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S.C. Schools Slated to Get $3 Billion in Pandemic Relief

 State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman appeared before the Senate Finance K-12 Education Subcommittee on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.
SCETV
State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman appeared before the Senate Finance K-12 Education Subcommittee on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

Since the unexpected closing of schools just over a year ago, students, parents, teachers, administrators, and public officials have grappled with how to keep the state’s 767,000 school children from falling too far behind.

South Carolina’s public schools have been at the center of the COVID pandemic. Since the unexpected closing of schools just over a year ago, students, parents, teachers, administrators, and public officials have grappled with how to keep the state’s 767,000 school children from falling too far behind.

Despite efforts at the state level to get schools safely re-opened as soon as possible, many of the state’s school districts opted to resume teaching using an array of methods. Most schools have now resumed full time face to face instruction.

This week, officials from the state Department of Education told a Senate Sub-committee that so far less than half of the state’s 79 school districts have submitted their plans for how they plan to help students make-up for lost learning. Senate Education Committee Chairman Gregg Hembree, R-Horry, says the state is enduring one of the darkest periods in its’ education history.

Russ McKinney has 30 years of experience in radio news and public affairs. He is a former broadcast news reporter in Spartanburg, Columbia and Atlanta. He served as Press Secretary to former S.C. Governor Dick Riley for two terms, and for 20 years was the chief public affairs officer for the University of South Carolina.