A Review of the South Carolina Special Schools Program
February 2000
Members of the General Assembly requested that we audit the Special Schools program. Special Schools, a program of the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE), provides training for employees of new and expanding businesses. The training is 100% state funded; the main obligation of the business is that new jobs be created and the project meet certain Special Schools standards. We reviewed the Special Schools program in order to determine its compliance with state laws and regulations; how training is approved and monitored; whether appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that tax dollars are prudently spent; and whether the outcomes of the program are evaluated. Another issue of importance to the audit request was how state funds were expended for training for the BMW Manufacturing Corporation.