Bill Text: SC S1219 | 2017-2018 | 122nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Charter School Week
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-05-03 - Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence [S1219 Detail]
Download: South_Carolina-2017-S1219-Introduced.html
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
TO RECOGNIZE MONDAY, MAY 7 THROUGH FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2018 AS "CHARTER SCHOOL WEEK" IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING THE CHILDREN OF THE PALMETTO STATE IN INNOVATIVE CLASSROOMS AND SCHOOLS.
Whereas, charter schools, which are public schools, increase learning opportunities for all pupils and provide parents and students with expanded choices within the public school system; and
Whereas, charter schools have been implemented across the country in forty-four states and the District of Columbia; and
Whereas, the first established charter schools opened in South Carolina in 1998, following the adoption of the South Carolina Charter School Act of 1996. As of the 2017-2018 academic year, seventy charter schools serve more than thirty-four thousand students across the State; and
Whereas, charter schools play an integral role in South Carolina's public education system and the communities in which they operate by creating new jobs and opportunities for educators and other professionals, serving families, and impacting pupils' lives; and
Whereas, many charter schools are designed specifically to serve children from traditionally underserved communities. These schools have made dramatic gains in accelerating the closing of the achievement gap for underserved populations, resulting in an increase in the graduation rate and improvement in college readiness; and
Whereas, charter schools offer a variety of innovative learning environments focusing on a range of subjects, including college preparedness, alternative education, career technical education, and the arts and sciences; and
Whereas, by providing high-quality education to students, charter schools contribute to the statewide effort to improve education, and they further encourage community and parental involvement in the education of our youth. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize Monday, May 7 through Friday, May 11, 2018 as "Charter School Week" in South Carolina and acknowledge the importance of educating the children of the Palmetto State in innovative classrooms and schools.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Molly Spearman, State Superintendent of Education; the South Carolina Public Charter School District Board of Directors; Carol Aust, Executive Director of the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina; and Cameron Runyan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Charter Institute at Erskine.
