Congress Can Help SC Economy Grow

The Greenville News
May 11, 2014

Trade has transformed South Carolina’s economy.

A powerhouse corridor stretching from manufacturers in the Upstate to our thriving Charleston port produced a record high $26.1 billion in merchandise exports last year, according to a new report from the state Department of Commerce. This export wave continues to build with recent billion-dollar investment announcements from Toray Industries and BMW.

But in order for our already-thriving export economy to reach its full potential, Congress needs to give the president the ability to open new markets to South Carolina goods. To do this, he’ll need the same Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that lawmakers have granted to every administration since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Trade has deep roots in our state. Since the country’s earliest days, South Carolina’s products, ports and people have made us a vital commercial hub. Today, this commitment to trade is paying more dividends than ever.

International trade supports roughly 545,000 state jobs, a number that has been growing in recent years. Between 2004 and 2011 — a period that includes the Great Recession — trade-based jobs in South Carolina grew more quickly than overall state employment.

Many of these jobs are the direct result of our flourishing export economy. South Carolina goods and services are sold in nearly 200 countries around the world.

Foreign investment is another way in which state workers have reaped the benefits of trade. A recent analysis by IBM-Plant Location International named South Carolina the national leader in attracting jobs through foreign investment. All told, foreign companies based in countries from Germany to Japan to Switzerland employ more than 100,000 South Carolinians.

Imports have also been an important driver of growth and job creation in the Palmetto State. At present, foreign-made raw materials, inputs and component products account for more than 60 percent of U.S. imports. By allowing firms to keep operating costs down, these affordable goods and services help state businesses remain globally competitive which, in turn, protects the jobs of workers here at home.

Foreign-made products also provide South Carolina families with lower prices and greater product choice for their hard-earned dollar. In fact, taken together, policies that reduce barriers to trade and increase foreign investment save the average South Carolina family of four an estimated $10,000 a year.

And yet, some in Congress are slowing new trade negotiations by refusing to renew Trade Promotion Authority. While there’s no one solution to ensure free and fair trade, TPA represents an import tool in America’s trade toolbox.

TPA has been essential to trade negotiations since the 1930s. The authority officially lapsed in 2007, and unless Congress passes legislation renewing TPA, America will be hard pressed to complete two major trade pacts currently in the works.

Among other things, TPA allows pending trade agreements to receive a straight up-or-down vote from Congress. This gives U.S. negotiators the ability to reassure potential trading partners that narrowly parochial interests can’t be added to derail a deal once the details have been hammered out.

At the same time, TPA protects Congress’ ability to shape trade pacts through mandatory consultations with the administration and ultimately to vote down any deal it doesn’t believe to be a net win for America’s national interests.

Which raises yet another key consideration: strong alliances formed through the exchange of goods are one of America’s best weapons to promote stability and our national interest. In a volatile and increasingly interconnected world, countries that trade are far more likely to negotiate than fight. Make no mistake: Hostile nations such as China and Russia have demonstrated that they are ready to fill any trade vacuum that we leave.

With two historic trade deals on the horizon, it’s time for Congress to pass a standalone renewal of TPA. America’s interests and future South Carolina jobs are on the line.

Ellen Weaver is president & CEO of Palmetto Policy Forum.

Private school choice will help, not hurt public education

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/08/3432989/weaver-private-school-choice-will.html?sp=/99/168/#story

Columbia, SC — I appreciated Cindi Scoppe’s column in support of Sen. Paul Thurmond’s efforts to streamline our process for dealing with ineffective teachers (“The cost of one bad teacher,” April 23). Teacher quality is the No. 1 in-school factor affecting student learning, and this is an important step toward our shared goal of strengthening public education in South Carolina.

What puzzles me is her argument that passing this reform is a way to beat back private-school choice. An Urban Institute study of Florida — which has some of the oldest and largest private-choice programs in the country — found that these programs contributed to increased performance in public schools, an idea borne out by the incredible gains that Florida’s most disadvantaged students have made in math and reading.

