Speight: Spend ‘new’ money to provide decent education to all SC children

We all know that there are urgent needs that will compete for the $1.2 billion in “new” money expected to be available to the state next year. Although roads, flood relief, more DSS caseworkers and great recession recuperation are important, the most crucial of all the needs is for schools in underprivileged areas.

I don’t mean a quarter of a billion dollars for the Education Department to increase per-student spending. Far too much money is spent on administrators and other non-classroom items. No, the money should be spent on what has become embarrassingly known as the Corridor of Shame.

With all we have to repair and replace, what is most important is our moral obligation to South Carolina’s children. There are other ways to pay for the roads and clean up from the flood, but there’s always an excuse for not doing what’s right for poor school children.

Of what value is fresh blacktop if it bypasses the infamous corridor? How can we have pride in smooth roads if our true infrastructure — our next generation remains fraught with potholes?

Spending money on roads, bridges and bureaucracy is a business decision, but what we do or do not do for the education of our children, particularly for the economically disadvantaged, is a moral choice.

This is an opportunity for leadership by our governor and our legislators. We don’t need more pork-project bickering or macho one-upmanship as shown by Senate President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman over roads in his district. We need character and steadfast stewardship.

Eliminating the Corridor of Shame is about educating and nurturing the minds and futures of all South Carolinians.

With these funds, South Carolina has an opportunity to do what is right, to do it without sacrifice or prejudice and to prove that we know the importance of investing in knowledge.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 8:26 AM.