The State Board of Education has approved over $55 million in funds allotted by the General Assembly to be used for school facility improvement projects in forty-eight eligible school districts.

"I commend State Board Chair Dr. Ivan Randolph and the State Board of Education on their steadfast work to hear and approve these capital improvement requests." said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. "Many of South Carolina's schools do not have the local revenue available to make substantial safety and infrastructure improvements and these funds will go a long way in improving conditions in those areas. By allotting this funding to the Abbeville districts, the General Assembly has shown a commitment to improving outcomes and conditions in the areas that need it most. I look forward to working with them to continue this commitment into the future."

The General Assembly, through Provisos 1A.50 and 1A.82 of the FY17-18 Appropriation Act, set aside $55.8 million to fund school facility upgrades for any school district that was a plaintiff in the Abbeville lawsuit or districts with a poverty index of eighty percent or higher. Forty-eight school districts were eligible and applied for funding.

The South Carolina Department of Education established application due dates for districts ranging from August 11th to November 10th. Districts submitted applications with their top three capital improvement project funding requests that must address health and safety, technology, career and technology education programs, or deferred maintenance needs. Facilities eligible for funding included instructional and related support facilities such as classrooms, libraries, media centers, labs, cafeterias, and physical education spaces. Centralized district administration facilities, facilities normally identified with interscholastic sports activities, and new construction projects were not eligible for funding.

The South Carolina Department of Education and State Board of Education analyzed funding requests by utilizing facility assessments that were completed by third party contractors hired and paid for by the state earlier this year.

All forty eight eligible district applied for and received funding. Each district was allocated $1,163,101. A short description of each district's approved request can be found here.