The time is now, the task is vital. SAM encourages all citizens to exercise their right and privilege to:

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You've probably heard: 2020 is an election year!

This election (and every election), public education is on the ballot. From your local school board to the State House to the White House, candidates are vying to be decision-makers when it comes to our public schools.

In South Carolina, that's a big commitment.

92% of our state's children rely on public schools.
K-12 public education funding makes up 38% of the state's General Fund budget.
Public schools employ 53,000 full-time teachers and tens of thousands of librarians, custodians, bus drivers, principals, counselors, and social workers.

Because we believe our elected officials should not only cherish but champion South Carolina's public schools, the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) has joined Public Education Partners Greenville County, Richland County Public Education Partners, Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative, and SC Future Minds in launching the Vote Public Education SC campaign.

Our goal is to encourage folks to head to the polls for the June 9th primary and the November 3rd general election - especially our educators - with public education top of mind. Be sure to follow our organizations on social media to stay in the loop as we engage future policymakers around the needs of our students, teachers, and public schools.

SAM offers this guide for how Spartanburg County residents can access polls and absentee ballots* and even see a sample ballot for your voting precinct. We ask voters to research candidates and make informed decisions as a public education voter 2020!

One last thing: we invite you to pledge to be a public education voter in 2020 by clicking the link below. After, please share the pledge with your colleagues, friends, and family and encourage them to #VotePublicEdSC too!