Where were you born?
I was born and raised in Lancaster, South Carolina. My father is a lifelong employee of Springs Industries and my mother is an educator. My wife Rachel is originally from Hartsville, South Carolina.

What did you do before you were elected governor?
I was a businessman, working with the Springs Company in Lancaster. My many years there gave me experience with a variety of industries and businesses, including real estate, health care, insurance and even railroads!

Did you have any jobs growing up?
Yes. As a teenager, I worked summers in the Springs cotton mill to earn money for college.

You talk a lot about education. Where did you get yours?
I attended public high school in Lancaster. I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in business and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a law degree.

Do you have any children?
Yes. Rachel and I are the proud parents of two young boys, Sam and Luke.

Do your children attend public schools?
Yes. My wife Rachel and I are both products of South Carolina's public schools. As parents, we are strong believers in public education, and both of our sons attend public schools.

I read somewhere that you once gave an entire speech about baseball. Is that true?
Sort of. I talked a lot about baseball in my 2001 State of the State Address.
read the address!

Why did you do that?
Because I love the game. Besides, what could be more bipartisan than baseball?

How will your new Education Lottery improve South Carolina schools?
An education lottery will provide much-needed resources to South Carolina's public schools without raising taxes. An education lottery will provide scholarships to our college students and fund technology in our classrooms.

I envision a K-14 system of public education in which students can attend our technical colleges and two-year branches tuition free. There will be significant increases in needs-based scholarships and tuition grants, $2000 annual scholarships for "B" students, and stipends for teachers to upgrade their skills.

In 1998, I promised to give South Carolina's citizens the opportunity to vote on an education lottery. The General Assembly approved a lottery referendum in 1999. In November 2000, the people of South Carolina responded with a landslide 54 percent approval of the lottery referendum. Our education lottery plan is now the people's education lottery plan. I am working with the legislature in a bipartisan fashion to get a Georgia-style education lottery up and running.

What are you doing to keep college budgets from being cut?
Even in a tight budget year, we must do everything we can to fix higher education. On Thursday, March 22, 2001, I stood on the steps of the statehouse with college presidents and administrators from across the state. We unveiled our plan to fix the cuts in higher education. Our plan protects higher education without raising taxes. Our plan draws funds from a variety of sources. I have also required state agencies to tighten their belts in order to fix higher education.

What is your position on raising salaries for public school teachers?
We've been making progress over the last few years, but its not enough. We've asked our teachers to do more, so it's only fair to pay them more. I believe we must pay teachers the national average. This pay increase will recognize the extra efforts our teachers are making to comply with the Education Accountability Act.

I have proposed a six-year, $300 million plan to raise teacher pay to the national average by the 2006-07 school year In addition to an across-the-board pay increase, additional compensation bonuses will be targeted to address teaching shortages in certain academic subjects and geographic areas. Additional incentives will also boost teacher pay in school districts that show substantial increases in PACT scores.

All teachers deserve better pay. We want to provide additional financial incentives for teachers in school districts that show academic improvement.
Fact sheet about teachers' salaries

What else can we do to raise teacher quality in South Carolina?
In South Carolina, we've set the ambitious goal of training 500 nationally certified teachers by the year 2002. The General Assembly has approved pay incentives of $7,500 per year over ten years for nationally certified teachers. I have also proposed a new loan program for teachers to pay for the cost of national certification. These loans would be forgiven once a teacher successfully completes national certification. Our state should also reward outstanding achievement in teaching with performance bonuses. I have proposed a $25,000 bonus for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year, a $10,000 bonus for each of the four teachers on the South Carolina Honor Roll, and a $1,000 bonus for each district teacher of the year. My budget also includes $7 million to promote teacher quality and professional development.

My child goes to school in a portable classroom. What are you doing to address critical school construction needs?
On June 1, 1999, I signed into law the School Facilities Construction Act, which provides more than $1.1 billion for school construction needs over the next three years, without raising taxes. Almost $750 million will fund school construction at the K-12 level, and the rest will fund capital improvements at South Carolina colleges, research universities, technical colleges and other infrastructure improvements. I am pleased that this school construction initiative will provide much-needed funds for school construction without raising taxes. For a chart providing a breakdown of how much each school district will receive from the School Facilities Construction Act, Click HERE for a school construction fact sheet.
Fact sheet about school construction funds.

What about school safety?
Every child deserves a safe, disciplined environment for learning. In 1999, we won support from the General Assembly to put school safety officers in every high school in South Carolina. We hope to expand this initiative to our middle schools. Those students who are unwilling or unable to function in such an environment must be placed elsewhere, for their benefit, as well as that of other students.

My 2000 budget recommended $9.1 million for the second year phase-in of the alternative schools initiative.

How can we strengthen our middle schools?
I believe that the middle school years are a critical time in a child's life. Middle schools need to be strengthened so children can prepare for higher education and avoid risky behavior. In 1999, I convened the Middle Grades Task Force to look at ways to improve school safety and teacher quality in our middle schools. The task force's recommendations have formed the basis of our $7.5 million Excellence in Middle Schools Initiative. This initiative gives middle schools the funding and flexibility to hire additional guidance counselors, safety officers, nurses or psychologists.

How can our schools teach character education?
Character education is essential to building better schools in South Carolina. Parents want character education to reinforce the lessons of right and wrong they are teaching their children at home. I hear from business leaders who want character education so their future employees will understand the value of honesty, responsibility and mutual respect in the workplace. Teachers tell me that when students learn good character traits in our schools, they apply those values in their daily lives.

South Carolinians want good values taught in every classroom. But they don't want our schools to be burdened with unfunded mandates from state government. That's why our initiative gives schools the funding and flexibility they need to create their own character education initiatives. Our initiative provides $890,000 in grants to offset the cost of character education materials. That's just over one dollar per student.

Our character education initiative also sets a new standard for respect in the classroom. Separate legislation requires students to use respectful titles such as "ma'am" and "sir" or "Mr." or "Ms." when addressing teachers, principals and staff. This manners legislation doesn't cost the taxpayer a cent. As a businessman and attorney, I have always used titles of respect in the courtroom and my professional life. As governor, I do the same.

What does your First Steps program do? How can I or other parents with any idea to improve pre-schools qualify for a First Steps grant?
First Steps is a comprehensive pre-school initiative designed to prepare our youngest children to start the first grade healthy and ready to learn.

In Greenville County, 181 at-risk students tested ready for school this fall, thanks to an innovative summer school initiative funded by First Steps. In McCormick County, First Steps has created a quality child care center for the most needy children -- where no center existed before. In Kershaw County, First Steps is raising the quality of child care and making it more affordable for working parents.

Our pre-school initiative is already getting results. And it's getting results faster and with far less money than similar programs in North Carolina, which spends over $200 million per year.

But despite our success stories throughout the state, there are some who want to put the brakes on First Steps. Some of the same folks fought us on full-day kindergarten -- and we all know how successful that's been. They were wrong then ... and they are wrong now.
Learn more about First Steps