We’re now deep into the second half of South Carolina’s legislative session. While two significant bills cleared major hurdles in March, two others that we have covered this year did not see meaningful progress.
Plus, the North Carolina Supreme Court handed down a major ruling on a decades-long school funding case.
Grading floor ban passed by House
A bill to safeguard academic integrity and clean up grading practices cleared its biggest hurdle yet on March 5, passing the full House by a vote of 110-2.
The proposal—championed by CALN, our partners at the SC Policy Council and Palmetto Promise Institute, and education groups from across the ideological spectrum— would prohibit districts or schools from requiring teachers to assign students a minimum grade that exceeds their actual performance, among other positive changes.
However, since passing the House nearly one month ago, it has seen no movement in the Senate and has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing. With sine die—the last official day of the regular session—approaching on May 14, we encourage Senate education lawmakers to consider this critical reform soon to ensure it has ample time for full passage.
House passes budget draft, teacher pay raises
The S.C. House on March 11 passed its first draft of the FY27 state budget, which would raise teacher pay and reauthorize several key education policies.
Starting teacher pay would increase from $48,500 to $50,500 under the new spending bill, aligning with Gov. Henry McMaster’s public goal of crossing the $50,000 mark by 2026. The revised teacher salary schedule would increase every cell by $2,000, providing higher pay for all educators.
School bus driver salary and fringe funding would also increase by the standard 2% rate.
Renewed education provisos include:
- Cellphone ban during the school day (1.95)
- Ban on CRT-related curriculum (1.75)
- School bathrooms and changing facilities must be designated by biological sex (1.108)
- (New) Free breakfast for all students, regardless of their income (1.103)
The full Senate is expected to debate its version of the budget the week of April 20.
Student Physical Privacy Act approved by Senate
Another key bill covered by CALN this legislative session was passed by the Senate nearly unanimously on March 26. The “Student Physical Privacy Act” would codify existing state budget protections that require public schools to designate multi-use restrooms, changing facilities, and sleeping quarters by biological sex, while extending similar requirements to public colleges and universities. You can read our more detailed bill overview in last month’s Insider.
Before passage, the Senate adopted some clarifying amendments, including a change that gives any individual—not just a student or school employee—a private cause of action against a school that violates this section.
The bill is now back before the House, which must decide whether to concur with the Senate amendments or insist on its original version. The body adjourned debate until April 14.
Previously covered bills that did not advance in March
- Parental Rights Act (H.4757) – passed the House on Feb. 19
- School board training and ethics changes (S.70) – passed the House on Feb. 24
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North Carolina
While legislative activity once again remained quiet in March, the state Supreme Court on Thursday, April 2, issued a major ruling for education. The Carolina Journal reports that the court split 4-3 in ending the 32-year-old Leandro school funding case.
“The decision Thursday throws out a lower court ruling that would have led to $677 million in new court-ordered education spending in the state and could have led to billions more.”
Read the full story here.