Proposal to stop electing superintendent returns in SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)– Some lawmakers want to give South Carolina voters another chance to decide if they elect the education superintendent less than three years after they rejected the idea. A proposal that would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to decide if the state’s top education official is elected or appointed by the governor passed a House subcommittee Thursday. A similar amendment was on the November 2018 ballot, and 60% of voters decided to keep electing the superintendent. Current Education Superintendent Molly Spearman supported the 2018 amendment, but the respect for her work before and during the pandemic may be part of the reluctance to give the governor extra power. The proposal now moves to the the full House Judiciary Committee.