Opponents of private-school choice like to use the word “voucher” as a dog-whistle to indicate opposition to public education. But even that word is a relic. There are so many different kinds of education choice beyond vouchers: public charter schools and online education, public magnet schools, home schools — and yes, private schools, both religious and secular. Education savings accounts, tax credit scholarships … and who knows what will be the innovation of the future. The unifying theme? The idea that all parents should have the ability to choose a high-quality option for the unique needs of their child … and that a ZIP Code should not determine a student’s destiny.

I am a native South Carolinian and a graduate of public education. I have no nefarious “out-of-state agenda” to dismantle S.C. public schools. Rather, I hope we can have a reasonable, informed discussion about what “public education” actually means. Is it merely a system into which we pump more and more taxpayer dollars regardless of outcomes, or is it a well-educated student who is prepared for success as a productive citizen of our great state?

This is not some abstract battle of ideology, as opponents of private choice would have you believe. It’s about the very real future of our children: Will we continue to do the same thing and expect better results, or will we have a conversation informed by real data on proven policies that show the positive effects of more choices — both public and private — on public education?

Ellen Weaver
President & CEO
Palmetto Policy Forum

Published on May 8, 2014 in The State newspaper

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/08/3432989/weaver-private-school-choice-will.html?sp=/99/168/#storylink=cpy

Common Core: What's Next

Common Core debate could plant seeds for reform

The State
by Dr. Oran Smith

Columbia, SC — Only two years ago, a lopsided majority of Americans had never heard of Common Core State Standards, and those who had either thought they were straight from Beelzebub or the greatest thing since Jadeveon Clowney.

If a recent legislative hearing on the matter is any indication, that polarization still exists, and the warring camps are getting larger and louder.

One moment in that two-hour hearing was especially memorable. As a Common Core supporter was explaining how South Carolina came to be involved with the standards, she described the signing of a contract related to their implementation. The presenter paused when asked the date of the contract, and as if on cue, at least 10 opponents shouted “June 9, 2010.”

Here was a group of citizens who had done their homework — an impressive display of democracy, no matter what one thinks of Common Core.

Can we build on that?

After the hearing, I concluded that John Hill of the Alabama Policy Institute had it right when he wrote: “Although both sides of the Common Core debate make arguments worth consideration, both the potential benefits and pitfalls related to Common Core have been the subject of exaggeration and error.”

This is why Palmetto Policy Forum recently released a paper we believe cuts through the Common Core fog, outlining an eight-point plan to return unquestioned control of education standards to S.C. parents.

This heated debate begs the question: Are education standards the reason so many of our students are falling behind academically and graduating from high school unprepared for college, technical college or the workforce? The answer to that question is a resounding no. While Common Core presents a host of problems, the bold reforms to reverse our lagging education outcomes lie elsewhere.

Among these reforms are a laser-like focus on early reading and an end to social promotion for those falling further and further behind; more choices for parents that let taxpayer funds follow the child to any school public or private; full funding for good public charter schools; education governance that is democratically accountable to those it serves; teacher evaluations that treat teachers like professionals and reward excellence in the classroom; and alternative paths to certification that cut through red tape to get real-world experience off of the sidelines and into our classrooms.

In the struggle between most urgent and most important, fixing Common Core could very well be more urgent. But accountability to parents and the wide-ranging reforms our students need are more important.

What we need is to turn the passion stirred over Common Core into something much more significant.

Common Core has serious problems, and it is imperative that we address them. But there is no reason to re-enact the brinksmanship of “Dr. Strangelove.”

Let’s address Common Core and move on, focusing our energy on the fundamental challenges facing education in South Carolina. This is not a time for mutual destruction. The future of our children hangs in the balance.

Dr. Smith is senior fellow at Palmetto Policy Forum.

