There are a couple of things going around the web that put my move in 2009 from Greenville, SC to Madison, WI in perspective. One of them is somewhat misleading, if memory serves me correctly.
The first is the map that shows states allowing collective bargaining as opposed to those that don’t.
I’m grateful for the map because it confirmed what I had suspected. I recalled that there was some major conflict while we lived there when the state patrol attempted to organize, not even to begin a union, and were shut down.
The other is the statistic related to ACT/SAT scores which a number of sources have correlated to the collective bargaining map. It turns out, South Carolina ranks #50 on that list. This may be misleading because, if memory serves me correctly, the ACT is taken by all South Carolina High School students.
Whether or not the latter is true, what is true is that South Carolina schools are woefully underfunded and teachers underpaid. I was amazed to learn that universal public education didn’t exist in the state until the 1920s; that even then, transportation wasn’t provided. Much of that was due to racism and Jim Crow laws but it also reflected a different vision of the public good than that which was created in the old Northwest Territories by Thomas Jefferson, with the provision for a school in every township.
More surprising still was the revelation that as late as the early 1970s, school buses were driven, not by adults but by high school students who had demonstrated their maturity. Yes, that’s right (at least in Greenville County). I was sitting at a vestry dinner when I learned that. My jaw dropped. I was flabbergasted, but the Greenville County natives were shocked that I found this odd.
I know teachers and other public service workers in South Carolina who work incredibly hard for little pay and little respect. I also know that many of them struggle to make ends meet and struggle to maintain their self-respect. I am in awe of them. I am also in awe of all of those in Wisconsin and throughout the country who work hard to make our nation, our states, and our local communities better places.
One last thing. I can’t imagine protests like the ones taking place in Madison occurring in South Carolina. I remember all too well the vitriol which came about when Furman faculty members protested President Bush’s visit to commencement in 2008. But I hope that what is happening in Madison gives heart to public service workers across the country. You are patriots and we owe all of you a great deal.
Preaching Grace on the Square 
I wanted to thank you for this post and for the support you’ve shown public employees. I think I saw you in the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday. I am a state worker and a former teacher. I am in completely disbelief that a 50 year old law can be undone in 5 days – that 50 years of progress can be destroyed. I hope that people do compromise and that certain individuals don’t remain pig-headed.
We do rank 1st in graduation rates for high school students and 2nd in SAT/ACT scores. On NAEP, our science scores are near the top. You’re right that there is a correlation between collective bargaining and a teacher’s voice in the workplace and the quality of education students receive. It’s evident in their scores and in their participation as citizens. We have one of the highest, if not the highest, voting rates in the nation, too.
Jonathan, you only lived in SC for a short time, but surely you heard about the thousands who turned out to march on the State House in Columbia to protest the legislature’s refusal to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol dome, and finally got it moved to a less conspicuous place on the grounds.! Had you been here at the time of the Orangeburg Massacre in 1968, you would also have seen a very dramatic demonstration in front of the Capitol and across from Trinity Church (not then the Cathedral) which, as far as I can recall, did not open its doors, though I know some of the clergy marched with the mostly black protesters and many more shared their grief and anger.
Unfortunately, in SC that spirit of solidarity does not extend to supporting the right of working people to form unions and our ruling party prides itself on the state’s “Right-to-Work” laws, which are anything but!
Actually, Bruce, I did live in SC at the time, and had forgotten about the protests against the Confederate Battle Flag. Thanks for reminding me, and thanks for the correction.