SC Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver releases 2023 budget, legislative priorities

The State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver released the Department of Education's budget priorities for 2023 during a hearing yesterday.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— The State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver released the Department of Education’s budget priorities for 2023 during a hearing yesterday.

Superintendent Weaver’s top priorities included teacher and bus driver pay, early literacy instruction, and support for the Governor’s school safety initiatives.

The budget request included these priorities:

• 74% towards personnel salaries, as well as funds for rural buildings and buses.
• 16% towards a public school innovation fund that would give bonuses to high-performing teachers in high-need districts, increase literacy training and parent engagement, launch mentoring and tutoring programs, and partner with districts to recruit and train school principals.
• 1% for SCDE’s state-required salary increases and to initiate critical systems and performance reviews, with no requests for additional full-time state employees.

  The Superintendent’s prioritized budget request can be accessed here.