For Parents

Racism? Favoritism? Or BOTH??

That is what we get with a Government Run Program.

Published

6 years ago

March 11, 2019

Government involvement in School Choice.

In 2016 DOR “accused” Palmetto Kids FIRST of “favoritism”. Why? Because 100% of ALL applicants received 100% scholarships. How to you favor anyone when EVERYONE that applied got a full scholarship?

Well DOR accused us of “favoritism” because a few parents (amounting to 2.8% of the entire $12 million we had raised at the time … a de minimis amount) had donated to PKF … and those parents had also received scholarships. Realize however that EVERY OTHER STATE with a similar K-12 tax credit program allows parents to donate … and there was no prohibition in the law against parents donated. Plus, when we asked DOR to tell us if parents could or could not donate … DOR flat REFUSED to tell us either way. One powerful Democratic State Senator on the sub-committee overseeing the program actually told us it might be illegal to refuse to accept donations from parents.

DOR … which we have been told politically opposed the program … put us in a situation where we were damned if we did, and damned if we didn’t … we think on purpose. Why? So certain legislators opposed to school choice were able to take the opportunity to take over the program because DOR said PKF as the biggest part of the program (85%) was showing favortism.

The irony … those same legislators game the program to the SC Department of Revenue to run … and guess what …. the ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO DONATE!!! So DOR now does the exact same thing they chastised us for doing.

Exceptional SC FAQ
PKF did the same thing and DOR said it was “favoritism”

WE SHOWED NO FAVORITISM … obviously … yet DOR lied and their ethically and professional conflicted “3rd party CPA” who was the BOARD CHAIRMAN of one of our biggest political opponents at the time confirmed DOR’s lies. DOR had the legal authority to easily shut us down if we were doing anything wrong or illegal, but they would not because we did nothing wrong! If they did shut us down then we would go to court and PROVE them wrong. If our claim was not true, why won’t DOR sue us now for defamation / lying??? Because if they do, then we go to court and prove them wrong.

And what has DOR gotten us? We are now dealing with the nation’s ONLY GOVERNMENT RUN K-12 Tax Credit Scholarship Program … and it failing.

We have complained for years about “information” not being available to all schools … a complete lack of transparency … and stated that if you are lucky enough to have a “friend” on the (not so) Ethical … we mean (not so) Exceptional SC Board … you probably get all the info you need on how to apply, when to expect funding, how much, etc., etc., etc. Looks like we were right.

The 2017-2018 SC DOR Report, in our opinion, demonstrates undeniable FAVORITISM … and perhaps even RACISM and RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE!?!?! Check it out for yourself:

(For Full Reports, Click 2016-2017 or 2017-2018 )

THE WINNERS??? Three of the top money winners have seats on the (not so) Exceptional SC Board. At least one of Chairman Tom Persons‘ grandchild goes to Christ Church (#1 winner) and reportedly his daughter works there. Chairman Tom Persons is also the former Board Chairman at The Chandler School (#3 winner). His fellow Board Member, Betsy Fanning, is the Head of School at Trident Academy (#4 winner).

INCUMBENTS??? And for a program that by law is supposed to give priority to “incumbents” … how does Heathwood Hall … one of the wealthiest school in the state … go from ZERO dollars & ZERO incumbents … to $59,769 and 16 scholarship recipients in two years? That is impressive … just not “right”. #FollowTheMoney

THE LOSERS??? Well, just check out the bottom of the list. Our big “full time” special needs schools and schools with large special needs programs all lost substantial amounts of funding. SC’s only two African American private schools (that we know of) … and all three of SC’s Jewish schools … also were major losers with disproportionate funding cuts. Coincidence?

A new report is due in January 2020 … it will probably take a while to get it … but we will stay on it until we have it!

Related Topics:#SchoolChoice FollowTheMoney

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Palmetto Promise Institute – FAILED Legislative Analysis

For Parents

“Real” School Choice Bill Is Here

Published

3 years ago

December 6, 2021

PALMETTOKIDSFIRST

County Republican Parties (although this should not be a partisan issue) from around South Carolina are coming together to support “real” school choice … and to FIX the (not so) Exceptional SC debacle.

On Monday, December 6th, 2021, Senator Tom Davis (R – Beaufort) filed S903 … the PACE Scholarship Bill. Senator Brian Adams (R – Dorchester / Berkeley) who has been working with our friends in the Dorchester County Republican Party promptly joined on.

P.A.C.E Scholarship, a $100 MILLION school choice scholarship tax credit bill is out.

> $25 Million for Exceptional Needs (our hot issue)

> $25 Million for Disadvantaged / Low-Income

> $10 Million for Home School

> $40 Million for Kids moving from Public to Independent Schools (just like in Georgia)

https://www.palmettokidsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/PACEBill.pdf

The below graphic is the general structure. For our families, no real change except that Exceptional SC will be gone (finally) and INDEPENDENT NON-PROFITS will raise the tax credit donations and issue scholarships. Same qualifications to receive a scholarship … and same $11,000 maximum … only difference is this structure works everywhere!!!

