South Carolina General Assembly
107th Session, 1987-1988

Bill 425


                    Current Status

Bill Number:               425
Ratification Number:       117
Act Number                 81
Introducing Body:          Senate
Subject:                   Reviewing the Education Improvement Act
                           and creation of the Public Accountability
                           Division
View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A81, R117, S425)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 59-6-20, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE DUTIES OF THE GOVERNOR AND STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION IN REVIEWING THE EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT AND CREATION OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY DIVISION, SO AS TO CHANGE THE DATE FOR ELIMINATION OF THE DIVISION FROM THREE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACT TO SIX YEARS, TO PROVIDE FOR THE DUTIES OF THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, AND TO REVISE THE DUTIES OF THE DIVISION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Review of the Education Improvement Act by Governor and State Superintendent of Education; Public Accountability Division

SECTION 1. Section 59-6-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-6-20. The Governor and State Superintendent of Education shall reconvene, no less than annually, the Committee on Financing Excellence in Public Education and the Steering Committee of the Education-Business Partnership to review the implementation of the South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984 and consider improvements to the act.

The State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Education shall establish within the State Department of Education a special unit at the division level called the Public Accountability Division. This special unit must be eliminated six years from the date of implementation of the Education Improvement Act. The unit head shall hold a position comparable to a Deputy Superintendent and must be under the direct supervision of and shall report to the State Superintendent of Education.

The Deputy Superintendent shall provide all reports to the Governor, Select Committee, joint subcommittee of the Committee on Financing Excellence in Public Education, and State Board of Education and respond to any inquiries for information.

The joint subcommittee and Steering Committee of the Education-Business Partnership shall serve as a screening committee for the selection of the unit head. The screening committee shall recommend for consideration three applicants. Final selection of the unit head must be made by the State Superintendent of Education after consulting with the Governor. All other positions must be filled following current State Personnel and State Department of Education employment procedures.

The new unit is responsible for planning, monitoring, and reviewing programs developed under the Education Improvement Act and shall provide information, recommendations, and an annual assessment of the Education Improvement Act to the Governor, Select Committee, and joint subcommittee.

The operating procedures for the new unit are the same as the operating procedures for the three established divisions in the State Department of Education. The joint subcommittee shall review and approve all products produced by the new unit and make recommendations to the State Board of Education for final approval."

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.