COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the new Education Scholarship Trust Fund program was unconstitutional. Under the program, parents could use vouchers to send their kids to private schools. Now, those parents are left with unanswered questions.
“I was devastated. I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, are they even going to allow the children to finish this year?'” Holly Curtiss said.
Curtiss, who has two children attending Wedgefield University, said she decided to transfer her students to private school because her son with ADHD wasn't getting the resources he needed.
“I am a single mom. I have two children. I take care of them solely," she said. "They rely on me -- physically, financially -- so the vouchers, the money for the vouchers, is a blessing, an absolute blessing to have that ability. I actually drive my kids 30 miles to school every day just because of the better education."
In 2023, Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) Program into law. This program allowed qualifying parents to apply for scholarships worth up to $6,000 per student. Those opposed to the law believe public money should not be used for private school education.
“I don't think this fight will be over. I think they will try to come back to the table and figure out another way to take our public dollars and give them to private schools," Sherry East said. "Unfortunately, that seems to be what's on the mind of the leadership in our state is to think that this is going to be the fix or the answer to our problems.”
East is the president of the South Carolina Education Association, one of the parties who filed a suit against the ESTF. She said this money should be put towards other things.
“Let's put some of these tax dollars into the corridor of shame,” she said. "Let's put them into our rural South Carolina, our Abbevilles and our Marlboro County, Dillon County, Jasper County. Let's go into areas that are struggling with funding."
Governor McMaster said the state needs to do whatever it takes to ensure students are well-educated and parents have a say in what schools are best for their children.
“We have to allow all of our people to have an opportunity to get educated just to start climbing that ladder of success and if you don't have the money, then you've got a problem. If they need money to go to those schools to get started, then state needs to find a way to provide that,” he said.
Gov. McMaster said the court's ruling presents issues for parents already receiving the funding.
“That's one of the difficulties of this opinion -- that it seems to be pulling the rug out from under them, so to speak," he said. "But again, that's something that's gonna have to be addressed.”
According to the South Carolina Department of Education, roughly 2,800 students were awarded scholarships.