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Senator briefed trustees on 2026 education bills, charter funding concerns and Healthy School Meals proposal
Summary
State Sen. Ronnie Cromer explained how prefiled bills move through subcommittees and committees and answered questions about two education bills (SB740 on outdoor activity and SB725 on restricted leave). Board members raised concerns about charter-school funding and H4339 (Healthy School Meals).
State Senator Ronnie Cromer joined the Newberry County Board of Trustees to review education legislation prefiled for 2026 and to explain the process for how bills move from prefiled status to committee hearings.
Cromer summarized legislative procedure: prefiled bills receive first reading at the desk, are assigned to relevant committees and often go first to subcommittees for public testimony. "When they are prefiled, then... each bill is assigned to the committee that it corresponds to according to the code of laws... then the chairman assigns a bill out to a subcommittee," Cromer said, noting public input typically occurs at the subcommittee level.
Board members focused on two bills flagged as locally relevant. One, described as Senate Bill 740, would require one hour of outdoor physical activity; a trustee warned it could be difficult to fit a full outdoor hour into current school schedules without extending the day. "Before that goes to vote, the senators need to come into our school buildings to see whether you could actually fit in an hour," an unnamed board member said.
Another bill, cited as Senate Bill 725, would limit districts'ability to restrict teacher annual leave at certain times of year. Trustees said the restriction could create safety and supervision challenges if many instructional staff took overlapping leave and urged that districts retain flexibility to manage coverage.
Trustees also raised the perennial funding question around charter schools: board members argued that charter authorizers currently draw from the same state funding line as districts and that charters face fewer mandates. "A lot of them don't [participate in state retirement]," said an attendee who identified themselves as the district chief financial officer, noting variability among charter operators and urging clarity on funding sources and retirement participation.
The group clarified House Bill H4339 (also cited in discussion as H4399 during an initial phone message): members concluded H4339 is the Healthy School Meals proposal introduced in the House on 04/23/2025 that focuses on less-processed food options and changes to milk selection. Board members said they would review the bill text and provide feedback.
No formal board votes were taken on bills during the session; Cromer and trustees encouraged continued constituent outreach and testimony at subcommittee hearings for members of the public who want to influence bill language or funding.
