House K‑12 subcommittee backs teacher raises, school capital and free breakfast pilot

Representative Whitmire presented the K‑12 subcommittee recommendations and said the panel concentrated on “strengthening South Carolina's infrastructure by investing in our people, our facilities and our students.”

On teacher pay, Whitmire said, “we invested $150,000,000 to raise the starting salary to $50,500,” and noted a $2,000 across‑the‑board increase across salary lanes. The speaker said those actions represent a 68% increase in starting salary since 2017 and have contributed to the first decline in teacher vacancies in over a decade.

The subcommittee also proposed a $75,000,000 capital fund for rural public and charter schools and $20,000,000 for school safety grants. Whitmire listed student supports: $8,700,000 to provide free breakfast for all public school students, $23,000,000 to expand the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (estimated to serve about 15,000 students), $15,000,000 for summer reading camps and $38,000,000 for instructional materials.

The subcommittee recommended $30,000,000 for school buses to support leasing and replacement cycles. Whitmire closed by endorsing the broader budget’s support for public education across agencies within the committee’s purview.