Sanford pulls $700m from school funding to pay off state debt, potentially forcing 7,500 teacher layoffs

Thinkprogress:


Last month, eighth grader Ty’Sheoma Bethea was an honored guest of President Obama when he made his address to a joint session of Congress. Bethea had written a letter to Gov. Mark Sanford (R) asking him to repair her school, JV Martin Jr High School in Dillon, SC, which was falling apart. “I felt that our school was in bad condition,” she said. “After the stimulus bill was passed I hoped we could get some of the money to rebuild the school.”

However, Sanford continues to stand in the way of Bethea’s hopes. Yesterday, in what Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) deemed “100 percent political posturing,” Sanford announced he would seek to pay down the state’s debt by redirecting $700 million of the state’s stimulus money meant for school funding and public safety:

– 81.8% must be used to backfill education funding to maintain current funding levels and prevent school districts from laying off teachers and increasing class sizes. Any money that remains can be used for school modernization or construction.

– 18.2% is discretionary funds provided to the governor which can be used for “public safety or other government services.”