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Article published: Jan 22, 2005
Governor’s office seeks to clear air on funding

A governor’s spokesman said he disagrees with comments made last week at an education reporters’ meeting held by the state Department of Education on education funding.

Last week, state Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum told a group of reporters the department’s position on some of the issues facing the S.C. General Assembly this session. Her views differ from the governor’s.

Gov. Mark Sanford’s executive budget was one of the topics of concern for the superintendent. The budget shifts line-item programs for the Department of Education under the umbrella of the Education Finance Act. Programs such as alternative schools, advanced placement testing and professional development on standards were moved under the EFA formula.

The governor’s spokesman, Will Folks, said the money is being placed where it is needed the most. By putting the funds into the EFA formula, the money will do a better job of following the individual child, he said.

He pointed out the governor’s budget has proposed $134 million in recurring dollars be placed into education. The new way of funding will focus funding for public education on the individual child instead of placing it into layers of bureaucracy, he said.

“That is not new money. It’s just money that is getting shifted around,” said Department of Education spokesman Jim Foster. “It’s actually taking funds that are designated for specific projects and moving those funds to the base student cost.”

“This administration feels strongly that every child in South Carolina deserves the opportunity for a great education,” Gov. Sanford said in an e-mail. “The Executive Budget released (Jan. 5) is an effort to provide the necessary tools and resources to our teachers and administrators to make that happen.”

Contact Staff Writer Bethany Fuller at bethanyf@theitem.com or 803-774-1222.