House panel moves to shut down John de la Howe School

The S.C. House budget panel moved Tuesday to shut down the John de la Howe School for at-risk students.

The plan, passed as an amendment to the state budget, would suspend and terminate all employees on July 1.

Remaining state budget money then would be given to Clemson University’s Public Services Activities program to evaluate the agricultural educational programs that could be offered at the site.

Previous proposals included putting the McCormick school under the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Lawmakers have been frustrated with the school’s operations for years.

In 2014, a state inspector general’s report suggested the school lower its costs and improve its management, especially in addressing low-performance scores.

S.C. House Ways and Means Chairman Brian White, R-Anderson, said the school has about 50 employees, 30 students and gets $4.6 million in state budget money.

Most recently, the school lost its accreditation to teach K-12 education. Its students now go to McCormick County schools, White said.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 5:55 PM with the headline "House panel moves to shut down John de la Howe School."