By FITSNews || So much for South Carolina lawmakers working to “put more money into the classroom …”
Last Thursday – by a one-vote margin – the “GOP-controlled” S.C. House of Representatives rejected a proposal that would have prohibited school districts from routing taxpayer money to fund bureaucratic advocacy groups, which use the money to lobby lawmakers and pay for lavish beach retreats.
Currently, less than half of each dollar spent on public education in South Carolina reaches the classroom – which is one reason why the Palmetto State’s public schools continues to fall further behind the rest of the nation despite record funding increases.
Rep. Boyd Brown (D-Fairfield) recently introduced a budget amendment that would cut back on out-of-classroom expenses by eliminating taxpayer-funded lobbying and prohibiting the use of tax dollars for dues at any “organization which employs a lobbyist.” Dozens of Republicans joined Brown in supporting the amendment – although as always seems to be the case in Speaker Bobby Harrell’s House, just enough members of the “GOP” Caucus joined with Democrats to sink the reform.
Among the so-called “Republicans” who voted to continue using tax dollars to fund these bureaucratic lobbying efforts were Reps. Liston Barfield, Alan Clemmons, Mike Gambrell, Nelson Hardwick, Bill Herbkersman, Davey Hiott, Chip Huggins, Lanny Littlejohn, Steve Parker, Jay Lucas, Gene Pinson, Bill Sandifer, B.R. Skelton, Don Smith and Bill Whitmire.
Obviously, had even one of these fifteen lawmakers voted the other way, millions of dollars could have been routed away from these bureaucratic special interest groups and into South Carolina’s classrooms …
WEB EXTRA
Vote On School Lobbying Amendment
By conservative republican March 22, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Great article Will,
Several years ago, we had a Berkeley County legislator who cosponsored legislation (primary sponsor was Jim Merrill) to ban taxpayer funded lobbying. Now she (Shirley Hinson) is a lobbyist for the College of Charleston. LOL IT NEVER ENDS!
By Step to the Right March 22, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Thank you for the list of the members who voted to defeat this legislation so we can respond appropriately when we vote! Every one of these members is part of tbhe problem and needs to be eliminated from holding office!
While none are people I can vote against – I can send their opponents a donation!
By BIN News Editorial Staff March 22, 2010 at 6:09 pm
sic(k) willie, public education must lobby to protect our schools from political pimps like you and Howie the Voucher Clown.
When you write “…less than half of each dollar spent on public education in South Carolina reaches the classroom” our Funding Editor remembers Joe Wilson’s outburst, “You Lie!”
Your voucher scam rhetoric is the same tied cr@p. No one is buying it.
And, remember that vouchers are dead in S.C.
Jakie said so.
By Donny March 22, 2010 at 9:13 pm
This is all well and good, but it appears Boyd Brown did not introduce this legislation. Looks like Bedingfield, Hamilton, Smith, Wylie & Stringer were the authors.
By R March 23, 2010 at 2:02 am
“By BIN News Editorial Staff” the public education establishment must lobby to attempt to convince the public that there actually is a correlation between money and academic performance (which has never been the case). The public education establishment must lobby to try to attempt to cover up for the fact that they are inept, incompetent, have done the same things for decades and it doesn’t work. The public education establishment needs to lobby to direct attention away from the massive levels of inefficiencies associated with public education in the form of way too many school districts, way too many superintendents, associate superintendents, and administrators of every type that clog up our schools. The public education establishment must lobby to direct attention away from the fact that the colleges of education that “prepare” our future teachers are more concerned with political ideology rather than ensuring that “teachers” are qualified to teach specific subjects. In fact, according to Fire.org, many colleges of education will fail students who refuse to espouse certain left-wing political thought, even if these students currently have an “A”.
The public education establishment must lobby to attempt to direct attention away from the fact that we are light-years behind Europe, many of whom actually attach education dollars to the students and allow the parents to decide which school and what type of school to send their children to. This fosters intense competition among schools to keep students and schools that can’t compete close. In America, the public education establishment is terrified of competition because they could never compete since they are a political organization and many of their “teachers” and administrators are inept who are just biding their time until they can retire.
The fact of the matter is that public education in this state and nation is a total joke. Its a failed system. You can poo poo vouchers all you want but the system works everywhere its been tried, it works in Europe, it works in Washington, DC, and it would work here-which is what really terrifies the public education establishment. You can defend the status quo all you want but as you do, private school and home school students will continue to out score and out perform the public schools in every possible measurement while yet another generation has been relegated to a failed public school system.
By John Steinberger March 23, 2010 at 7:32 am
Stunning! Any primary challengers for these “Republicans”?
By Toyota Kawaski March 23, 2010 at 11:29 am
Maybe “R”ah you should move to Europe or DC. Have all the vouchers you want just don’t take tax dollars to pay for them.Do as i do and fork out $7,000 of my own money and pay for private school.