On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes Kevin Mason, Executive Director of the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. Mason explains what the Alliance actually does, serving as a statewide voice for charter schools of every model, mission, and size, advocating for them at the State House and beyond, walking alongside them on the operational side, and amplifying the good work happening in classrooms across South Carolina. Together, he and Chris tackle one of the most stubborn misconceptions in education, the idea that \"charter\" means private or costly, when in fact these are tuition-free public schools open to any student in the state. They also dig into why the deep commitment charter parents make, including getting their children to school without the convenience of a bus, so often translates into real success.
From there, the conversation turns to the work of leveling the playing field. Mason and Neeley make the case that charter schools are delivering strong results with significantly less funding per student, and that the goal is not necessarily more money in education but a fairer way of allocating what the state already spends. They talk candidly about the families in rural communities who still have no public school choice at all, the untapped potential in counties across South Carolina, and why the whole effort keeps coming back to a single idea: connecting with each student and putting kids first. It is a clear-eyed, energizing look at the partnership working to expand opportunity for families statewide.
🔗 Learn more: https://sccharterschools.org/
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