Board issues revocation notices for Palmetto Excel campuses while leaving MOA option if funding secured

The SC Public Charter School District Board voted to issue formal notices of revocation for Palmetto Excel campuses in North Charleston, Sumter and Spartanburg effective June 30, 2025, while authorizing staff to negotiate a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to allow continued operation if adequate, sustainable funding is secured.

Superintendent Neely described the Palmetto Excel pilot as “courageous and long overdue” in intent but said the first year exposed “real concerns about the awarding of excessive credits, transcript irregularities and the failure to implement a proficiency-based instructional model approved by the state as outlined in the school's charter.” He reported that in year one the pilot received approximately $1,300,000 in public funding and produced 13 graduates—“that's $100,000 per diploma,” which he called “shocking.”

Neely said new leadership and governance reforms have yielded progress but that state-level funding guidance and legislative shifts created confusion and instability. District staff recommended issuing notices of revocation but offered an alternative path: authorize staff to negotiate an MOA allowing campuses to operate for the 2025–26 school year if sustainable funding is found, with an express provision that the school would voluntarily surrender its charter by June 30, 2026, if funding is not secured by passage of the FY 2026–27 state budget.

Trustees moved and seconded the recommendation; after clarifying procedural questions (including authorization period and the district’s year-two authorization status), the board adopted the statement unanimously. The resolution directs staff to pursue negotiation of an MOA only if adequate funding materializes; otherwise the notices will proceed per the district’s school-closure protocol.