The S.C. Department of Education Office of Special Education Services has renewed a $6.5 million contract with a Clemson University program.
The Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina, started in 2022, will continue into 2031, partnering with schools across the state to help coordinate support services for students, according to a release.
“The ultimate goal of our work is to help teachers meet behavioral needs while keeping students engaged in instruction and in school,” Megan Carpenter, principal investigator for BASC, said. “Meaningful change in systems takes more than a single year, and we are happy to see concrete indicators of progress among our partner districts.”
— Avery Beaton
SC College enrollment tops 258,000, state report shows
COLUMBIA — South Carolina's Commission on Higher Education has released its 2026 statistical abstract, offering a look at college enrollment and financial aid through fall 2025. And the numbers are up.
Enrollment at South Carolina colleges and universities exceeded 258,000 students, according to CHE, an increase of 2.3 percent over 2024. Enrollment among state residents, first-time undergraduates and high school students taking college courses also increased. The report was released Oct. 15.
CHE Executive Director Jeffrey Perez called the growth since COVID "an encouraging sign."
"These trends reinforce the effectiveness of the ongoing collaborations between higher education, state government and K-12 to provide South Carolinians the educational opportunities they need to achieve their goals and contribute to our state's future," Perez stated.
Highlights of the report (available at che.sc.gov):
College enrollment increased by 5,896 students over fall 2024.
South Carolina residents accounted for 5,801 of those additional students, bringing resident enrollment to 191,642.
26,793 high school students enrolled in college courses, up 1,299 from the previous year.
South Carolina awarded $464.4 million through five major state scholarship and grant programs during 2025-26.
Colleges and universities conferred 62,709 degrees during the 2024-25 academic year.
— Anna B. Mitchell
SC educator receives a Teacher of the Year Award
SUMTER — Tameko Wilson was recently named the 2026-27 National Project Lead the Way Teacher of the Year, recognizing her leadership and dedication to expanding STEM access. Wilson is the lead STEAM enrichment teacher at Liberty STEAM Charter School’s Elementary Academy.
Project Lead the Way is a nonprofit focusing on interactive project learning that helps prepare students for careers and education outside of K-12 schooling. Every year they recognize teachers and administrators from across the country who are nominated by other staff members.
Trevor Ivey, co-Founder of Liberty STEAM Charter School, said Wilson represents the “very best” of the teaching profession.
“Her passion for teaching and commitment to scholar success shine through her work with Project Lead the Way, a cornerstone of Liberty’s instructional model that exposes every scholar to the engineering design process,” Ivey said. “Her dedication to bringing learning to life, inspiring creativity, and challenging scholars to think critically makes her incredibly deserving of this recognition.”
— Avery Beaton
SC Education and Public Safety departments highlight school bus safety
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s Department of Education and Department of Public Safety marked the beginning of National School Bus Safety Week with a joint announcement highlighting their efforts to improve bus safety, according to a release.
The improvements include GPS technology in all buses, 4,850 new buses, rear motorist alert devices on over 400 new buses, stop-arm cameras on 450 buses to document violations and ID numbers on top of new buses to help law enforcement in emergencies.
These improvements will help authorities hold accountable people who violate SC’s school bus law, according to law enforcement.
SC currently owns has 5,700 school buses, which transport 335,000 students per school day, according to a release.
— Avery Beaton
Charter chain launches buildout of $26M campus in Lower Richland
COLUMBIA — One of South Carolina’s fastest growing charter school companies broke ground last week on its seventh school in the state — Ethos Academy. Tutelage School Solutions is set to open the school in the Lower Richland community outside Columbia by August 2027, an announcement said.
The construction budget for Ethos, a publicly funded charter school at 609 Clif Kinder Road, is $26 million for the land and building. The 35-year financing plan for the school totals $95.7 million — $63.3 million of that is interest payments — according to the school’s bond statement.
The Ethos campus will consist of a 54,690-square-foot main building and 12,098-square-foot gym.
Money to cover the school’s operations and debts comes directly from the South Carolina General Assembly and is based on student headcount. The school secured $31.2 million in tax-exempt financing for the campus through the South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Authority (JEDA).
The school’s bond statement projects Ethos eventually will have 900 K-8 students at full enrollment, plus about 100 K4 students in partnership with SC First Steps. Class size will average 25 students, officials say, and applications will open in January.
Charter schools, publicly funded but independently governed, cannot collect local tax dollars to pay for their buildings and so often rely on donated or converted facilities. The JEDA board also approved up to $145 million in financing and refinancing this summer for three other Tutelage schools — Libertas campuses in Pickens, Colleton and Spartanburg counties.
Tutelage’s other schools include three Libertas academies, as well as Cogito Academy in Lancaster and the Cherokee and Greenwood charter academies in the Upstate.
— Avery Beaton and Anna B. Mitchell