Philip Cease, director of governmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Education, briefed the House Education and Public Works Committee on the department’s strategic plan, literacy and math initiatives, a cell‑phone model policy, community engagement and a multiyear budget request.

Cease described a strategic framework the department calls “one‑four‑one‑four” and emphasized the department’s moonshot goal (75 percent of students at or above grade level by a target year). He outlined four three‑year objectives and one‑year and 90‑day supporting goals. The department is continuing a statewide rollout of LETRS training (the Science of Reading professional learning program) for K–3 teachers and said it expects all K–3 teachers to complete the training by the 2025–26 school year. “By the end of [that school year], every K through 3 teacher will have been through LETRS,” Cease said.

Cease described the Palmetto Math Project as the next major focus following statewide literacy work. The Palmetto math pilot targets underperforming schools for additional resources and support; the department is seeking funding to scale high‑quality instructional materials for math and to implement standards with classroom fidelity.

Read to Succeed and retention: Cease said that under the department’s Read to Succeed framework, an eligibility threshold this past summer would have resulted in approximately 16,238 third graders being eligible for retention. He framed summer reading camps and the LETRS rollout as tools to give students options for promotion.

Cell phones and school policy: Cease summarized a proviso passed in the appropriations bill requiring the State Board of Education to adopt a model cell‑phone policy that local districts must adopt to receive classroom funding. The model defines “access” broadly — “viewing, holding, or wearing, or otherwise using an electronic device,” Cease said — sets the school day as bell‑to‑bell, and permits local exceptions for health needs and certain job‑related duties. Cease said consequences are required by the model but that specific consequences are left to local districts.

Budget request highlights: Cease presented the department’s budget request, including an ask of $200,000,000 to raise starting teacher salaries to $50,000; $20,000,000 recurring and $95,000,000 nonrecurring for high‑quality instructional materials (math and ELA); funding for summer reading camps; $13,000,000 for career and technical education (CTE) rural renaissance; and $100,000,000 recurring for a rural infrastructure bank and other safe‑schools investments (facility upgrades, bus leases, and allowable cell‑phone storage solutions).

Committee members asked about local implementation, parent and teacher reactions to the cell‑phone policy, school resource officers and board training; Cease and committee members said the department will collect implementation data and asked districts to share their local plans so the department can analyze outcomes. Cease also described a statewide volunteer program that allows state employees limited time to volunteer in schools.