This bill would amend the South Carolina Constitution to allow the state to send public funds to private schools, including religious ones.
The South Carolina Constitution is not subtle about its prohibition on public aid to private schools. Article XI, Section 4 states: “No money shall be paid from public funds nor shall the credit of the State or any of its political subdivisions be used for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.”
That’s why the South Carolina Supreme Court shut down a previous private school voucher program in September 2024. Lawmakers in this session are trying to get around the constitution by redirecting college scholarship money from the S.C. Education Lottery to pay for private K-12 school tuition (see S. 62). If that fails in court, some lawmakers are willing to amend the constitution to get their way.
We oppose this bill because: Vouchers, which direct public money to private schools, have been a disaster for students in every state they have been tried. Vouchers cause learning loss, they are risky for students with disabilities, they fund institutions that discriminate, and they wreak havoc on state budgets. Read more in our blog post, “The ugly truth about school vouchers.”
