Review of the South Carolina Public Charter School District
June 2021

REPORT (PDF)     SUMMARY (PDF)

Members of the S.C. General Assembly requested that we conduct an audit of the S.C. Public Charter School District (District).

OBJECTIVES REVIEWED

• South Carolina’s state laws and regulations regarding charter schools to determine if the District’s role could be better defined.
• The relationship between the District and its charter schools.
• The relationship between the District and the S.C. Department of Education.
• The District’s evaluations of charter schools.
• The District’s administrative fee policy.

BACKGROUND

The S.C. General Assembly passed legislation in 1996 allowing public charter schools to operate in the state and created the District in 2006.

The District began operating in 2008 and now sponsors 33 charter schools serving more than 20,000 students. The District is responsible for monitoring the academic and financial performance of its charter schools and also acts as a local education agency. The District’s superintendent is supervised by a board of trustees who are appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate.