Sadly, the majority of money spent on public schools in South Carolina is not going to students in the classroom. Recently The Voice for School Choice explained how only 44 cents on the dollar goes to the teachers and students in the form of instructional spending. In a state that allocates over $7 billion a year in the name of “education,” we think it’s fair to know where the rest of that money is being spent.
While perusing the SC Comptroller General’s ” Spending Transparency” website, we came across a perfect example of what is wrong with education spending in the Palmetto State.
Last November, State Department of Education staff members racked up nearly $2,000 in bills at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, the self-described “finest” hotel in the city. This and other lavish hotel stays totaled nearly $17,000 of receipts for in-state lodging in November alone.
It’s good to know that amid the pressures of steering the nation’s lowest performing public school system further off course, state bureaucrats have found a way to leech a relaxing stay at Myrtle Beach off the public purse. No need to skim on anything less than four-stars if the taxpayers are picking up the tab. Maybe the “breathtaking views of the wide, sandy beaches and Kingston Plantation” will just wash away South Carolina’s forty-seven percent graduation rate!
6 responses so far ↓
Scott // April 23, 2008 at 9:18 am
Did someone from the Department of Education really stay at the Kingston Plantation the night before Thanksgiving?
I guess the Kingston is a nice stop-off before going to Grandma’s house…
T. Bergher // April 23, 2008 at 9:53 am
Did they actually stay through the holiday? These people blow through our money because they think no one will find out. Keep digging, I’m sure there is more to expose.
T. Skinner // April 23, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Our government spending is so out of control. Does this really surprise any of you? They vote themselves raises and benefits, only have to serve one term to reap all the benefits and it’s our tax money they are taking. ANYONE READY TO SHOW THEM ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ ARE JUST ABOUT READY FOR ANOTHER TEA PARTY THAT WILL MAKE THE LAST ONE LOOK LIKE A CHILDRENS’ SUMMER CAMP EVENT? I am fed up with this. America is no longer the ‘best place to live’. Remember we were once told ‘It may have its faults, but there isn’t a better place’. Remember that one? WELL I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THERE ARE FAR BETTER PLACES TO LIVE NOW. LESS CRIME, BETTER CULTURE, BETTER EDUCATION, ETC. I won’t lie to you and tell you that you won’t have to give up all the things you have here….but there is a time for compromise and give and take. You give up something for something more important to you. I’m beginning to think the people I know who are moving (and taking their citizenship with them) haven’t ‘lost their minds’ as I once accused them. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and I may be one that might be joining them.
OUR GOVERNMENT IS SO CORRUPT, IT’S EMBARRASSING.
Exchequer // April 24, 2008 at 11:43 am
T. Skinner,
Thanks for letting us all know that we will soon be deprived of your company here in the States. Have a nice life in Canada.
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