District overview
SC Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How this state school is run and paid for
The SC Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe is a free, state-funded public boarding school in McCormick County for students in grades 10 to 12 who are interested in agriculture and natural resources. It is a state agency, not a local school district: most of its money comes from the state budget each year, and it asks the General Assembly for one-time money for buildings. A Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate oversees the school and its president. A separate foundation raises private money.
State budget, not local taxes
Each September the school sends its budget requests to the Governor's budget office. For 2027-28 it asked for $2.6 million for campus roads and about $21 million for a lab building.
Appointed board
State law says the Governor appoints the nine trustees, with Senate confirmation, for five-year terms. There is no public election.
Small, selective enrollment
Staff reported about 105 students enrolled for 2026-27. In September 2026 the board dropped the 2.7 minimum GPA for admission.
New principal
Longtime principal Greg Thompson retired, and a new principal started July 1, 2026.
These summaries rely on machine captions of meeting recordings. They can miss or garble names and numbers, and they are not the board's official minutes.
Where the district stands
Approximate figure given aloud; NCES counted 75 students in 2022.
The state gave $1 million of a $3 million request the year before.
Down from 98 in the two previous years.
Major projects
Meat processing lab
designA meat processing lab for students. A design firm was being chosen in December 2025; in September 2026 bids came in far above plans and staff were scaling back the design.
- Bids over budget; design being cut back
Funding
State money plus carried-forward school funds
New lab and classroom building
requestedA building to house agriculture, biology, chemistry and culinary labs, replacing a building that is not ADA compliant. The cost estimate started at $15 million.
- Listed as priority two in the budget request
Funding
2027-28 state non-recurring request
New board policy manual
in progressThe board is adopting a new policy manual, written with the SC School Boards Association, to replace one from 2004.
- More sections adopted
Funding
Operating budget
Recent news
Four official Board of Trustees meeting recordings from December 2025 to September 2026 on the school's YouTube channel, reviewed through YouTube's auto-generated captions. The school's website, where agendas and minutes are posted, blocks our collector.
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