Guest Opinion: School Choice Unites & Empowers

By Ellen Weaver

The Greenville News
February 2, 2014

Liberal Democrat Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and conservative Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton. What agenda could possibly unite these political odd couples?

Support for the rapidly expanding world of education options.

Each of these leaders is part of a bipartisan groundswell of advocates for evidence-based school choice programs, both public and private. Far more than “vouchers,” school choice in its truest form includes as many options as the needs of children are unique: high-quality traditional schools; public charters, magnet or virtual schools; open enrollment between traditional school districts; private school scholarship and tax credit programs; Education Savings Accounts; home schooling and more.

Based on a monopolistic model of learning designed for a heavily agrarian economy, the structure of our current public education system has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. While this system still works for some, it is failing to equip far too many of our children with the basic skills they need in the fast-paced economy of the future.

The facts are unforgiving: America leads the world in education spending yet lags in academic achievement, falling behind more than a dozen other industrialized countries in math and literacy.

Our research shows that right here in South Carolina, fewer than half of our low-income students can read at “Basic or Better” levels by the end of 3rd grade, the pivotal point when they transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Over the last decade, our students with special needs have lost more ground in reading and math than students from any other state in the country. We are currently leaving far too many of our children behind and robbing them of opportunity to succeed in school and ultimately life.

The good news: the power to change all this is in our hands. Around the country, innovating states and bold policy leaders are showing the way as they empower more and more parents with customized choices for their child’s education. These choices take many forms, including strong, accountable public charter and online schools and private tax credit scholarships for students with special needs or who come from families which otherwise could not afford to access high-quality options. Or newer ideas like Education Savings Accounts that create maximum flexibility for parents to buy textbooks, hire a tutor, enroll their children in online classes, pay private school tuition, or even save for future college expenses.

What are the results where these options are being tried? Study after study has shown that expanded education choice has increased high school graduation and college attendance, boosted scores in critical core subjects like reading and math, and led to parents who are satisfied that their children are enjoying high-quality education in a safe environment.

Over the last decade, Florida became one of the lead policy innovators, enacting robust school choice programs, which have contributed to students most in need of a helping hand making the greatest strides in achievement. In fact, Florida’s low-income students now outscore the entire student population of South Carolina on 4th grade reading. And the Sunshine State’s minority students — once lagging well behind their peers in the Palmetto State — have leapfrogged ahead. All this while spending less money per student than we do in South Carolina.

But the best news: a rising tide lifts all boats. Students in traditional public schools are thriving as never before, debunking the myth that more school choices damage public education. The inescapable truth is that where education choice grows, education and student achievement flourish everywhere.

To quote former Gov. Jeb Bush who led Florida’s education transformation, it’s time for us to “fundamentally rethink how we define public education, paying for results wherever they occur rather than paying a single provider regardless of results.”

Despite our challenges, this is an exciting time for education in South Carolina. New conversations are happening between businesses, education leaders and local communities about how to create the education system of the future. And right here in the Palmetto State, parents have more options now than they have ever had, including a brand new tax credit scholarship program for our students with special needs.

But our work is far from done. School choice is changing lives across the country and provides a clear road map forward to address the education needs of South Carolina students.

We have just celebrated National School Choice Week. I hope you’ll join this growing, bipartisan movement of students, parents, educators and community leaders. Working together, we can empower parents with new choices and inspire students with the hope that their ZIP code does not determine their destiny.

Ellen Weaver is President & CEO of Palmetto Policy Forum. For more information go to www.palmettopolicy.org.

Carolina Voices: THE POWER OF CHOICE

By Tim Lollis

“Not my son,” Marilyn calmly whispered as she listened to the local news regarding the deterioration of the neighborhood public schools. Though outwardly silent, she made a thunderous inner vow.  Her son would acquire an education and break the cycle of housing projects, violence, broken homes, and hopelessness.  It would end here.   

