Senate subcommittee favorably reports bill allowing charter schools to prefer military dependents

A Senate Education Subcommittee voted to favorably report H.3862 after hearing testimony from charter school leaders and a military spouse who said the measure would give service families a better chance to enroll in preferred charter schools.

The bill, described to the subcommittee as H.3862, would allow public charter schools in South Carolina to adopt an enrollment preference for dependents of active-duty military who reside or are stationed in the state. "This legislation . . . adds a military enrollment preference option for public charter schools in South Carolina to have if they so choose to desire," JW Ragley said in testimony. Ragley identified himself as a representative of SC Learns, the nonprofit that operates two statewide virtual charter schools.

Why it matters: Supporters told the subcommittee that military-connected children face particular timing and housing constraints that make it hard to participate in charter-school lotteries that typically run early in the calendar year.…