Yesterday, South Carolina Department of Education released its 2026 budget request. Presented by State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, the proposals build on the state's South Carolina Surge. While the focus is largely focused on resources for classrooms, there are several school bus items in the agenda.

Among the line items in the request are teacher salary increases, curriculum and scholarship upgrades, and efforts to support safer schools. Among the latter, proposals ask for the following.

Bus Lease/Purchase Program

• $40 million to maintain the mandated 15-year bus replacement cycle.

• The addition of 300 new buses statewide.

In recent years, South Carolina has cut the average age of its fleet in half and added 4,850 buses.

Education Infrastructure Bank

• $120 million to establish permanent funding for school safety and facility construction, renovation, and modernization.

• This would support rural public schools and public charter schools, and replaces a one-time $20 million safety grant with a sustainable solution, the press release stated.

School Safety Personnel Pilot

• $347,500 to partner with districts and law enforcement to train non-law enforcement school staff.

• This would expand schools’ ability to respond to safety needs with trained adults and supplement, not replace, school resource officers. 

“Our South Carolina Surge continues with this proposal — putting teachers first, strengthening student achievement, and ensuring safe learning environments," Weaver said. "I'm deeply grateful to the General Assembly for its continued commitment to public education and for partnering with us to drive meaningful reform. I also appreciate the trust placed in our hardworking department team to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”