SC schools chief to present budget request
Posted: 01.11.2012 at 6:06 AM
Mick Zais  / FILE
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH, AP) -- South Carolina schools chief Mick Zais is set to present his budget request to a House panel Wednesday.

Monday, Zais visited Rosewood Elementary in Columbia to talk about his proposal for opting out of No Child Left Behind.  Zais said he wants to replace the federal government's all-or-nothing accountability system with one that makes sense.

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The Republican superintendent wrote in a budget proposal last fall to Gov. Nikki Haley that he wants to resume buying textbooks and enough school buses to comply with the state's 15-year replacement cycle. He wants to close the incentive program for teachers earning national certification.

Zais' proposal included an additional $9 million to keep school buses fueled and running, and $36 million for new school buses so the agency can get buses from the mid-'80s off the road. All but five of the state's 201 buses that date from 1984 through 1987 are for students with disabilities.

The Republican superintendent will be speaking at the House Ways and Means subcommittee on K-12 education.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.