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Bill takes First Steps to 2013
Sanford signs measure extending readiness program; Hodges says more funds needed
By LISA MICHALS
Staff Writer
“Jim and I certainly have had our disagreements ... (but) I want to give credit where credit is due.”
— Gov. Sanford
It was a strange day indeed at Arthurtown Child Development Center on Wednesday.
Gov. Mark Sanford sat in a preschooler’s chair — about 6 inches off the ground — and ceremoniously signed a bill extending the life of the First Steps to School Readiness Act until 2013. In previous years, Sanford presided when the program’s budget was cut by more than $3 million.
Kneeling beside Sanford, against the backdrop of a bright lavender wall, was former Gov. Jim Hodges, who created First Steps.
Before putting pen to paper, Sanford asked Hodges, “How do I do this?”
Afterward, he presented the pen to Hodges, a Democrat.
Hodges quickly countered by giving an old governor’s pen from his pocket to Sanford, a Republican.
It was the first time they could recall sharing starring roles onstage since Sanford’s 2003 inauguration.
“Jim and I certainly have had our disagreements ... (but) I want to give credit where credit is due,” Sanford said.
Controversial at its inception in 1999 and well afterward, First Steps has won over lawmakers of all persuasions. The program coordinates early childhood education in the state’s 46 counties.
The spotlight for First Steps comes on the heels of Circuit Court Judge Thomas W. Cooper’s Dec. 29 ruling in the state’s school funding equity lawsuit, in which Cooper stated that South Carolina needs to do more to educate its youngest children.
First Steps has been mentioned as a solution.
The program gets $20 million annually to augment or spearhead early childhood initiatives across the state — down from a high of $23 million annually in 2002 under Hodges’ administration. Hodges also helped funnel $17 million in special appropriations to First Steps, while Sanford has seen an extra $5 million go to the program.
“Longer term, First Steps needs to be somewhere in the range of $200 million,” Hodges said.
Sanford didn’t rule out increased funding, but said more information is needed before that can be considered.
“Let’s take an assessment of where we are ... what we’re spending and where we’re spending it,” he said.
Reach Michals at (803) 771-8532 or lmichals@thestate.com.
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