COLUMBIA, S.C. — An upstate Christian organization that’s raising money to build a $14 million residential school for disadvantaged and at-risk youth has a surprising benefactor: the state of South Carolina.
In a move that legal scholars say raises constitutional questions, state lawmakers included a $1.5 million earmark in this year’s budget to help Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County get its new school off the ground.
The nonprofit organization, which provides free Bible instruction to public school students, pitched the governor earlier this year on its plan to purchase 10 acres of land and build a “first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art residential school” for disadvantaged middle and high school students in Greenville County, documents obtained by The State Media Co. show.
