1 South Carolina General Assembly

2 126th Session, 2025-2026

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4 H. 3792
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6 STATUS INFORMATION
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8 General Bill
9 Sponsors: Rep. Pedalino
10 Document Path: LC-0129HDB25.docx
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12 Introduced in the House on January 28, 2025
13 Introduced in the Senate on January 30, 2025
14 Passed by the General Assembly on February 5, 2025
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16 Summary: Clarendon County School District
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19 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
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21 Date Body Action Description with journal page number
22 1/28/2025 House Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar without reference (House
23 Journal-page 21)
24 1/29/2025 House Read second time (House Journal-page 21)
25 1/29/2025 House Roll call Yeas-98 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 21)
26 1/30/2025 House Read third time and sent to Senate (House Journal-page 53)
27 1/30/2025 Senate Introduced, read first time, placed on local & uncontested calendar (Senate
28 Journal-page 5)
29 2/4/2025 Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 7)
30 2/5/2025 Senate Read third time and enrolled (Senate Journal-page 50)
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32 View the latest legislative information at the website
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34
35 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
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37 01/28/2025
38 01/28/2025-A
39 01/30/2025
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1 Indicates Matter Stricken
2 Indicates New Matter
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4 INTRODUCED
5 January 30, 2025
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7 H. 3792
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9 Introduced by Rep. Pedalino
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11 L. Printed 1/30/25-- S.
12 Read the first time January 30, 2025
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14 ________

1 [ 3792-1]
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9 A BILL
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11 TO AMEND ACT 106 OF 2021, RELATING TO THE CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOL
12 DISTRICTS IN CLARENDON COUNTY INTO THE CLARENDON COUNTY SCHOOL
13 DISTRICT, SO AS TO CHANGE THE METHOD OF DETERMINING THE RESULTS OF
14 ELECTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND TO REQUIRE THE
15 BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ANNUALLY SUBMIT ITS PROPOSED BUDGET TO THE
16 CLARENDON COUNTY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.
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18 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
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20 SECTION 1. Section 2(C) of Act 106 of 2021 is amended to read:
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22 (C) All persons desiring to qualify as a candidate for the Clarendon County School District Board
23 of Trustees shall file written notice of candidacy with the Clarendon County Board of Voter
24 Registration and Elections on forms furnished by the board. The filing period shall open at 12:00 p.m.
25 on August first or, if August first falls on Saturday or Sunday, then 12:00 p.m. on the following
26 Monday and shall run until 12:00 p.m. on August fifteenth or, if August fifteenth falls on Saturday or
27 Sunday, no later than 12:00 p.m. on the following Monday. This notice of candidacy must be a sworn
28 statement and shall include the candidate’s name, age, election district in which he resides and from
29 which he seeks election, voting precinct, period of residence in the county and election district, and
30 other information that the board requires. The Clarendon County Board of Voter Registration and
31 Elections shall conduct and supervise the elections for members of the Clarendon County School
32 District Board of Trustees in the manner governed by the election laws of this State, mutatis
33 mutandis. The board shall prepare the necessary ballots, appoint managers for the voting precincts,
34 and do all things necessary to carry out the elections, including the counting of ballots and declaring
35 the results. The commission shall publish notices of the elections pursuant to Section 7-13-35. The
36 results of the elections must be determined by the nonpartisan plurality election and runoff method
37 contained in Section 5-15-615-15-62. The members of the consolidated school district elected in
38 these nonpartisan elections shall take office one week following the certification of their election
39 pursuant to Section 59-19-315.
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1 SECTION 2. Section 3(A) of Act 106 of 2021 is amended to read:
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3 (A) The members of the Clarendon County School District Board of Trustees shall elect a
4 chairman and other officers they consider necessary for terms that are coterminous with their
5 appointed or elected terms of office.
6 (B) The Clarendon County School District Board of Trustees has the power, duty, and
7 responsibility provided by law, including to:
8 (1) employ a superintendent as the chief executive officer;
9 (2) establish other administrative departments upon the recommendation of the superintendent;
10 (3) adopt the annual school district budget subject to approval by the Clarendon County Council;
11 (4) inquire into the conduct of an office, department, or agency of the school district;
12 (5) adopt and modify the attendance zones of schools within the school district;
13 (6) provide for an independent annual audit of the books and business affairs of the school
14 district and for a general survey of school district business;
15 (7) cooperate to establish and maintain a central purchasing system for the purchase of
16 contractual services, equipment, and supplies;
17 (8) cooperate to establish and maintain educational consortia;
18 (9) be responsible for policymaking actions and the review of regulations established to put
19 these policies into operation; and
20 (10) set by majority vote of the board a salary that each member shall receive for attending
21 meetings of the board, which may not exceed four hundred fifty dollars per month.
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23 SECTION 3. Section 5 of Act 105 of 2021 is amended is read:
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25 (A)(1) For the purposes of determining the 2022 property tax millage levy of the Clarendon County
26 School District upon its creation, the millage levy for the district must be determined and calculated
27 by the Department of Revenue based on the 2021 levy of the two present school districts and the
28 value of a mill in each district. Thereafter, the millage levy for the year 2023 must be the millage levy
29 for the previous year. To the allowed millage levy for 2022 and 2023 may be added any millage
30 determined by the Department of Revenue necessary to comply with educational mandates imposed
31 by federal or state law.
32 (2) The provisions of this subsection apply for school millages set for years ending in 2023.
33 (B) Beginning in 2024, the Clarendon County School District shall be vested with total fiscal
34 autonomy. In order to obtain funds for school purposes, the board of trustees is authorized to impose
35 an annual tax levy, exclusive of any millage imposed for bond debt service. Upon certification by the
36 board of trustees to the county auditor of the tax levy to be imposed, the auditor shall levy and the

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1 county treasurer shall collect the millage so certified upon all taxable property in the district. The
2 consolidated school district may raise its millage by no more than two mills over that levied for the
3 previous year, in addition to any millage needed to adjust for the Education Finance Act inflation
4 factor and sufficient to meet the requirements of Section 59 21 1030. An increase above the two mills
5 for operations may be levied only after a majority of the registered electors of the district vote in
6 favor of the millage increase in a referendum called by the district school board and conducted by the
7 county election commission. If the school district calls for the referendum provided for in this
8 subsection to be held at any time other than at the general election conducted pursuant to Section 7 13
9 10, then the school district shall pay the cost of the referendum. To the extent that the provisions of
10 this section relating to increases in school millages conflict with the provisions of Section 6 1 320,
11 relating to the millage rate increase limitation, the provisions of Section 6 1 320 control.Beginning
12 with Fiscal Year 2025-2026, the Clarendon County School District Board of Trustees shall annually,
13 on or before the thirty-first of May, submit to the Clarendon County Council its proposed budget for
14 the ensuing school year, which shall be subject to approval by the county council . Each proposed
15 budget shall be in line item form so as to reflect the purpose of all expenditures from any source of
16 funds which will be required within each office or department of the district. The budget must
17 specifically include, without limitation, an itemized list of salaries paid to all administrators and
18 heads of departments or offices within the school district. Each line item in the budget must be
19 reconciled at the end of the fiscal year, and a detailed accounting of budgetary funds used on each
20 item, as well any resulting surpluses or deficits, must be included in the district superintendent’s
21 annual report on the finances and administrative activities of the board.
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23 SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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