Gov. Sanford visits successful school careers program, answers questions about unemployment

Gov. Mark Sanford visited Swansea High School on Monday to talk to students, teachers and organizers of a pilot program called Jobs for America's Graduates-South Carolina. JAG-SC is a dropout prevention program that focuses on academic success and career readiness.

The students who take part have documented barriers to success, such as teen parenting, low family income, excessive absenteeism and substance abuse. Despite those barriers, the first class to graduate from the program had a graduation rate of 92 percent last year, compared to the state average of 66.3 percent or 74.9 percent, depending on how it's calculated.

Senior Darnell Williams, who's president of JAG-SC at Swansea, says, "This career association program has helped us speak to different guests and different visitors who've given us the insight into different companies and different types of jobs and where we could work in the future, and it gives us the mindset that we can do it."

He says he probably would have ended up working in fast food if not for the program, but now plans to be an attorney.

The pilot program is now in 20 South Carolina schools. Each school has a career specialist who functions as a teacher, coach, counselor and advocate.

Peggy Torrey, deputy secretary at the state Department of Commerce, says, "They cut down their absenteeism. They raised their grades. They had fewer discipline referrals. So all the way along the four years, we saw improvements, but to get to 92 percent graduation was really exciting."

JAG-SC is in its fifth year and is serving 803 students.

While there, Gov. Sanford asked students what they learned in the class and how it helped them. When he asked how many of the students now planned to go to college, every student but one raised a hand.

But South Carolina's unemployment rate of 11.8 percent in July was one of the highest in the country. What is the governor doing to try to bring down that number?

"One, there's not a silver bullet, as we all know, with regard to employment or unemployment rates in South Carolina. Some of it is generational. It goes back straight to the notion of how many kids actually graduate from high school versus not. But other things can be done from the standpoint of recruitment, which we are actively involved in, past and present, which is why we saw record numbers of investment last year, more than $4 billion worth. Saw more than $4 billion the year before. So we continue the track with regard to actual recruitment," he said.

"Probably the most important thing that we can be doing, though, is improving the soil conditions for businesses in South Carolina. Cause the bulk of all jobs created, whether for these students or others like them, will actually come from existing businesses that add one or two employees without a lot of fanfare," he said.

But given his recent well-publicized problems, the fact that he hasn't been able to get much passed in the legislature in the six-and-a-half years he's been office and the fact that a majority of his own party in both the House and Senate are calling on him to resign, is it realistic to think he can get much passed in the coming year to improve business conditions? He rejects the assumption that he hasn't been able to get much passed.

"We passed the largest recurring tax cut in South Carolina history during the last six-and-a-half years. We passed the first cut to the marginal income tax rate here in the last six-and-a-half years, as a cut that went to small businesses, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and that was to improve soil conditions. Passed first-of-its-kind tort reform measure here in the last six-and-a-half years. Passed workers comp here in the last six-and-a-half years. I think we've done a lot to improve soil conditions, and it's certainly shown in the numbers, when you look at the amount of investment that's come to our state. So I would just disagree with the hypothesis. Is there more that can be done? Absolutely, and that's why we're laying out our agenda for the new session," he said.

The 20 high schools that have JAG programs are: Calhoun, Chester, Darlington, Lancaster, McCormick, Swansea, Wade Hampton High in Hampton Co., Chesnee, Creek Bridge High in Marion County, Lake Marion High in Orangeburg Co, Manning High, Rock Hill, Timmonsville High in Florence Co., Woodmont High in Greenville Co., Berkeley, South Florence, Wilson High in Florence Co., Mullins, West Florence and C.A. Johnson in Columbia.