State Department of Education outlines mission, literacy and math initiatives and budget priorities

Philip Cease, director of governmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Education, presented the department’s mission, strategic priorities and budget requests to the House Education and Public Works Committee.

Cease summarized the department’s new strategic framework (described as “one‑four‑one‑four”) and a moonshot goal to increase the share of students at or above grade level. He highlighted the statewide roll‑out of the science of reading professional learning (LETRS) funded by a legislative appropriation of nearly $40 million to train K‑3 teachers, and an expansion of Palmetto Math Project pilot work to improve math instruction in underperforming schools. Cease said about 20,000 teachers have been trained or are in the LETRS pipeline and that the department is pursuing high‑quality instructional materials for math through an anticipated budget request.

On Read to Succeed and retention policy, Cease said the updated statute and implementation would have made 16,238 third graders eligible for retention under the new threshold (the department described potential summer remediation and promotion pathways). He described summer reading camps and other interventions included in the department’s budget packaging to address students at risk of retention.

Cease reviewed a statewide “Free to Focus” cell‑phone model policy required by proviso in the appropriations bill and briefly described choices districts have adopted (for example, phones kept in backpacks, pouches or lockers; school‑day defined bell to bell; local discretion on consequences and exceptions for medical or official‑duty uses). He said districts submitted plans to the State Department of Education for approval and the department is collecting implementation data.

Cease outlined the department’s 2025 budget request toplines: a $200 million request to raise starting teacher salary to $50,000 (recurring), $20 million recurring and $95 million nonrecurring for high‑quality instructional materials (math and other standards), summer reading camps funding, a $13 million CTE Rural Renaissance item, and proposed funding to fully fund the Education Salary & Teacher Funding (ESTF) formula as written. He also described a $100 million recurring request for a rural infrastructure bank for school facilities and $20 million for facility upgrades and school safety equipment. Cease framed teacher supports and compensation (including a strategic compensation pilot) and school safety infrastructure as top budget priorities.

Committee members asked about use of AI in classrooms (Cease said at least one district has an innovation grant for AI tutoring and that the department can connect members to districts using such programs), details of the cell‑phone policy implementation and whether Palmetto Math Project will be a top priority for 2025 (Cease and members said yes). Members discussed school board training and local implementation choices.

Ending

Cease said the department will share budget materials, implementation guidance and district plans with committee members; members requested follow‑up materials and contact information for districts piloting AI tutoring and other innovations.