COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA) – South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster unveiled his executive budget for the upcoming fiscal year Friday morning.

“We are presented with an opportunity to take bold, transformative actions that will help expedite prosperity for generations of our people to come,” Governor McMaster wrote in a letter to the General Assembly.

South Carolina is expected to have a $3.8 billion surplus in fiscal year 2023-24. According to the Governor, South Carolina currently has the largest rainy day reserve fund balance and lowest debt amount – ‘than at any other time in recent memory’.

He said, “By thinking big, by being bold and by making these transformative investments that I have proposed, I believe we will set our State on a course that will provide the opportunity for prosperity, success, and happiness for generations of South Carolinians.”

The Governor’s Executive Budget includes suggestions to help spur more economic development in South Carolina. There are also proposals to help bolster the workforce.

McMaster has also proposed using $850 million to help expedite some SC Department of Transportation projects, like I-73.

Another big part of the Executive Budget are the investments in education.

Last year, South Carolina increased the minimum salary for teachers to $40,000 a year. Governor McMaster suggests increasing every step on the salary schedule by $2,500. South Carolina’s starting teacher salary would stand at $42,500.

“My goal is that by 2026 our minimum...

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