Two York County legislators are being recognized by the S.C. School Boards Association for their commitment to public schools.
The association gave state Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill, and state Rep. Carl Gullick, R-Lake Wylie, the Champions for Public Education Award on Monday for their efforts to support public schools and their local school districts.
The legislators were nominated by the four York County school boards, which commended Hayes and Gullick for their accessibility, openness and responsiveness.
"In a time where we are having a tendency in our Legislature to move further and further away from local control of public education, it's encouraging to know that there are people who have the courage to go out on a limb on behalf of public education," said Bob Norwood, chairman of the Rock Hill school board.
Gullick is fighting to hold his seat in the House. In the June primary, he will face Republican Kyle Boyd, headmaster of Walnut Grove Christian School in south Charlotte and a supporter of offering parents vouchers or tax credits to pay for private school tuition.
Gullick, who opposes vouchers, characterized them as one of the most emotional issues in the Legislature.
On Hayes' to-do list is a plan to push through legislation overhauling Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests. A proposal to scrap PACT and replace it with a new test that would give teachers more information about where students struggled is on the Senate's contested calendar. That means two-thirds of the Senate must vote to discuss it in order for the proposal to have a chance of passing. Hayes said he hopes that will happen today.
