Our State Department of Education Is Failing Us, But Voters Can Change That.
COMMENTARY | OPINION
By Sylvia Wright Candidate for South Carolina State Superintendent of Education
The South Carolina Department of Education is in crisis. A crisis of leadership, transparency, and public trust. Families see it every day.
Children ride to school on buses with no air conditioning.
Parents struggle with unreliable routes and shifting schedules.
A responsible Superintendent would treat these failures as urgent and demand immediate answers. Instead, the void in leadership at the highest level has created an environment where secrecy thrives and serious questions about the potential misuse of public education dollars remain unanswered.
Consider the statewide voucher program, costing taxpayers $250 million. State law requires annual evaluations to determine whether it is effective and worth continuing.
Those evaluations have not been completed in three years.
Three years of silence on a quarter-billion-dollar program. If the department truly cannot gather basic information on a $250 million initiative, that is gross mismanagement.
Equally troubling, 1,005 ineligible students received $1,500 each from the voucher program, about $1.51 million in improper payments.
To this day, the public has not received clear answers to basic questions. Instead of transparency, we get deflection. Instead of accountability, we get excuses.
The same pattern appears in the state’s use of Class Wallet, the financial platform that moves voucher dollars.
A cyberattack compromised the system, yet the public has been given limited disclosure about the scope and impact. When technology that manages public money is breached, parents deserve more than vague statements and partial timelines.
And then there is Williamsburg County. The State Department of Education took over the school district in 2018. Under state control, the district was left with a $3.5 million deficit, driven by mismanagement of operations.
Where did that $3.5 million go?
Once again, the public has not received full, clear answers.
Viewed in isolation, each of these failures is alarming. Viewed together, they form a deeply troubling picture:
A $250 million voucher program with three years of missing legally required evaluations.
$1.51 million in improper payments to ineligible students with no full public accounting.
A cyberattack on the program’s money management system with limited transparency.
A state-run district left with a $3.5 million deficit while consultants profited.
No Superintendent presiding over this level of dysfunction has the right to ask the public for blind trust.
Trust is not a slogan.
It is earned through openness, honesty, and measurable results.
I am running for State Superintendent of Education because we do not have to accept this as the best South Carolina can do.
As State Superintendent, I will work to reform how the Department of Education manages public funds, reports its decisions, and shares information with the public.
My priorities include:
Full financial transparency.
I will order immediate, independent audits of the statewide voucher program, Class Wallet transactions, and any district under state control, including Williamsburg County. Findings will be made public in plain language.
Real accountability.
If state law requires program evaluations, they will be completed on time and released, no exceptions. Mismanagement will no longer be swept under the rug.
Modern cybersecurity and data integrity.
Any financial system used to move education dollars must undergo regular, independent security reviews. If there is a breach, the public will be informed promptly, and corrective actions will be clearly explained.
Community-centered decision making.
When the state intervenes in a district, local advisory bodies will have a real voice.
Budgets, turnaround plans, and consultant contracts will be open to public review.
Refocusing on students, not consultants.
Any use of outside consultants will require clear justification, measurable goals, and timelines. Contracts will be evaluated based on student outcomes and fiscal responsibility, not political connections.
South Carolina’s parents are not asking for miracles. They want functioning school buses, secure financial systems, honest answers, and proof that education dollars are reaching classrooms.
In 2026, voters have a choice: continue with the status quo or demand transparency, accountability, and integrity from the South Carolina Department of Education.
I’m Sylvia Wright, candidate for State Superintendent of Education.
South Carolina families and taxpayers deserve to know how their education dollars are spent, what results those investments produce, and whether public funds are making a measurable difference in the lives of our children.
Transparency must be the standard.
Accountability must be non-negotiable.
As State Superintendent, I will demand clear answers, responsible oversight, and a Department of Education that puts children first.
Our taxpayers deserve accountability, our educators deserve support, and our children deserve results.
EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER:
The preceding article is commentary submitted by Sylvia Wright, a candidate for South Carolina State Superintendent of Education. The views, opinions, statements, and conclusions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or editorial positions of the Columbia Urban Broadcast Network (CUBN), New Progressive Journal, its publishers, editors, or affiliated organizations.
Publication of this commentary does not constitute an endorsement of the author, her candidacy, or her political positions. The factual assertions and interpretations contained in this commentary are the responsibility of the author and have not been independently verified by CUBN/New Progressive Journal.
