The $3 billion question facing SC schools

Back-to-school time is nearing, and as students and parents stock up on supplies and squeeze in that last bit of summer fun, South Carolina's school districts are facing one of the biggest assignments they have ever been given. They have a potentially game-changing opportunity: Local school boards have received a total of $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money to help students catch up. The question now is how to spend it. And that’s not an easy question to answer. Learning loss from the pandemic is different in every district, because every district approached the pandemic a little differently. This week, assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox and education reporter Libby Stanford explained what we know about how districts are planning to spend this funding and what’s still unclear. They also broke down what's next as they continue to report on how districts spend their money and whether they're able to follow through on their promises and goals. This money could be transformative for South Carolina's school system. But that depends on what’s done with it. Want more coverage? For more of our reporting on federal COVID-19 funding and how it's being used in South Carolina schools, check out the new Promises series. To read more about how South Carolina schools were doing pre-pandemic, go back and read our Minimally Adequate series from 2019.