Email or call us with any questions. We will let you know how you can help make this a reality in the coming weeks. #NeverSurrender!!!

For Parents

PKF FLASHBACK: “Who” Recommended this (not so) Exceptional SC

Published

3 years ago

November 5, 2021

PALMETTOKIDSFIRST

*https://www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandard/news/palmetto-promises-weaver-makes-recommendations-to-improve-education-in-south-carolina/article_e35cc85e-34e9-11ec-bc4f-272ce62ad918.html*

FLASHBACK – “Who” Destroyed SC Private School Choice Program: Remember, it was May 2016 … the Department of Revenue had already finished their nefarious politically targeted faux “audit” of Palmetto Kids FIRST. The Department, obviously working on behalf of nefarious legislators, claimed they wanted “peace” and just compliance with the law (although we did comply completely by the way, which is why they refused to shut us down as then we would prove it in COURT). But in the last 45 MINUTES of the SC Legislative Session that year, the proposal was brought up and passed to give 100% control the the GOVERNMENT … 100% control of the ENTIRE PROGRAM.

They couldn’t shut us down, they couldn’t stop us from raising the tax credits and issuing scholarships, they couldn’t stop us from making the program successful … so they proposed taking over the ENTIRE PROGRAM … and where are we today??? Complete failure and the Nation’s Worst Rated Independent School Choice Program.

YES, these nefarious parties (generally Republicans and their “monied” special interest and “paid” advocates) got everything they wanted … they DESTROYED independent school choice in SC … and many lives and schools in the process.

And guess “who” came up with and/or supported the idea that DESTROYED independent school choice in SC … as an “Independent Conservative Think Tank” … Jim DeMint, Ellen Weaver & Palmetto Promise Institute!!!

https://www.palmettokidsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2016-05-2X-PPI-Legislative-Analysis-ECENC.pdf?ct=t%282021-10-30+-+Palmetto+Kids+FIRST%29

#FollowTheMoney

You won’t find that “Legislative Analysis” on the Palmetto Promise Institute website anymore … nor will you find the multiple other MAJOR “flubs”. They really are WRONG on A LOT of things … and history has proven it … and we have saved it all.

REMEMBER THIS DEBACLE? It was our October 1, 2016 Saturday Morning Parents Update. Ellen Weaver & Palmetto Promise “congratulated” Nevada … they were legitimately happy with the result even though all the kids suffered and the PROGRAM was completely shut down … and NO CHILDREN ever received a scholarship.

It was the biggest debacle in School Choice History (perhaps until Tennessee in 2020 which they supported too).

On September 29th, 2016, Ellen Weaver & Palmetto Promise “congratulated” Nevada … while that same day the Republican Governor of Nevada confirmed the ruling KILLED the ESA program … and the Republican State Treasurer who had pushed for the program APOLOGIZED to the families hurt by this whole debacle. But Palmetto Promise was happy??? It really is sick.

SUMMER 2020 – the $32 MILLION Debacle: And nobody is going to forget the debacle last summer … and the $1.4 MILLION ClassWallet “contract. That was another brainchild of the FAIL policies of Jim DeMint, Ellen Weaver & Palmetto Promise Institute.

It is all pretty sick stuff … but why do we care? Because this week SC State Superintendent of Education, Molly Spearman, announced she will not be running for re-election. Ok, so what?

Well … Ellen Weaver is rumored to be running for the position.

She / they / the “monied” special interest want her to RUN all of SC Education!!!

Is this what the call “failing up”???

More to come … but stay tuned!!!

For Parents

Only $165,579 raised in September

Published

3 years ago

October 19, 2021

PALMETTOKIDSFIRST

Friends, it is not really getting any better is it?

Our personal SC State Representative, Jason Elliott (R – Greenville) … not someone we like anymore as he has lied to us for years now and is working with his PAID ADVOCATE “masters” at Palmetto Promise Institute (Jim DeMint, Ellen Weaver & “Dr.” Oran Smith) … promised that his bill H 3899 that became law on May 17th, 2021 would fix everything.

IT HAS NOT!!!

On September 14th, 2021, (not so) Exceptional SC announced that there would be NO FALL SCHOLARSHIPS. Why? Because they don’t have the money because Rep. Jason Elliott’s H 3899 was a LIE and a COMPLETE FAILURE!!!

#FollowTheMoney!!!!

We dug the top picture up from the archives … what Jason told us a while back. The schools are satisfied??? #Really??? He doesn’t respond anymore … curious why? Sad …

And this from last summer / fall. Remember Jason & Palmetto Promise Institute‘s other bright idea. A lawsuit was filed the day after their idea was announced … and the trial court IMMEDIATELY SHUT IT DOWN!!!