Poverty in America is usually encapsulated in political sound bites, gloomy documentaries or contrarily glamorized in rap videos.  But the genuine effects of poverty lie in the unspoken matters that remain tucked away in the heart.  Like a child wondering why his father won’t come visit him.  Or the spilling tears and mournful wails of a mother during the dark hours of the night.  These are the soul-wrenching realities of poverty that often evade the cameras.   

From FDR’s Depression-era safety net programs to LBJ’s War on Poverty, the growth of government dependency has been deceptive.  We have learned that government generosity is never free, but rather represents a subtle trade.  One welcomes a measly monthly stipend…in exchange for a loss of personal dignity and individual choice.

And this individual choice – especially in education – is fundamental to familial income mobility.

Just as the gospel of Jesus Christ places all men on equal ground at the foot of the cross, rich and poor alike have always hailed education as the great economic and social equalizer. However, access to a high-quality education has been elusive to many.  Too often, public education in its present form locks impoverished children into an educational prison.

Because the current structure of public education is comfortable and financed by powerful political lobbies, many people are unwilling to even consider new strategies.  The result?  Poverty and hopelessness are no longer temporary setbacks, but rather have become a generational inheritance.  In too many cases daughter, mother and grandmother reside in the same prison, reaping the bitter fruits of poverty.

We have to set aside every political agenda, past transgression, or cultural norm for the sake of unity and the future of our children.  Parents must be empowered with a myriad of choices, on how best to engage their children’s educational needs.  Choice is the cornerstone of freedom, and education is the principal instrument that should express that consecrated freedom.    

Marilyn – my mother – was given that choice.  She was offered a special school transfer.  This permitted me the opportunity to attend a school far outside of my zoned district. That solitary option has forever changed the future of our family.  I thank God every day for the freedom we have in Christ and in our nation.  But I also thank my mother for her courage to seize the choice laid before her. 

Let’s give every parent in South Carolina the same power to break the cycle of poverty and dependency.  Let’s ensure the most hallowed freedom of our nation continues to remain the most sacred: the power to choose. 
Tim Lollis is Director of Community and Public Relations at Word of God Ministries and a freelance writer.   His passion is bridging divides and strengthening relationships within the Christian community.  He previously served as a Regional Director in the office of U.S. Senator Jim DeMint and currently resides in Columbia with his wife Renatha.

What’s In The Hopper?

The Forum is watching the Legislature for YOU...

Like it or not, the actions of the South Carolina General Assembly can have a powerful impact on the pocketbooks of families like yours…on your freedom to work, access health care and educate your family.

The legislature usually takes the summer and fall off and returns in January. To get ready to return for their January through June session, members of the Senate and House started putting bills in the stream in December. In the waning days of 2013 some interesting legislation was filed that could have a significant impact on your life. As always, we will be watching these bills to protect you and your family.

SCHOOLS

Teaching Excellence. Rep. Andy Patrick (R-Beaufort) has filed H.4419, a bill to reform the way we evaluate the performance of teachers. The Forum’s Take: These changes have been needed for decades. Much of the content of H.4419 came out of a series of listening sessions hosted by Students First and co-hosted by Palmetto Policy Forum.

Less Duplication. Rep. Bakari Sellers (D-Bamberg) has filed H.4352, a bill that would among other things do away with the Education Oversight Committee (EOC).  The Forum’s Take: The EOC is a South Carolina oddity meant to provide an independent agency to keep tabs on the State Board of Education (SBE). But what we really need is an representative, accountable SBE, not duplicate agencies and diluted accountability.

Special Help for Special Needs. Senator Wes Hayes (R-York) has filed S.867, a bill to allow tax credits for contributions to scholarships for kids with special needs to attend private schools designed to serve them. The Forum’s Take: This is an exciting opportunity (that has worked well in other states) to help our neighbors afford the specialized education their kids need but can’t always find in the public system.

