http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
But Haley's colleague, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R. SC), has a different take on Christie:"I've watched my friend Gov. Christie work through a difficult situation today," South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) wrote on Facebook. "He did the right thing in taking responsibility in a tough situation. That’s the kind of leadership that earned him the huge level of trust he has in New Jersey." - TPM, 1/9/14
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
We shall see. Since we're on the topic of South Carolina, Haley finally revealed her education plan:"It seems to me that this whole bridge thing reinforces a narrative that's troublesome about the guy, he's kind of a bully," Graham said Thursday, according to MSNBC.Graham said that even if Christie wasn't directly involved in the lane closures, the way he governs influenced his staff.
"If anybody in my office had done such a thing, they knew what their fate would be cause I'm not that kind a guy," he said. "I just don't see how people that close to him could have felt comfortable enough to do this if they thought their boss wasn't of this mindset. Isn't that just common sense?"
Graham said that Christie's "slick" governing style, as well as his stance on certain issues, will hurt him in the South if he runs for president in 2016. - TPM, 1/9/14
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Nikki Haley giving a shit about poor kids? That will fly over well with the Tea Party base. However, South Carolina Democrats were quick to rain on Haley's parade:South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) will propose spending $160 million on new education programs aimed at low-income children and those learning to speak English, a modest move toward an ambitious education reform package Haley laid out early in her term but has yet to complete.Haley’s proposal, delivered Wednesday before a group of lawmakers and educators in West Columbia, S.C., would provide an extra $97 million in funding for schools in the poorest school districts. The plan would revise the formula that allocates state education dollars to give an edge to districts with high levels of students eligible for either Medicaid or free or reduced-price lunches, two leading indicators of childhood poverty.
The plan would create a $29.5 million fund for reading coaches, one of whom would be stationed in every state public elementary school. Three hundred schools where a high percentage of students don’t meet basic state standards would receive fully-funded reading coaches, while other schools would be offered half funding that the district would have to match.
Haley also wants to spend $29.3 million to improve Internet bandwidth and wireless connectivity. South Carolina has some of the slower broadband speeds in the country; three school districts operate at less than 100 megabits per second, Haley’s office said. The poorest districts in the state will receive twice as much state funding per student as the wealthiest districts, according to Haley’s proposal. - Washington Post, 1/9/14
So basically Haley is stealing Sheheen and the Democrats' idea to invest more in educating poor students. Again, I look forward to seeing how that idea goes with the Tea Party base. Now Sheheen's idea to raise teachers' pay is getting some good press:Ahead of the announcement, state Democratic Party spokeswoman Kristin Sosanie criticized Haley, who campaigned on education reform in 2010, for taking three years to "finally come up with a proposal."Democrats have been pushing to add a poverty weighting for years, but Republicans who control the Legislature have balked at the idea.
"I'm glad she now supports our proposal," said Sen. Vincent Sheheen, Haley's Democratic opponent in the governor's race.
Sheheen, D-Camden, worked last year to push through an expansion of 4-year-old kindergarten. This year, he wants to expand it further, to make it available to all 4-year-olds statewide whose parents want them to attend. He also wants to raise teacher salaries.
He criticized Haley's plan as tinkering with the current system, rather than fundamentally changing it.
"I think a healthy debate about the budget is good. I don't think that's reform," he said. - AP, 1/8/14
http://www.aikenstandard.com/...
If you would like to get involved with Sheheen's campaign, you can do so here:Teacher salaries in South Carolina need a boost, but it must be done in a fiscally responsible way. The average South Carolina teacher was paid $48,375 at the end of the 2013 school, nearly $7,000 less than the national average.A bill proposed by likely Democratic candidate for governor Vincent Sheheen will raise the salaries of public school teachers to thankfully match that level.
Paying teachers on an appropriate level, of course, doesn’t guarantee improvement in the classroom.
However, having adequate pay that at least mirrors the national average should help attract teachers that may otherwise leave or not even enter the profession or go to another state that pays better.
State law requires the minimum salary paid to South Carolina teachers to match the Southeastern average, but the General Assembly routinely suspends the law, according to The State newspaper.
Sheheen’s bill still needs to be fleshed out, but he’s proposed stretching the salary increases over a number of years to create less of a financial strain. By spanning the bumps in salary over several years, the state can help ensure it meets the national average responsibly. Teachers last received a statewide raise in 2012 when lawmakers approved a 2 percent increase. - Aiken Standard, 1/9/14
