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Committee gives favorable report to bill allowing charter schools to prefer children of active military families
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to give a favorable report to House Bill 3862, which would permit public charter schools to allocate up to 20 percent of enrollment preference to dependents of active‑duty military residing or stationed in the state, along with commonly used preference categories such as siblings and children of employees.
The Senate Education Committee voted to give House Bill 3862 a favorable report, sending the measure to the full Senate. The bill would permit public charter schools to give an enrollment preference to dependents of active‑duty military who are residing or stationed in the state; the provision could apply to up to 20 percent of a school’s total enrollment.
Katie Grinstead, research director, told the committee that the bill applies to “all public charter schools in South Carolina” and that the measure previously received second reading during last year’s session but did not complete the legislative process. Senator Young, who chaired the subcommittee, reported unanimous subcommittee support and described three witnesses who testified in favor, including the principal of Liberty STEAM Charter and a military spouse who described missing an enrollment window while her husband was deployed.
Senators discussed trade‑offs raised in earlier committee work: giving a reserved preference to military dependents means families on existing waiting lists may be displaced. “We’re going to let these folks jump the line,” one committee member observed, noting that high‑demand charter schools such as Liberty have long waiting lists. The sponsor and other supporters said the preference mirrors similar policies in nine other states and would help military families who relocate frequently.
The committee approved a motion to give the bill a favorable report to the full Senate by voice vote.
The bill’s text also lists other common enrollment preferences retained in charter law—siblings of enrolled students and children of school employees or board members—and includes a 20 percent enrollment cap for the military preference.
