Sanford budget squeezes museum

COLUMBIA -- The State Museum has half the staff it did about three years ago, admission fees for some have increased and Gov. Mark Sanford has proposed phasing out state funding.

But while director Willie Calloway is willing to consider some ways the museum might save or make money, he refuses to charge the 75,000 schoolchildren who visit for free every year because he wants legislators and others to understand how the educational facility is funded, and how important it is to the state. "We're not in a crisis mode," Calloway said at a commission meeting.

Two weeks ago, Sanford proposed eliminating about $4.5 million per year in state funds over the next three years to free-up money for education and health programs.

The governor-appointed commission remained upbeat because it said the budget process is only beginning.

About $3 million of the museum's budget per year goes back to the state to pay off bonds for building the museum and for rent. That leaves about $1.5 million in state funding for operations. The museum raises another $1.5 million through private funds, admissions and rentals.

Calloway said some legislators don't understand the way the funding works, especially how much of it goes back to the state. If they did, he said, they might be a little kinder in considering the museum's budget.

"We could make another $100,000 if we charged," he said. "But do I want to do that? No."

Right now, all the museum can do is make the case it is worth funding, he said.

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