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Article published Jan 6, 2005
Governor unveils budget
ROBERT W.
DALTON
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA -- Gov. Mark Sanford's proposed
budget for 2005-06 pushes for the consolidation of small school districts and
advocates reducing the amount spent on testing students.Sanford unveiled the
balanced $5.3 billion spending plan -- his second -- on Wednesday. The plan does
not increase taxes.Sanford wants to increase spending for K-12 education by $100
million, to $1.9 billion. The increase would raise the state's base student cost
from $1,852 to $2,213. The total amount spent per pupil -- including local and
federal money -- would rise to $9,826.Part of the increase is achieved by
rolling some accounts into the Education Finance Act. Without the rollover, the
base student cost would be $1,944.State Department of Education spokesman Jim
Foster was critical of Sanford's approach."This is proposing to take line items
for things such as summer school and saying that money will go toward the base
student cost," Foster said. "It's robbing Peter to pay Paul."House Speaker Pro
Tem Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, took exception to Foster's comments and said
education department officials should not question the Legislature's commitment
to education."That's a typical response from a bureaucrat that hides over in the
Rutledge tower and tried to convince the public that this state's portion of
funding for education is $1,800 a year," Smith said.Sanford's plan also includes
$53 million to increase teacher pay to $300 above the Southeastern salary
average.It would, however, change the rules for teachers who become National
Board Certified. Currently, every teacher who earns national certification
receives a $7,500 bonus for 10 years.Under Sanford's plan, teachers who become
nationally certified after Dec. 31, 2005, would only receive the full $7,500
bonus only if they taught in critical needs schools or subjects. All other
teachers who earned the certification would receive $3,000 annual
bonuses.Sanford also proposes requiring all school districts in the state to
have a minimum of 2,500 students by July 1, 2006. Consolidating smaller
districts would save $26 million in administrative costs, according to a 2003
study.Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, said consolidation wouldn't be something
the Legislature would rush into."It's something we'll have to look at to see if
it makes academic sense as well as economic sense," Ritchie said.All seven of
Spartanburg County's districts have more than 2,500 students. District 4 is the
smallest, with 2,851 students. District 3 is next with 3,000 students.Sanford
also proposed reducing the amount the state spends on testing by $2.7 million,
to $21 million. He said South Carolina spends about $35.75 per student on
testing, and that eventually bringing that cost more in line with the $15.85 per
student that Georgia spends would free up about $13.2 million.He also
recommended that the state re-examine its contracts for accountability testing
because the marketplace is more competitive. South Carolina has used the
Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT) since 1998.Foster said cutting
testing funds would mean cutting testing."If this $2.7 million cut were to be
enacted, we would ask the General Assembly for guidance on which testing
programs they mandated should be eliminated," he said.In crafting the budget,
Sanford and his staff used an "activity-based" approach. They identified more
than 1,500 government activities, prioritized them and then looked at funding
needs. They eliminated 67 activities for a savings of more than $160
million."This was a never before attempted process in our state that we believe
led to some tangible, measurable benefits in terms of the budget we've laid
out," Sanford said.As he did in his first executive budget a year ago, Sanford
proposed reducing the state income tax from 7 percent to 4.75 percent and
restructuring state government.Also as he did last year, Sanford targeted a
phase-out of the University of South Carolina's Union and Salkehatchie
campuses.State Rep. Mike Anthony, D-Union, vowed to fight that move "to the end
again.""Next year will be its 40th year and we're going to celebrate it,"
Anthony said. "Union needs this really bad. The amount USC Union gets from the
state is minimal ($900,000), but look at what it's down to help kids in the
region."Sanford also wants to focus on replenishing trust funds that were raided
in recent years to avoid budget cuts. He proposes putting $200 million toward
those funds next year."This moves us toward getting our fiscal house in order,"
he said.The budget process begins with the state House in March, and Smith said
Sanford had made their job easier."As far as I'm concerned, this is the type of
budget the House will embrace," Smith said. "We'll give it the attention it
deserves and pass most of it relatively without debate."Robert W. Dalton can be
reached at 562-7274 or bob.dalton@shj.com.