When South Carolina voters cast their ballots for a Democratic presidential candidate Tuesday, they'll be choosing a new path for American schools.

If one of the seven candidates squaring off in Tuesday's first-in-the-South primary wins the White House this November, more students could go to college for less money, more 4-year-olds could have access to preschool programs and the No Child Left Behind legislation that has raised accountability for schools nationwide likely would be changed, according to their platforms. The candidates have similar platforms, yet each has his or her own take on exactly how the nation's education system needs to change. A major tenet of each candidate's plan is making college more affordable and more accessible. That's important, local education officials say.

"We are losing factory jobs," Beaufort County Board of Education Vice Chairwoman Flo Rosse said Friday. "What kind of jobs are we going to have? They're going to have to be jobs that require a great deal of education."

Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich have plans that would make four years of college free for students. Kucinich estimates spending about $4,000 per year per student, the average cost of a year at a public college or university. Dean's plan would give $10,000 per year for college students who committed to work toward success as eighth-graders.

John Edwards, John Kerry and Wesley Clark would send students to college free for a year or two. Edwards' plan would give students accepted at a public college tuition for a year if they work part-time.

Kerry's plan gives students who commit to two years of public service four free years of college and $4,000 per year tax credits for other college students. Clark would give students $6,000 per year for two years.

Joe Lieberman's plan increases the maximum amount of a Pell Grant, given to low-income students, from $4,050 to $7,760 a year by 2009.

Bolstering early childhood programs is a promise most candidates have made. Clark, Dean, Kerry, Kucinich and Lieberman plan to give more money to and expand Head Start, a federal program for young low income children. Kucinich promises preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, while Clark, Dean and Lieberman promise universal 4-year-old preschool.

"I think that should not only be a goal, it should almost be a mandate," Beaufort County Superintendent Herman Gaither said Thursday. "The eventual success of every education program depends on what happens during ages 0 to 5."

Tom Conner, chairman of a new nonpartisan community group called Citizens About Better Schools, agreed.

"It's absolutely incredible what kind of gains can be made (before kindergarten)," he said. "I don't think a lot of people understand how critical those first years are."

Beaufort County school officials realize that, Rosse said.

"We bemoan (test) scores when (students) are in third and fourth grade when we've done nothing to help them get ready to learn," she said. "That's the key to it all."

Several candidates -- Clark, Kerry, Dean and Lieberman -- have plans to change or send more money to programs required under the No Child Left Behind legislation.

Kerry and Dean want the law to judge schools on more than test scores, and Kerry would reward states like South Carolina that set high standards for students. The law lets states determine how tough the achievement tests they're required to give should be. Lieberman wants schools to get more money to meet the law's requirements, as does Dean, Clark, Kerry and Kucinich.

Al Sharpton wants to add an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee "a right to a public education of equal high quality."

Local officials have mixed reactions to No Child Left Behind.

"There are some great things in No Child Left Behind, but there are obviously some things that could be done better," Gaither said. "I don't want to see the good things go."

Conner agreed, but said he has problems with grading schools only on high-stakes testing, especially in areas like Hilton Head with large Hispanic populations. Kerry and Dean have plans to change that aspect of the law.

"The good part of No Child Left Behind is it set some standards," Conner said.

Rosse said the law needs to change.

"It's an unfunded federal mandate that fails to grasp the reality of what schools have to do," she said. "I think the money should go to early learning."