Staff reports | South Carolina is now offering a statewide, free coding program.
SC Codes is a partnership between nonprofit BuildCarolina and S.C. Department of Commerce. The mission of the program is to get more of the state’s workforce able to develop software. According to the website, employment in South Carolina’s technology industry expanded by an estimated 2,520 jobs in 2017 and contributed $10.8 billion to the state’s economy.
Learning takes place online but locations in Greenville and Columbia offer face-to-face learning.
In other news this week:
Spit take. A South Carolina administrative law judge has once again authorized development on an unstable islet known as Captain Sams Spit off of Kiawah Island. The move comes months after the state Supreme Court (for a fourth time) ruled Sept. 24 that preserving the island outweighed the benefits of developing it. In an earlier Supreme Court decision, the justices rebuked Administrative Law Judge Ralph King Anderson III’s decision to allow development there. On Sept. 24, Anderson authorized construction of the road and other infrastructure to facilitate a 50-house development there. In his ruling, he acknowledged the spit is eroding. The S.C. Environmental Law Project and S.C. Coastal Conservation League are appealing the decision. Again.
School for dyslexic children opens. Lakes and Bridges Charter School has opened in Easley. It is one of five free public schools in the nation for students with dyslexia and the first such school in the state.
S.C. business tax climate not friendly. A look at state business tax climates what’s to come in2019 show that South Carolina ranks 35th in the nation, at the bottom of a list looking at friendly climates. The Tax Foundation says its State Business Tax Climate Index allows comparisons between states on complex tax systems. “The Index is designed to show how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement,” the report says.
Upstate program focuses on food. Spartanburg Community College is offering a certificate course at its new Center for Sustainable Agriculture. With support from the Mary Black Foundation and the Dominion Foundation, SCC’s Horticulture Department constructed a red barn-style building serving as the centerpiece of a new certificate program focused on sustainable agriculture, agribusiness and food systems. Learn more here.
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