Rally held to call on Zais to accept federal cash for S.C. schools

COLUMBIA — "Kick him out!" M.L. Kohn, a retired teacher, yelled at rally today at the Statehouse to oppose state Superintendent of Education Mick Zais's rejection of federal education dollars.

Her cry summed up the mood as about 50 education advocates and protesters gathered to speak out about tens of millions of dollars that were available to South Carolina from the federal government that Zais turned down this year. The rally was organized by the state Legislative Black Caucus, whose members are all Democrats, the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and several education associations.

Jay W. Ragley, deputy superintendent for legislative and public affairs at the state Department of Education, called the event partisan. Zais is a Republican.

What's more, Ragley said, the Education Department will distribute approximately $930 million in federal funds this fiscal year with an emphasis on directing as much of that as possible to the classroom.

"For anyone to claim the agency has turned down all federal funding is either uninformed or engaging in a partisan, misinformation campaign," Ragley said in an email to the media.

Zais did, however, refuse to apply for two, one-time grants: Race to the Top and Ed Jobs. Ragley said those programs required "significant financial commitments of state dollars and in the case of Race to the Top, would become an unfunded federal mandate after the one-time federal funds were exhausted."

The Ed Jobs grant would have given South Carolina access to $144 million. Race to the Top would have allowed the state to compete for a portion of $200 million.

Roger Smith, executive director of the South Carolina Education Association, said Zais's actions were tragic.

"We want him to understand that South Carolina children have basic civil rights to a free, quality education," Smith said.

Read more in Wednesday's editions of The Post and Courier.