| Ellen Weaver | |
| Office: | South Carolina Superintendent of Education |
| Governor: | Henry McMaster |
| Term Start: | January 11, 2023 |
| Birth Date: | 26 March 1979 |
| Birth Place: | South Carolina, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican |
| Education: | Bob Jones University (BA, MS) |
Ellen Weaver (born March 26, 1979)[1] is a Republican politician and former conservative think-tank leader[2] who has served as South Carolina Superintendent of Education since January 11, 2023. She defeated Democratic candidate and current school activities director Lisa Ellis in the general election in November 2022. She is the former president and CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative think tank in South Carolina which supports public funding of private schools.[3] Weaver has focused her tenure as Superintendent on literacy, education freedom, and parental empowerment.
Weaver attended a private Christian school until fifth grade, and then was homeschooled by her mother until eleventh grade. She attended a public high school for her last two years of secondary education.[4] Weaver graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. She worked for Senator Jim DeMint.[5] Weaver, along with Senator DeMint, founded the Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative think tank. Weaver served as the president of the institution until her election.[6] The group's current president and CEO, Wendy Damron,[7] donated a total of $1,500 to Weaver's campaign, according to State Ethics filings.[8] Weaver served as an appointed member of the Education Oversight Committee for the South Carolina General Assembly.[9] Weaver served as the founder and chief executive officer of Palmetto Promise Institute.[10]
Weaver was appointed to the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee in 2018, becoming the chair of the organization in February 2019.[11] She held the position for two years until her resignation in 2021, though she remains on the board. She succeeded Neil Robinson in 2019, who succeeded her in 2021.
In 2022, Weaver declared her candidacy for South Carolina's superintendent of education, to succeed Republican Molly Spearman, who did not seek a third term. Her endorsements included Senator Tim Scott, former U.S. ambassador of the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley[12] former Senator Jim DeMint, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Mick Zais.[13] [14] When it was discovered that Weaver does not hold a master's degree, a requirement to serve as state superintendent of education, Weaver announced she would have the degree by October 2022. She received a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Bob Jones University, a private evangelical university.
During the primary runoff campaign, Weaver accused her challenger, Kathy Maness, of not being conservative enough to serve as an elected Republican. Weaver said, "we have a clear choice between a proven America-first conservative and my opponent, whose face could be on Wikipedia next to Republican in Name Only."[15]
In the Republican primary, Kathy Maness placed first with 31% of the vote. Weaver was in second place with 23% of the vote. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote, a runoff election was held two weeks later. Weaver defeated Maness in the Republican primary runoff on June 28, 2022.[16]
In the general election, she defeated Democratic and Alliance party candidate Lisa Ellis. Ellen Weaver became the 18th South Carolina superintendent of education on January 11, 2023.[17]
In the 2022 debate for state superintendent of education, Weaver stated that she rejects the "woke ideology" of Kimberlé Crenshaw and Ibram X. Kendi.[18] In June 2024, the South Carolina Department of Education dropped AP African American Studies from the list of offered courses in South Carolina. The department found that the course violated the state proviso that prohibit critical theory and other forms of oppression-based pedagogy.[19]
During her campaign, Weaver argued that parents, not teachers, maintain the right to guide their children through mental, physical, and health-related decisions.[9] Weaver is a strong advocate of education freedom and supports providing education scholarship accounts to help parents choose the educational environment that best suits their individual child. [9] [10] [20]
Since her election, Weaver ended a 50-year relationship with the South Carolina Association of School Librarians.[21] In her letter to the association, she criticized librarians for littering their testimony before a state committee tasked with recruiting and retaining educators with politicized and divisive rhetoric.[22] She has also associated herself with the group Moms for Liberty, speaking at a panel during their Summer 2023 "Joyful Warriors" conference[23] [24] and tweeting, "I'm always proud to stand with parents. @Moms4Liberty."[25] She introduced a regulation that will remove sexually explicit materials from classroom shelves which will go into effect on August 1st, 2024.