SCHOOLS
A penny that stays in Charleston County Schools.
The education penny is a one-cent sales tax that funds a $1.25 billion capital program for Charleston County Schools from 2029 through 2034. It is a continuation of the penny voters have approved before, and every dollar stays here, serving local students. [1]
What the penny funds.
On July 27, 2026, the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees voted to place the continuation of the one percent education capital improvements sales tax on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The tax runs six years, from January 1, 2029 through December 31, 2034, picking up exactly where the current penny leaves off. [1] It funds school construction, renovation, safety, technology, and maintenance. The ballot itself names 23 specific projects, from a new Career Technology Education wing at Burke High School to replacement schools for Ladson Primary, Northwoods Middle, and A.C. Corcoran Elementary, plus districtwide safety and security upgrades. [1]
$700M +
New facilities, replacements, and renovations
$410M
Capital maintenance such as HVAC, boilers, roofing, bathrooms, and plumbing
$90M
IT infrastructure
$15M
Physical hardening and school security
$1.25 billion
[1][2]
TOTAL PROGRAM
This is not a blank check. It is a specific project list, built from a completed facility condition assessment and 17 community engagement sessions across the county. [3] And because the penny is a sales tax, a significant portion of the revenue comes from tourism, which the district notes helps reduce the property tax and debt burden on county residents. [4]
What it cannot fund.
By law, the penny pays for capital projects: buildings, renovations, major maintenance, technology infrastructure, and safety. The district states plainly that it is not used for teacher salaries, school supplies, or anything not presented on the ballot. Operations come from other funding sources. The penny is how a roof gets replaced or a school gets built without raising property taxes to do it. [3]
Proven results.
This district is delivering. The penny keeps it going.
90.6% graduation rate [5] | College and career readiness up from 69.1% in 2020 to 84.8% in 2025 [5] | Among the top districts in the nation for academic recovery, with math gains ranked in the top ten among the 500 largest districts [6] | One of only 11 large urban districts in America growing enrollment [7] | More than 60% of CCSD schools rated Good or Excellent on the 2025 state report cards, versus 49% statewide [8]
Modern, safe, well maintained schools are part of how that happens. Where communities defer maintenance and let buildings crumble, students fall behind. Charleston County is choosing the opposite path, and the results show it. Roughly 100,000 devices run on the district network, 9.9 million square feet of facilities are maintained, and 50,583 students walk into 90 schools every day. [2]
The track record.
Voters are not being asked to trust a wish list. The current penny, Phase V, has already delivered new buildings across the county: the new Johns Island Elementary opened in August 2025, and the new Ladson Elementary and Morningside Middle opened in January 2026, alongside the new Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori. [9][10][11] Phase V also carries a voter approved $328 million capital maintenance program that fixes roofs, boilers, and HVAC before small problems become expensive failures. [12]
MORNINGSIDE MIDDLE
JOHNS ISLAND ELEMENTARY
LADSEN ELEMENTARY
CLICK LINKS BELOW TO LEARN MORE.
SOURCES:
[1] Charleston County School District Board of Trustees resolution and agenda packet, July 27, 2026: referendum ordered for November 3, 2026; six year tax, 2029 through 2034; 23 ballot projects; $1.25 billion projected collections (First Tryon Advisors funding profile). https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/ccsdschools/0b751910-701c-11f1-9494-005056a89546-4616b628-bd0f-41e7-a780-b71171216edb-1784818624.pdf
[2] Yes for CHS program materials from the district's State of the Schools Impact presentation, Superintendent Anita W. Huggins, May 19, 2026 (investment breakdown and district scale figures). https://www.ccsdschools.com/
[3] Charleston County School District, Phase VI (2029 to 2034) building program page: what the tax is used for and not used for, facility condition assessment, 17 community sessions. https://www.ccsdschools.com/departments2/operations/capitla-programs-new/one-cent-sales-tax/phase-vi-2029-2034
[4] Charleston County School District, Capital Programs page (tourism share of penny revenue). https://www.ccsdschools.com/departments2/operations/capitla-programs-new
[5] SC Biz News, Charleston schools college and career readiness, May 22, 2026 (Superintendent Huggins: 90.6% graduation rate, readiness up from 69.1% to 84.8%). https://scbiz.com/charleston-schools-college-career-readiness/
[6] The Post and Courier Education Lab, coverage of the Harvard and Stanford Education Recovery Scorecard (CCSD math gains in the top ten among the 500 largest districts). https://www.postandcourier.com/education-lab/sc-schools-covid-pandemic-recovery-scorecard-study/article_260b1a40-e59d-11ef-838d-6fc36edee034.html
[7] Moultrie News, CCSD high on growth, July 17, 2026 (one of 11 of 82 large urban districts growing enrollment). https://www.postandcourier.com/moultrie-news/news/ccsd-high-on-growth/article_ea9a8db8-be3b-4307-beac-545e9d021e84.html
[8] Charleston County School District news release, 2025 state report cards, November 3, 2025. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1762889098/ccsdschoolscom/zzbic09vcgz97hofqtjp/CCSD2025StateReportCardsPR110325.pdf
[9] Charleston County School District news release, new Johns Island Elementary ready to welcome students, August 2025. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1754497826/ccsdschoolscom/sqmpibpt2jjzsd7fr7y1/JohnsIslandESNewSchoolPR080625.pdf
[10] Charleston County School District news release, new Ladson Elementary opens, January 2026. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1767794538/ccsdschoolscom/ipwrasds0gz6ikfxlx9l/NewLadsonElementarySchoolBuildingOpenstoStudentsandStaff.pdf
[11] Charleston County School District news release, new Morningside Middle opens, January 2026. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1767794493/ccsdschoolscom/gdzwm3awtfjmlxnkzbwv/NewMorningsideMiddleSchoolBuildingOpenstoStudentsandStaff.pdf
[12] Charleston County School District, Phase V (2023 to 2028) building program page ($328 million voter approved maintenance program and project list). https://www.ccsdschools.com/departments2/operations/capitla-programs-new/one-cent-sales-tax/phase-v-2023-2028