South Carolina seeks $120 million for school safety and facilities

The South Carolina Department of Education has requested $120 million for permanent school-safety and facilities funding, along with $347,500 for a school staff training pilot and $40 million for a bus lease/purchase program. The department announced the requests on Oct. 6, 2026. They are proposals, not approved appropriations.

The three requests target different needs: school buildings and safety, training for staff who are not law enforcement officers, and school bus replacement. The department says the proposed bus funding would add 300 buses statewide and maintain a 15-year replacement cycle.

None of the requests establishes that money has been appropriated, the pilot has begun or buses have been purchased. If lawmakers approve the proposals, the department’s plans would direct funding to facilities and safety, staff training and buses; the proposed changes depend on budget decisions.

Facilities request follows earlier proposals

The $120 million request would provide ongoing funding for school safety and for construction, renovation and modernization of school facilities. The department identifies rural public schools and public charter schools as beneficiaries. It describes the proposed permanent funding as replacing a one-time $20 million safety grant. That comparison is the department’s description of the change it seeks, not a record of an enacted funding change.

A similar facilities request has appeared in the department’s recent budget proposals. The State reported in December 2025 that the department had sought $120 million annually for school construction, describing it at the time as the third consecutive year of that proposal. That account is historical context for the recurring request; it does not establish whether the earlier proposal was funded.

The training request is for a pilot involving school employees who are not law enforcement officers. The department says the pilot would be conducted in partnership with school districts and law enforcement, and that the training would supplement rather than replace school resource officers. The $347,500 is the requested amount; the proposal does not establish that the training is operating or that staff have been trained.

The bus request is also conditional. The department describes a lease/purchase program, rather than completed purchases, and projects that the funding would add 300 buses statewide while supporting a 15-year replacement cycle. Those figures describe the department’s proposed program, not buses already added to school fleets.