Massive South Carolina education overhaul bill moves forward

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – A massive bill that would overhaul education in South Carolina is heading to the House floor, but the proposal appears to be a long way from a finished product.

The House Education committee voted 15-1 for the bill Wednesday after making several changes.

The committee deleted a study to determine if teacher pay should no longer be directly linked to experience and eliminated a proposal to allow high-performing schools to hire uncertified teachers.

But even with the vote, plenty of concerns remain.

Several amendments by Democrats on class size and slowing the consolidation of poorly performing districts were defeated.

The bill still includes a new Zero to Twenty Committee to monitor all aspects of education from early childhood to workforce training. Critics say it’s an unneeded new layer of bureaucracy.