Poor Districts Say Legislature Violated Court Order

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Attorneys for rural school districts say legislators’ court-ordered plan for fixing South Carolina’s education system isn’t a plan at all, but an accounting of legislative meetings and list of budget items that don’t address the problems.

The response filed Thursday accuses legislators of violating state Supreme Court orders and seeks a new deadline.

Justices gave legislators an end-of-session deadline for developing a plan for improving South Carolina schools, after ruling in November 2014 that poor, rural students lack educational opportunities.

The districts’ response to last month’s report says two of the four laws the Legislature passed simply call for more study. It also contends most of the additional money is distributed statewide, so it does little to offset poor districts’ disadvantages.

Legislative leaders did not have an immediate response Friday.