Congress appropriated $13.2 billion for public schools to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic, which is causing cuts and layoffs.
South Carolina received $48 million in CARES funds.
Governor Henry McMaster has allotted $32 million of that total to underwrite vouchers for private schools.
Dr. Thomasena Adams, an educator and resident of Orangeburg, South Carolina, filed suit to block the Governor’s action. The lawsuit says the governor is giving a disproportionate amount of money to the 5,000 students who use vouchers, while shorting the 800,000 in public schools.
A circuit court judge in Orangeburg signed a temporary restraining order to block disbursement of the $32 million to voucher students.
Under the governor’s plan, students in Orangeburg public schools will receive $473 each, while voucher students will receive $6,500 each.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I remember Cornyn in some hearing the other day pretending to be shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, at the very idea of structural racism …
denial is what keeps the game going
What a disgusting money grab. The amount of money this governor wants for vouchers is almost equal to the entire per pupil expenditure of Utah public schools. I don’t know where South Carolina stands on per pupil expenditure, but to short public schools that much money is unconscionable.
“while shorting the 800,000 in public schools.”
Public school students always get screwed in ed reform schemes. Public school students are disfavored in the echo chamber and their needs are always considered last, only after the (preferred) private and charter students are served.
Ed reformers don’t contribute anything positive or of value to students and families who attend public schools. The more ed reformers one hires in the federal and state government, the worse it gets to for public school students.
Our students are barely mentioned in the ed reform echo chamber, unless it’s to smear all of them and describe all of them as failing. You will find WAY more discussion of labor unions in ed reform than you will find discussion of actual public school students.
If you watch cable news, you’ll see the ed reform echo chamber fanning out to promote the universal voucher policy they all favor. Lockstep, as usual. No dissent at all in the ranks.
No mention of public school students at all.
I don’t even think they’re aware that they completely neglect and ignore public school students. The ed reform echo chamber is so uniform and repetitive that public schools simply drop out of discussion and are never brought up again.
If you hold panels composed exclusively of people who come out of Walton or Fordham or Teach For America, the views will all be identical and the entire discussion will revolve around charters and vouchers.These entities exist to promote charters and vouchers and reduce the number of students in public schools. It’s why they were formed.
lockstep = no wish to hear why anything is a good idea or a bad idea, the details being irrelevant
Governor Henry McMaster worships at the altar of avarice. When finished worshiping his good of greed, he takes a piss on working people.
I see a criminal lawsuit for him. How authorize for these funds to be used for Student Vouchers?