Sanford education bills would limit size, push charter schools

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"We've said from the beginning that public schools are the foundational setting for education in South Carolina," Sanford said in a statement issued by his office.

Sanford, an Air Force Reserve lieutenant, is in the first of two weeks of training at Maxwell AFB in Alabama.

The Greenville News reported Monday that some legislators are uncertain about what Sanford wants on an array of issues, but the governor said, "We are getting there."

The bills would:

— Promote the growth of smaller, more community-centered schools under a South Carolina Neighborhood and Community Schools Act of 2003, by limiting enrollment in schools built in the future. The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Bob Leach, R-Greenville, and in the Senate by Greg Gregory, R-Lancaster.

— Create a new board to process charter school applications, the Charter School Approval Committee. The bills were introduced by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, and Rep. Harry Stille, R-Due West.

— Establish conduct grades as part of an expanded character education process. Sen. Warren Giese, R-Columbia, is the bill's sponsor.

State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum, a Democrat, was traveling and couldn't be reached for comment. Her spokesman, Jim Foster, said that agency officials hadn't seen the bills "so we don't really have a position."

But Foster said, "Educators prefer smaller schools, too. The practical reality is that the larger schools are cheaper to operate on a per student basis."

He said that five mid-year budget cuts over the last 22 months have educators "looking at larger class sizes, larger schools and even consolidating school districts."

Leach said Sanford's office contacted him Tuesday about the bill.

He said it would limit future elementary schools to 500 pupils and middle and high schools to 700 and 900, respectively. In addition, it would set limits on the amount of acreage that could be used for new schools.

The bill is designed to limit long drives to schools and allow more students to walk or ride bikes while fostering a greater sense of community, he said.

In his State of the State Address on Jan. 22, Sanford criticized "remote-site mega schools." He called for an end to current policies that "encourage massive, isolated schools that are inaccessible to the communities they serve."

At the time, Sanford said that raising the number of charter schools "will be our first step" toward increasing parents' choices for their children's education.

In 2002, the Legislature created the Charter School Advisory Board to review applications and make recommendations to local school boards whose members would then decide. Prior to that, local boards had sole authority, although rejected applicants could appeal to the state Board of Education, Foster said.

There are 13 charter schools and seven have been approved to begin the 2003-04 academic year. North Carolina has 99.

Dan Hoover covers politics and can be reached at 298-4883.