He urged the committee to consider modernization funding and noted the DMV’s customer service commitment and willingness to work with legislators on technical issues.

The presentation did not include a formal vote.","Kevin Shweto, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, asked lawmakers to fund a roughly $100 million modernization of the DMV’s legacy systems, warned of high staff turnover and urged residents to obtain Real ID ahead of upcoming federal restrictions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6111240,"Education Oversight Committee director briefs panel on dashboards, graduation rates and rural teacher incentives",1596,153000,1749000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621&start=153&end=1749","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2752984-b5bb3ddf49799db89b75c0a0ebdc8621/thumbnail_153000.jpg","/articles/6111240/South-Carolina/Education-Oversight-Committee-director-briefs-panel-on-dashboards-graduation-rates-and-rural-teacher-incentives","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6111240-58821cd69ca34a0653d7952176224b5a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770667067&Signature=KQRRr8guFGQvCvUBTp76PWFoyIsoWDF6b5aMcDw32DR2-~ckUhtqGLO-Wq-SLIm7SaHTrPmhMZiMBBz-onoBvGdrj97tXQcy~UF~vTMB78j8RiRZ2pwQpz3KL0owTLaGAtytdC2OFapRPxvT7tcxcyvFxbyhoFiLOZ0IvqV-LsYNQR9GxpsHeEQBsyjr-AO49YvUk9MCDrw1MFBAmwyOfHZDS4qg28PRMuBSv1P2gdXbd~HdE6Wm5CK9mb62G0~5Zw7oSlxC371Dd2TAR4FW13-jvdAutpfkp~k~SvnUD~2LkXKMBPDLhr2KwU2m9nkPEHPM1eOCuur7V~E2xDe99w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dana Yao, executive director of the Education Oversight Committee, told the House Education and Public Works Committee that the EOC approves academic content standards and the statewide assessments used for accountability, produces annual school report cards and evaluates state‑funded programs.

Yao said the EOC issues an annual accountability report each year by Oct. 15 and maintains a public data portal at dashboardsc.sc.gov to visualize spending and performance by school. \"We produce an education data dashboard and I'm going to give you a little peak at that as well and encourage you to take a look at it,\" she said.

The EOC director reviewed recent evaluations the committee has completed. She said the committee performs annual evaluations of major investments such as the full‑day 4K program and the Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs program. \"The evaluations that we've done show that that program does work for 4 year olds,\" Yao said of the full‑day 4K program.

Yao described the EOC's 2024 graduation metric: \"This is the graduation rate from 2024 so high school students and public schools 85.4 percent of students from 2024 graduated on time.\" Representative Bridal asked whether the same cohort’s college‑and‑career readiness rate was 30 percent; Yao answered \"Yes, sir. College and career ready.\" Earlier in the presentation Yao also described dashboard graphics showing college‑and‑career readiness bars and used the phrase \"72% roughly are students who are college or career ready\" when describing a related chart, creating differing figures in the transcript between her chart commentary and a member’s summary question. The record contains both statements; the article reports each with attribution rather than reconciling them.

Yao said the EOC conducted an evaluation of a rural recruitment incentives program funded with Education Improvement Act (EIA) money. \"Currently you all are investing $7,600,000 of EIA funds into rural recruitment incentives,\" she said, and described a menu of roughly 15 incentives districts may use, such as housing assistance, mentoring, international teacher recruitment and recruitment fairs. Yao said the EOC’s evaluation looks at return on investment and retention, particularly in the first five years of a teacher’s service.

The director flagged chronic absenteeism as a growing problem. She said, referencing the 2022–23 school year, about 23 percent of students were chronically absent and noted the EOC completed focus groups with students and parents and was still receiving parent feedback. The committee is planning a public awareness effort promoting small school‑level responses, Yao said.

Committee members asked about teacher turnover, remediation, retention policy and the EOC’s cyclical review of the accountability system. Yao said the EOC has eight full‑time staff and can provide additional data or meet with members individually on topics such as rural turnover rates and absenteeism focus‑group results.

The committee chair emphasized the dashboard as a tool for lawmakers and staff and thanked the EOC for its work.

The presentation did not result in any formal motions or votes during the hearing.","Dana Yao, executive director of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, reviewed the agency’s role in standards, accountability and program evaluation, highlighted a new public dashboard and described evaluations showing benefits from the state’s full‑day 4K program and rural recruitment incentives funded with EIA dollars.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State Department of Education outlines literacy, math and school‑safety priorities and a $200 million teacher‑pay proposal

DMV director urges modernization, warns of workforce strain and urges Real ID uptake

Education Oversight Committee director briefs panel on dashboards, graduation rates and rural teacher incentives