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Governor School for the Arts and Humanities asks Senate subcommittee for $1.2 million operational increase, film equipment and another counselor
Summary
Dr. Adderley told the South Carolina Senate K-12 budget subcommittee the school's top priorities are $1.2 million in operating funds, $100,000 for film equipment and an additional mental-health counselor to serve residential students.
Dr. Adderley, president of the South Carolina Governor School for the Arts and Humanities, asked the K-12 Education Budget Subcommittee on the school's top budget priorities for the 2025 budget year, saying the school's largest request is a $1.2 million increase in other operating expenses.
The request is intended to cover persistent inflationary increases in utilities, technology, supplies and facility maintenance on the school's 26-year-old campus, Adderley told the committee. “Our top priority this year is an increase in other operational expenses at 1,200,000.0,” he said.
Why it matters: the school is a state-supported residential and summer program that serves all 46 counties and 82 school districts in South Carolina. Its leaders said funding affects daily operations and student safety at a residential campus that operates nine months a year.
Details provided to the committee included current and projected utilities costs of $605,000 for the current year and $623,000 for the next year, and line-item increases staff described as large year-over-year jumps in custodial and facilities costs and insurance. Adderley reported savings from a preventive maintenance plan — including about $110,000 saved on HVAC costs last year — but said the requested increase would help avoid crisis-driven spending.
The school also requested $100,000 to outfit a growing film program, which now serves middle- and early-high-school students through summer classes and enrolled an inaugural class of 11 juniors last August. Adderley said the program has industry partnerships across the state and region, including with the South Carolina Film Commission.
Mental-health services were a focal point of the presentation. Adderley said the campus currently has one mental-health counselor. “Last year, our single mental health counselor served 48% of our student body,” he said, noting the residential nature of the program increases the school's responsibility for students' ongoing care. He and the committee discussed telehealth as a supplement to on-site services but said one counselor is insufficient for the school's 238-student capacity.
Other requests included converting four temporary full-time positions to permanent status (two regional recruiters, one student services assistant and one production costume coordinator) and a capital project to relocate and build a new art gallery to improve campus security by consolidating public-facing spaces to the front of campus.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about enrollment and cost details: the school said its residential capacity is 238 and current enrollment is 235, and that the Department of Administration reviewed and supported several of the personnel and counselor requests.
Dr. Adderley closed by thanking the General Assembly for past support and noting the school’s outreach: last year the school reported reaching more than 163,000 individuals through outreach programs across the state.