Local Control of Curriculum. Senator Chip Campsen (R-Charleston) has filed S. 888, a bill to clarify the process for adopting academic standards and assessment. The Forum’s Take: a bill like this would have saved a lot of heartache if in place before the adoption of Common Core State Standards. It makes sure elected representatives (not just bureaucrats) have a say in our school curriculum.

Free Enterprise. Rep. Joshua Putnam (R-Anderson) has filed H. 4369, a bill to allow advertisements on school buses to help pay for purchasing new school buses.  Decision on whether to participate would be made by local school boards. The Forum’s Take: Our state-run bus system is a national anomaly…and finding ways to introduce more free enterprise into it is a good idea.

Finance Reform. Rep. Jenny Horne (R-Dorchester) has filed H. 4407, a bill to reform the way schools and education are financed in South Carolina. Children’s Agency. Rep. Horne has also filed H. 4409, a bill to create a new South Carolina Department of Child and Family Services within the Governor’s cabinet. The new agency would replace the Department of Juvenile Justice and assume certain functions of the Department of Social Services and the Governor’s Office. The Forum’s Take: These are interesting concepts. A key factor in each is whether the changes will help provide relief for the taxpayer. 

Higher Taxes. Rep. Wayne George (D-Mullins) has field H. 4361, a bill to exempt from the cap on property taxes the cost of repairs and improvement of existing school facilities. The Forum’s Take: How would “repairs and improvements” be defined?

HEALTHCARE

Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) has filed S. 886, a bill to authorize out of state insurers to offer health insurance policies within South Carolina. The Forum’s Take: Nearly every proposal to reduce healthcare costs in the last decade has included erasing the state line barriers to competition. Worth a hearing.

FEDERALISM

Rep. Bill Taylor (R-Aiken) has filed H. 4422, legislation to create a “Federal Education Funding Study Committee.” The Committee would study federal funding of public education in the state and issue a report aimed at improving efficiency and transparency. The Forum’s Take: A critical first step toward reducing federal spending is make state citizens aware of how much Washington takes, ties up in mandates – and then “gives back” – to South Carolina.. The bill could be expanded beyond education.

Rep. Bill Taylor (R-Aiken) has filed H. 4372 and Sen. Larry Grooms (R-Charleston) has field S.833, and Sen. Mike Fair (R-Greenville) has filed S.830, legislation to evoke Article V of the US Constitution. If a sufficient number of states pass this legislation, a convention of states would be called by Congress to amend the Constitution to place limits on federal government power and spending and to enact term limits on federal officials.  The Aiken Standard wrote an informative story.  The Forum’s Take: While there is no silver bullet to restore a century or more of eroded federalism, the Article V strategy is certainly an interesting one, and more likely to succeed than Nullification of federal laws.

GOVERNMENT TAXING & SPENDING

Rep. Joshua Putnam (R-Anderson) has filed H. 4379, a bill to move the date for consideration of the state budget within the House of Representatives from March 31 to March 10, the net effect being to shorten the legislative session. The Forum’s Take: Taxpayer groups and business leaders have been calling for a shorter session for over two decades. This concept it worth consideration.

Senator Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington) has filed S. 901, a bill to phase out the personal income tax. The Forum’s Take: There is a 50-state competition for free enterprise. States that are reducing income taxes, like Kansas and Tennessee, are reaping great benefits in the form of more and better jobs for their citizens.

ROADS & BRIDGES

Rep. Raye Felder (R-Horry) has introduced H. 4356, a “local option motor fuel user fee,” that would allow a county to impose a tax not to exceed two cents per gallon on fuel to fund road improvement projects within the county. Senator Ray Cleary (R-Georgetown) had filed S. 891, a bill to increase the gasoline tax from 16 cents per gallon to 36 cents per gallon graduated over time. The Forum’s Take: Our infrastructure needs are enormous and represent a legitimate function of government. Because they increase taxes, these bills may not be the answer, but they represent the beginning of a crucial conversation about how we prioritize and pay for this vital backbone of job creation in our state.

STAY TUNED for more to come when the legislature convenes again in a few days.