State Department of Education presents 'one-four-one-four' plan, Read to Succeed 2 and model cell-phone policy to committee
April 30, 2025 | 2025 Legislative Meetings, South Carolina
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Philip Cease, director of governmental affairs for the South Carolina Department of Education, briefed the House Education and Public Works Committee on the agency’s strategic plan, literacy and math initiatives, a statewide model cell-phone policy, and the department’s budget priorities.
Cease described the department’s “one-four-one-four” strategic framework and a “moonshot” goal to have at least 75% of students at or above grade level by 2030. He said the legislature previously funded nearly $40 million for LETRS professional learning in K–3 and that by the 2025–26 school year every K–3 teacher will have access to LETRS training; teachers who complete the training receive a stipend. “The mission of South Carolina Department of Education is to serve students, support teachers, empower parents, engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential,” Cease said.
Cease reviewed the Read to Succeed 2 retention provisions, noting that if the law had been applied in the previous year, 16,238 third-graders would have been eligible for retention intervention. He said the department is expanding summer reading camps and supports to reduce retention by giving students targeted instruction.
On math, Cease described the Palmetto Math Project pilot and a budget request for high-quality math instructional materials; the department asked the legislature for a hearing on math instructional materials funding scheduled for the next morning. The department’s budget request items the presentation listed include: $200 million recurring to increase starting teacher salary to $50,000 (including $2 million for special schools and $5 million for strategic compensation), $20 million recurring and $95 million nonrecurring for high-quality instructional materials (math and ELA), $13 million for a CTE Rural Renaissance program, and $100 million recurring proposed for a rural infrastructure bank to help rural districts and charter schools with facility upgrades and safety improvements.
Cease summarized a model cell-phone policy (branded “Free to Focus”) created by proviso in the appropriations bill and required of districts seeking state classroom funding. The model defines a student’s access to devices during the school day (bell to bell), allows locally determined storage solutions (backpacks, pouches, lockers), permits exceptions for medical or other authorized uses, and leaves consequences and enforcement to local districts. Cease said districts had to submit implementation plans to the State Department of Education.
On school culture and safety, Cease said the department is pushing resources and a community-engagement program that allows state employees to volunteer in local schools for a set number of hours per month. He also summarized expanded safe-schools budget requests, including facility security funding and eligible expenses such as cell-phone storage equipment.
Committee members asked about AI use in classrooms, implementation timelines for LETRS and Palmetto Math, teacher recruitment and retention concerns, and who owns certain buildings discussed during the hearing; Cease answered that at least one district used AI for tutoring under an innovation grant and said the department can connect members with districts pursuing AI pilots.
Cease closed by emphasizing the department’s focus on evidence-based instruction, workforce alignment, behavioral and mental health supports, and community engagement as pillars of the strategic plan.
Cease described the department’s “one-four-one-four” strategic framework and a “moonshot” goal to have at least 75% of students at or above grade level by 2030. He said the legislature previously funded nearly $40 million for LETRS professional learning in K–3 and that by the 2025–26 school year every K–3 teacher will have access to LETRS training; teachers who complete the training receive a stipend. “The mission of South Carolina Department of Education is to serve students, support teachers, empower parents, engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential,” Cease said.
Cease reviewed the Read to Succeed 2 retention provisions, noting that if the law had been applied in the previous year, 16,238 third-graders would have been eligible for retention intervention. He said the department is expanding summer reading camps and supports to reduce retention by giving students targeted instruction.
On math, Cease described the Palmetto Math Project pilot and a budget request for high-quality math instructional materials; the department asked the legislature for a hearing on math instructional materials funding scheduled for the next morning. The department’s budget request items the presentation listed include: $200 million recurring to increase starting teacher salary to $50,000 (including $2 million for special schools and $5 million for strategic compensation), $20 million recurring and $95 million nonrecurring for high-quality instructional materials (math and ELA), $13 million for a CTE Rural Renaissance program, and $100 million recurring proposed for a rural infrastructure bank to help rural districts and charter schools with facility upgrades and safety improvements.
Cease summarized a model cell-phone policy (branded “Free to Focus”) created by proviso in the appropriations bill and required of districts seeking state classroom funding. The model defines a student’s access to devices during the school day (bell to bell), allows locally determined storage solutions (backpacks, pouches, lockers), permits exceptions for medical or other authorized uses, and leaves consequences and enforcement to local districts. Cease said districts had to submit implementation plans to the State Department of Education.
On school culture and safety, Cease said the department is pushing resources and a community-engagement program that allows state employees to volunteer in local schools for a set number of hours per month. He also summarized expanded safe-schools budget requests, including facility security funding and eligible expenses such as cell-phone storage equipment.
Committee members asked about AI use in classrooms, implementation timelines for LETRS and Palmetto Math, teacher recruitment and retention concerns, and who owns certain buildings discussed during the hearing; Cease answered that at least one district used AI for tutoring under an innovation grant and said the department can connect members with districts pursuing AI pilots.
Cease closed by emphasizing the department’s focus on evidence-based instruction, workforce alignment, behavioral and mental health supports, and community engagement as pillars of the strategic plan.
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