Six Spartanburg House Republicans Kill Education Reform Bill

The public education system is not working. Some people believe injecting principles of free market competition into the system will drastically improve the current monopoly system of education for our kids. Unfortunately, the South Carolina, Republican-controlled, House of Representatives does not concur.

The vehicle to change our system was H-3407, "EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY ACT." This Bill, if it had been enacted into law, would have granted students "scholarships" to attend private school equivalent to the approximate cost of the student's participation in a public school. Thus, the State would save an equivalent amount of money as would be provided in the scholarship to a competing private school. The scholarship would have been awarded in the form of a "tax credit."

Instead of our kids being forced to accept government propaganda in the form of public education, they could have opted for a private school education.

The House evaded a debate on the Bill and voted 60-59 to "table" it. The six Spartanburg Republicans (Allison, Brannon, Cole, Forrester, Parker, and Tallon) killed the education reform bill.

Voting to "table" a bill is a cowardly way to escape from voting up and down on the proposed law. Sixteen Republicans joined Democrats to vote "yea" to "table" the landmark education bill. Voting to table a bill is just a sneaky way to kill it. Therefore, any Representative that voted "yea" in favor of the motion to table, is a "Republican" that wants to maintain the public education status quo.

Here is a list of all Republicans that voted to kill education reform, including the six Spartanburg Republicans with convenient contact information below their names. These Republicans do not exhibit votes that match stated principles.

Rita Allison (Spartanburg)

Merita A. "Rita" Allison (Mrs. William Ronald) [R]
Director of Communication
District 36 - Spartanburg County
(H) P.O. Box 93, Lyman, 29365
Bus. (864) 909-1092 Home (864) 439-6255
(C) 402C Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6788

Joan Brady

Doug Brannon (Spartanburg)
Norman D. "Doug" Brannon [R]
Attorney
District 38 - Spartanburg County
(H) 201 Clearwater Rd., Landrum, 29356
Bus. (864) 573-0048
(C) 404D Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6876

Derham Cole (Spartanburg)
Attorney
District 32 - Spartanburg County
(H) PO Box 1467, Spartanburg, 29304
Bus. (864) 591-1113 Home (864) 285-4732
(C) 402B Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6790

Danny Cooper (Anderson)
Vice President, Capstone Insurance Services, LLC
District 10 - Anderson County
(H) PO Box 8002, Anderson, 29622
Bus. (864) 260-4025
(C) 525 Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 734-3144

Mike Forrester (Spartanburg)
Economic Development
District 34 - Spartanburg County
(H) 287 Creekridge Dr., Spartanburg, 29301
Bus. (864) 592-6204 Home (864)595-1137
(C) 402D Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6792

Marion Frye

Mike Gambrell (Abbeville & Anderson)
Self-employed, M&R Enterprises
District 7 - Abbeville & Anderson Counties
(H) 400 Filter Plant Rd., Honea Path, 29654
Bus. (864) 844-3614 Home (864) 369-0613
(C) 436A Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 734-2947

Davey Hiott (Pickens)
Owner, Hiott Printing Co.
District 4 - Pickens County
(H) P.O. Box 997, Pickens, 29671
Bus. (864) 878-9832
(C) 418B Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 734-3323

Jenny Horne

Steve Moss

Steve Parker (Spartanburg)
Businessman
District 37 - Spartanburg County
(H) 330 Farm Lake Rd., Boiling Springs, 29316
Bus. (864) 978-0195 Home (864) 578-6298
(C) 404C Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6878

Gene Pinson

B.R. Skelton (Pickens)
Arbitrator/Mediator/Residential Contractor/Real Estate Broker/Professor Emeritus of Economics at Clemson Univ.
District 3 - Pickens County
(H) 2962 Walhalla Hwy., Six Mile, 29682
Home (864) 868-3495
(C) 418C Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 734-3036 Home (864) 868-3495

Eddie Tallon (Spartanburg)
Retired, SLED; Pres., The Tallon Group, Inc.
District 33 - Cherokee & Spartanburg Counties
(H) 140 Bagwell Farm Rd., Spartanburg, 29302
Bus. (864) 380-8777 Home (864) 596-1478
(C) 402A Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 212-6893

Bill Whitmire
Retired Educator, Oconee Co. School District/Owner S&W Farms
District 1 - Oconee County
(H) P.O. Box 157, Walhalla, 29691
Bus. (864) 638-2970 Home (864) 638-2970
(C) 436C Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 734-3068