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School Boards Association warns funding formula favors charters, outlines 2026 legislative priorities
Summary
At a Nov. 18 Richland County board work session, Debbie Elmore of the South Carolina School Boards Association urged lawmakers to adjust student weightings and separate charter allocations after data showed substantially higher per‑pupil amounts for charter students; she also flagged health‑insurance, parental‑leave and curriculum items to watch in 2026.
Debbie Elmore, a legislative representative with the South Carolina School Boards Association, told the Richland County School Board on Nov. 18 that the top priority for the association heading into the 2026 legislative session is fixing what she described as inconsistencies in the new school funding formula.
"Of course, the big issue is the funding issue," Elmore said, summarizing the association's analysis of the formula implemented this year. She cited the RFA (Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office) report and handouts showing that in one year about $324,000,000 of new dollars were added to the formula and that a charter school student in that new pot was receiving around $1,700 while a traditional public‑school student received roughly $850 from the new money.
Elmore said the discrepancy stems from how the formula assigns weightings to different student types and from a proviso that, she said, effectively doubled some charter weightings by applying both brick‑and‑mortar and virtual…
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