School Flexibility Pilot

2025-2026 Bill 708: School Flexibility Pilot - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 708
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Rice
Document Path: SEDU-0013KG26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Education
Summary: School Flexibility Pilot
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/10/2025

Senate

Prefiled

12/10/2025

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Education

1/13/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 25
)

1/13/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Education
(
Senate Journal-page 25
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/10/2025

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
59-19-370
SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS MAY APPLY FOR FLEXIBILITY
WAIVERS ALLOWING DEVIATION FROM CERTAIN STATUTORY AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS;
AND BY AMENDING SECTION
59-21-20
, RELATING TO APPROPRIATION FOR TEACHER
SALARIES BASED ON TERM OF ONE HUNDRED NINETY DAYS, SO AS TO SUSPEND
REQUIREMENTS FOR DISTRICTS GRANTED A FLEXIBILITY WAIVER PURSUANT TO SECTION
59-19-370
.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
C
hapter 19, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:

S
ection
59-19-370
.
(
A) A school district
may, after approval from the local school district board of trustees, apply to
the Department for a flexibility waiver allowing deviation from certain
statutory and regulatory requirements to improve student engagement, enhance
instructional quality, support teacher recruitment and retention, and implement
innovative scheduling models.

(
B) A
district seeking a flexibility waiver pursuant to this section shall submit an
application to the Department. The application shall include:

(
1)
a description of the proposed instructional schedule or calendar;

(
2)
a rationale demonstrating how the flexibility will improve student learning,
instructional quality, or teacher retention;

(
3)
a plan for ensuring coverage of all required state academic standards;

(
4)
a plan for evaluating student outcomes; and

(
5)
documentation of stakeholder engagement, including input from teachers and
parents.

(
C)
The Department shall approve or deny the application within ninety days of
submission.

(
D)
The Department may approve a district's request for flexibility if the district
demonstrates that its proposed plan:

(
1)
maintains or improves instructional quality;

(
2)
ensures students have access to all content required by state academic
standards;

(
3)
includes a method for evaluating student academic progress under the
flexibility model; and

(
4)
provides sufficient professional development, planning time, and instructional
support for teachers.

(
E) A
district granted a flexibility waiver pursuant to this section may implement
alternative scheduling models including, but not limited to:

(
1)
a four-day instructional week or other compressed-week schedules;

(
2)
ongoing professional development provided throughout the school year and during
the school day rather than on the ten designated days pursuant to Section
59-21-20
;

(
3)
school calendars designed around student and teacher needs, instructional
pacing, or locally identified priorities;

(
4)
an assessment schedule designed by the district that is less time-intensive
than current statewide practice; the district being awarded the waiver may
choose to utilize a state supported formative assessment for subjects in grades
K-8 that encompasses the requirements for federal summative assessments as the
sole assessment metric administered for accountability and reporting purposes;
and

(
5)
a district-developed school report card that is memorable, portable, timely,
and uniformly applied to all public, private, charter, and other school types
within the jurisdiction of the district.

(
F) A
waiver granted under this section is valid for up to three years and may be
renewed upon demonstration of satisfactory academic performance and operational
effectiveness.

(
G) A
district may request a waiver based on some or all of the above flexibility
opportunities.

(
H) A
district operating under an approved flexibility waiver pursuant to this
section may design instructional schedules based on competency, content
mastery, integrated learning experiences, and student needs rather than minimum
daily time requirements. Districts may use this flexibility to include
experiential learning and proficiency-based pacing or to incorporate more
learning opportunities that focus on soft skills, play, life experiences, and
other non-assessed, but important, life skills.

(
I)
Districts operating under an approved flexibility waiver shall submit an annual
report to the Department including:

(
1)
student achievement data;

(
2)
teacher retention data;

(
3)
stakeholder feedback; and

(
4)
any recommended adjustments to the flexibility model.

(
J)
The Department shall:

(
1)
compile an annual statewide summary report to be submitted to the General
Assembly; and

(
2)
develop application procedures, evaluation criteria, reporting requirements,
and guidance necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

S
ECTION 2.
S
ection
59-21-20
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

S
ection
59-21-20
. The General Assembly shall make sufficient appropriation to pay
state aid to salaries of all school teachers in the public schools on the basis
and for the length of one hundred ninety days in the elementary and secondary
schools in the State.
For districts operating under an
approved flexibility waiver pursuant to Section
59-19-370
, the requirement that
teacher contracts be based on one hundred and ninety days and student
attendance be based on one hundred and eighty days is suspended.

S
ECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 1:08 PM