SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM PROVIDING HOPE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA CHILDREN …
This is Ernie … a rising freshman with Down Syndrome who was awarded a scholarship to attend Bishop England High School earlier this week.
Ernie’s scholarship comes courtesy of the St. Thomas Aquinas SFO – a “scholarship funding organization.”
Tax-exempt SFOs like St. Thomas were created as part of South Carolina’s new parental choice program – which enables a handful of students with exceptional needs to avoid the state’s failed government-run system (and its segregated academic environments) in favor of a setting that fits their needs.
Bishop England, for example, is one of several Catholic schools in the Palmetto State featuring innovative, specialized programs for exceptional needs students. Other schools – like Greenville S.C.’s Hidden Treasure – cater exclusively to these students.
South Carolina’s choice program – which you can learn more about by visiting IndependentEd.org – is exceedingly limited. Additionally it has yet to be approved as part of permanent law – existing instead as a proviso in the state budget (meaning it has to be reauthorized every year). Still it is materially improving people’s lives even as it comes under attack from the state’s government-run education monopoly and its liberal media … just as we predicted it would.
Lawmakers need to expand choice … and make it part of permanent law.
Why? Because this state needs more success stories like Ernie’s … not more of the same failed status quo.
33 comments
I’m sure Ernie is thrilled to be part of Will Folks’ ongoing quest on behalf of Howie Rich to gut public education in South Carolina.
Jeez man … way to go straight to the merits of the issue.
It was you who made this article about bashing public schools, not John. His comment was right on point. I hope Ernie does well in one of South Carolina’s worst in the nation private schools, and I hope SC Baptists appreciate the state making a contribution to the Roman Catholic Church from their tax dollars.
A “stuck” hog always squeals the loudest.
You mad bro’?
How dare you cut into the feel good aspect of this John! Damn it all!
Now back to the heart of the issue, just another 10,000 stories like this (per year) and we will have one of our smaller counties taken care of. And of course we have to figure out what to do with the other forty five. Well, shit, now there I go…
Fuck public schools. It’s prep for prison!!!
For you and yours that’s probably true. But then again that’s probably most anything in life.
I wonder when Will is going to report on this –
http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/10/3439435/exclusive-sc-parents-pressured.html
Please rememeber to give us your free market speech on this one
Uhh, well… The free market works in mysterious ways, who are we to understand it?
You’re kidding right. The SCEA has run education like the Gestapo…
Now you turn the corrupt media on the people trying to save our children from your failure….that’s priceless…
Do your job and you would not have to make up a boogey man…
Ernie wasn’t sure if he’d grow up to be a prop for the private school voucher crowd, but he always really hoped!
You know, this raises a good question. When you had this young man’s parents sign the release to use his likeness to make money for your blog, did you inform them, the article would be anti-public school and would be used to promote Howard Rich’s voucher efforts. Did you tell them you would make money and Howard Rich and school choice folks would be using young Ernie to raise money and pressure legislatures take money from public education.
Maybe they thought you were going to do a nice article about their son? Maybe they they did not understand Ernie would become an anti-public education poster boy. Maybe you did not even get a consent? Maybe you relied on a consent by the Scholarship provider.
If the parents are reading this, get thee to a lawyer. I see a lawsuit in the making. Fits and Mr. Rich have a lot of money and Ernie could use it.
The school is responsible for the release… and it is usually an issue only in special end cases….
Face it…you libs effed up education…and the GOP is taking it from you…plank by plank…and you deserve to lose all the $ you are stealing…so quit trying to change the subject…from your failure.
Oh, so you are saying it was Bishop England who referred to public schools as “South Carolina’s failed government run system”. Is that true??? Did Bishop England obtain the consent from Ernie’s parents to use his likeness to attack public schools?
Again: quit trying to change the subject…from your failure.
Oh I thought we were discussing your lies. Of course that is more often than not for you.
They aren’t nothing wrong with our schools just the way they are. Our schools are good schools.
School choice is how we can take education from the liberals….Take it back…
Every year there are more schools and more $ for choice and freedom….
The GOP is doing a good job at that…and it will get better….
The GOP is doing everything in their power to make sure rich people do not have to pay one red cent to educate poor people or minorities, and to assure rich people the state will give them money to help them pay for their kids to be segregated from minorities and white kids that are not their social equal.
Typical leftwing class warfare tactic. It has nothing to do w rich vs poor…
You just want control…w/o regard to successful education…. how selfish and greedy of you.
aaagghh! the freakin stupidity of your ideas on education are enough to make me write like that GT fucker. decrying “segregated environments” in one paragraph, then admiring ‘exclusive catering’ in the next. yeah this program is going to make SC #1 in educating license plate stampers. that’ll put some fear in the chinese.
Get used to it…there are promising signs that a lot of the liberal death grip on our institutions is being broken…(see USC-U)….
And, it’s obvious (from your ignorant post) you have no good reason or defense, for your hold on it, in the first place…
Time to sit down and shut up. You have failed, and now you need to let go…
PS: You could not write like GT on your best day, and my worst…
Wigger, please. USC-U is only making South Carolina more of a laughing stock to the rest of the nation. But, please, go and have your little fantasy.
“We’re in a moment when the legislature continues to attempt to enact budget cuts for CofC and USC Upstate for books they’ve offered their students, books that present characters and nonfictional accounts addressing — among many other things — LGBTQ people and topics. The nation — indeed, the world —has been paying attention to the homophobia and sexism that our legislature has clearly and unapologetically voiced.”
Why do you lie? The C of C book was not ‘offered’….it is REQUIRED…you’re a bigot against decency….admit it..
As long as the money for bigoted, radical liberals dries up..I’m for it…
I think the Legislature is serious… and there is more to come….
I guess The Bible is the only thing young adults should be allowed to read until they’re 35 as well.
Better yet, why don’t you send your daughter to BJU for a good ass raping, then get back to me on “radical Liberals.”
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2013/11/5/addressing-sexualassaultonafundamentalistchristiancampus.html
Where is The Bible required…???
The problem you face, is you are a F*#king liar…and if you did not have lies, myths and fables…liberalism is impossible to sell…
And the truth is: you are like Sharia, in your religion of liberalism…it’s why Obama and you side w/ Radical Muslim Terrorists. They hate Conservatives, as much as you….and you want to force your religion on us…as they do…
“Where is The Bible required…???”
Religious Studies, some Sociology classes, Philosophy…
You can CHOOSE to take those classes, or not..
The Gay propaganda, anti-Christian book was REQUIRED of ALL Freshmen, you ignorant Hilter Youth @$$-hole….
Do your F*#king Homework, next time, you Ignorant F*#k…Stupidity may float down at Mao’s Kum-Ba-Yah Coffee-house…but I’m not as stupid as the Dope-addled passive-aggresivists who hang on every word of Ignorance your chakra can dream up…
PS: If you come around me making fun of Special Needs children, like you did above…be prepared for me to beat the F*#k out of your Bigoted @$$…I don’ let P*$$!*$ like you bully kids who can’t help their condition…
Sorry, man. I forgot you guys were born that way.
While FITS routinely attacks the GOP….they are winning…hopefully…it will continue…
Explain how this is a “success story?” OK, Ernie got a government-funded voucher – so what? Believe me when I say that I truly hope Ernie (and any child for that matter) is successful no matter where they get their schooling. But, just because he got some a check doesn’t mean the “choice” program is a success. But, we will likely never know if it’s a success because there is no accountability built into the program. And shame on all of the voucher crowd for continuing to use kids as props in their lobbying efforts. Trust me, with them it’s not about the kids.