The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting a public forum Wednesday for state lawmakers, along with county and school officials from Beaufort and Charleston counties, to discuss the state formula.
"What we hope to accomplish is to expand awareness about the education funding formula and how it affects property taxes," said chamber spokeswoman Jennifer Cooper.
Cooper said she expects three members of the Beaufort County Legislative Delegation and representatives from the school district and County Council to attend.
Beaufort County's schools nearly lost $6.8 million in funding from the state this year but saw the money returned after the legislature approved a one-time budget amendment in May. Charleston County, which would have lost $7.4 million but benefited from a similar amendment, was the only other district shorted by the formula.
The 1977 Education Finance Act formula uses property values and student demographics to determine what percentage of finance act money, funded through income tax, will be divided among the state's 85 school districts.
District and county officials have said they are afraid that once the county's property reassessment values kick in, the district won't receive any money from the formula next year.
The County Council and school board have approved similar resolutions calling on each body to contribute $125,000 to hire a Columbia consultant or attorney to "advise and represent the county and the school district in their pursuit to amend or change" the formula.
State Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, said she and other lawmakers are working behind the scenes to ensure Beaufort County receives another one-time amendment, but a long-term solution will not happen until a school funding equity lawsuit is resolved.
Eight South Carolina school districts are suing the state for failing to provide funding for a "minimally adequate" education. Thirty-six districts were originally named as plaintiffs.
"We've got to wait to find out what we're going to have to work with," Ceips said.
Rep. Thayer Rivers, D-Ridgeland, said he is doubtful that the lawsuit will be resolved before the end of the 2006 legislative session, which runs from January through June, and a special session may be required to deal with the funding issue.
Changing the formula "is not that hard to do" but lawmakers will likely be slow to work in the background on a long-term solution until the lawsuit is resolved, he said.
Before working on a solution, the community, its elected officials and lawmakers must become familiar with the funding formula and its nuances, said Rep. Richard Chalk, R-Hilton Head Island.
Chalk and Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, said setting a 50 percent minimum on the portion of the dollars school districts receive from the formula could be the best immediate solution.
"I'm willing to introduce that and fight for that," Herbkersman said.
The school district received 17 cents on the dollar from the formula and amendment this year.
Placing a floor on how much money the county gets back from the state is the quickest and most reasonable solution to the problem, said Rep. Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
"I think we could get that done," he said.
Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, said he's not sure a permanent solution to fixing Beaufort's school funding problem will come out of the next legislative session.
"I'm operating under the supposition that we're probably going to have to do the same thing as last year" he said.
Enough people around the state have problems of one kind or another with the funding formula, including the equity lawsuit, that an overhaul of the formula is inevitable, Richardson said.
Paying for schools with a sales tax "is probably where we're headed," he said.
The public will have the opportunity to ask questions at Wednesday's forum, Cooper said.