U.S Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos toured the Timmonsville Education Center and the SiMT to discuss educational and workforce opportunities.
DeVos was joined by Congressman Tom Rice, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.
In Timmonsville, the officials walked in classrooms and chatted with students about their goals. They emphasized the importance of adults connecting students to opportunities.
“We’re willing to put extra money into places that are willing to collaborate and to offer opportunities to more than just their students and to spread it across the region,” Spearman said.
According to DeVos, students need to receive opportunity information way before they graduate high school.
“I think in early middle school students should know and understand what the wide range of pathways available to them might be, and I applaud South Carolina for doing so and continuing to move in that direction,” DeVos said.
South Carolina is currently working towards providing students in rural areas more opportunities Spearman said. On the federal level, DeVos plans to continue pursuing policies that enable states and local communities to tailor their offerings to the students needs.
