A South Carolina law signed May 15, 2026, after passing the Senate unanimously and receiving only one ‘no’ vote in the House, increases oversight of charter schools, their authorizers, and the management companies they hire. The law, Act 123 of 2026, clarifies expectations for schools and authorizers, strengthens oversight and transparency, and creates a firmer foundation for responsible growth.
Authorizing is not a ceremonial role. An authorizer functions as a Local Education Agency and carries serious responsibilities involving academics, finance, governance, special education, and regulatory compliance. Act 123 therefore requires future higher-education authorizers to undergo a new state application process. The Department of Education will evaluate each application and make a recommendation; the State Board of Education makes the final decision. Existing authorizers must sign formal assurances and remain subject to annual state review and expanded transparency requirements.
Act 123 also strengthens the process through which a charter school may transfer from one authorizer to another. Changing authorizers can no longer be used to escape, delay, or reduce accountability. The law preserves a pathway for warranted transfers while ensuring that accountability follows the school.
Good schools also depend on good governance. New charter school and authorizer board members must complete orientation covering school finance, instructional programs, school law, state ethics requirements, the Freedom of Information Act, and other public responsibilities. After their first year, charter school board members must participate in annual training provided by their authorizer.
Act 123’s financial transparency provisions will make budgets, audits, transaction registers, and certain contracts easier for the public to review. Charter schools operate without the same access to local and facilities funding available to traditional districts, doing more with less is part of their daily work. Greater transparency should make that stewardship easier to recognize.
Charter schools must be held accountable for academic quality, fiscal integrity, lawful governance, and responsible stewardship. Accountability, oversight, and transparency are not adversaries of public-school choice; they are essential to sustaining public confidence in it.
