State superintendent cites NAEP gains, seeks funding for literacy, teacher pay and infrastructure

Superintendent Weaver told the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee that new National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results showed South Carolina has recovered strongly after COVID, with fourth‑grade scores placing the state among the nation’s leaders and the state “beating the national storyline.”

Weaver said the Department of Education is asking the Legislature to fund a set of priorities grouped as student success, teacher support and safe schools, including recurring and nonrecurring items for summer reading camps, high‑quality instructional materials, the Palmetto Math rollout, and a recurring increase to teacher pay.

The NAEP results, released the night before the hearing, were framed by Weaver as evidence the state’s literacy investments are producing results: “When you look at our fourth grade math and reading scores and you compare where South Carolina was in 2019 before the pandemic to where we are today, our trajectory puts us in the top 3 states in the country,” Weaver said. She added that middle‑school math and reading remain areas that “need a lot of work.”

Why it matters: Weaver linked the NAEP gains to programs funded in prior years, including the Palmetto Literacy Project and a statewide adoption of high‑quality instructional materials. Lawmakers on the subcommittee asked for details about implementation, equity and fiscal tradeoffs as they consider requests in the coming budget cycle.

Key program and funding details Weaver gave the committee: - Palmetto Literacy Project: almost 20,000 K–3 educators enrolled since fall 2021; the department reported a $39,000,000 investment over two budget cycles to support teacher training and alignment with South Carolina educator preparation programs. - Early childhood LETRS: more than 800 early‑childhood teachers are being trained in the science‑of‑reading approaches, and the department is expanding in‑state facilitators to reduce reliance on outside vendors. - Palmetto Math: new math standards were adopted; teacher feedback reduced the number of standards by about 35% to prioritize instruction; the department requests nonrecurring funds tied to the math adoption cycle. - High‑intensity tutoring: roughly $4,000,000 awarded to districts (Weaver cited Aiken, Berkeley and Sumter as examples) and 158 identified Palmetto Math schools receiving targeted supports. - Strategic compensation pilot: the department received $5,000,000 last year and funded 36 schools; Weaver said the agency will request continued funding to evaluate a three‑year pilot. - Education Scholarship Trust Fund (year‑two implementation): enrollment window opened in January; Weaver reported about 1,700 returning students and roughly 2,300 new applications received since Jan. 15 (applications are under vetting). Weaver said all 46 counties are represented; preliminary applicant demographics were roughly 37% African American and 60% white; the program’s current application window closes March 15. - Teacher pay: the department’s budget asks align with the governor’s executive budget and include a $3,000 across‑the‑board increase the department says would move toward a $50,000 minimum starting salary. The department and lawmakers repeatedly discussed long‑term affordability and the recurring cost of any pay increase. - School infrastructure and an education infrastructure bank: Weaver proposed creating an education infrastructure bank to address rural facility needs and charter facility access. She said the General Assembly has provided nearly $600,000,000 to rural infrastructure since 2019 and that 34 districts were deemed eligible under current criteria and 24 have been served to date; the bank would be seeded with nonrecurring funds and modeled on the state transportation infrastructure bank. - School facility safety and buses: the committee previously provided $20,000,000 for safety upgrades; Weaver said a department teacher survey (9,000 respondents) showed 96% of respondents reported classroom doors can be locked and 92% reported feeling safe during the school day. The department reiterated a 15‑year replacement cycle goal for the bus fleet.

Data‑security incident: Weaver addressed the PowerSchool vendor breach. She said the breach occurred at the vendor level, not on district or department infrastructure; PowerSchool has identified impacted districts and is working with districts on notification and promised credit monitoring for affected individuals. The department retained Nelson Mullins for breach response and legal counsel.

AI in classrooms: Weaver described local examples of AI tutors used in a sixth‑grade classroom that provide writing feedback to students while enabling teachers to coach in real time. She and committee members agreed the technology offers promise but also presents governance and safety questions the department is addressing with regional partners.

Committee reaction and follow‑up requests: lawmakers broadly praised the NAEP results and emphasized teacher compensation and school safety. Members pressed for transparency on the $30,000,000 earlier appropriation to the Education Scholarship Trust Fund and asked the department to provide county‑level expenditure breakdowns and other implementation details. Several members urged structural fixes to K–12 funding and governance (discussion only during the hearing), and asked the department to provide updated vacancy and staffing numbers and documentation about the infrastructure bank proposal.

What the department will do next: Weaver said the department will provide committee members with requested breakdowns (trust fund expenditures and teacher vacancy data), proposed draft language for an infrastructure bank concept (upon committee interest), and updates on PowerSchool breach remediation.