S39 establishes an educational scholarship initiative aimed at offering financial assistance to eligible elementary and secondary students to cover approved educational costs. Oversight of this initiative will fall under the purview of the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE). The scholarship grant per student stands at $6,000, unless annual general appropriations legislation permits adjustments to this limit, either upwards or downwards.
The South Carolina State Senate passed S39 on January 1, 2023 by a vote of 28 to 15. We have assigned pluses to the nays because, while the idea of allowing money to follow a child to any school of their choice may initially sound appealing, it raises concerns. This policy essentially directs government funds toward supporting private schools, inevitably attaching certain conditions and implications to this financial support. Private schools should not accept government money.