The Dive: Shibumi Gets Sunblocked in S.C.

In recent years, Shibumi co-founder Dane Barnes has managed to convince North Carolina beaches to lift rules to allow his inescapable shades on all the state’s shores. 

But across the state line, officials in Myrtle Beach haven’t budged–yet. Over the past few years, Barnes has made dozens of trips south to try and change their mind.

“We have spent thousands and thousands of hours walking the beaches, talking with families, listening to public officials, and speaking at meetings—only to face outdated rules that block a safer, easier shade,” Barnes said.

Horry County, which includes Myrtle Beach and other beach towns that encompass the Grand Strand, will soon vote on whether to allow a one-year trial period for wind-driven shade devices, like Shibumi or Solbello, a similar product affixed on a single pole. 

But if county leaders follow the lead of Myrtle Beach, Barnes’ invention will remain in the dark. “It’s frustrating to see restrictions on personal freedom to choose a better beach shade when the evidence from hundreds of other beach communities is crystal clear,” he said.

For The Assembly, Johanna F. Still assesses Shibumi’s chances of making it to the Grand Strand.

Sunblocked: Can Shibumi Make Waves South of the (NC) Border?

So far, Myrtle Beach has maintained its ban on the ubiquitous sunshades. But now Horry County, S.C. is considering a trial period allowing them this summer.

Catch up on an audio conversation on last week’s edition here. Contact The Dive team with tips and feedback at johanna@theassemblync.com.

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Public Dollars, Private School

Last week, WHQR published a deep dive looking at data from the expanded school voucher program, Opportunity Scholarships, that lets public funds flow to private schools. 

Supporters see the program as a win for parents’ rights, while critics say it primarily benefits rich, white families. The program started in 2014, but last year  the state legislature dramatically increased funding to $427 million. The program now serves more than twice as many students across the state including 1,514 students in New Hanover County–which is a nearly five-fold increase over the previous school year. That’s about 4 in 10 students.

We talked with education reporter Rachel Keith about her findings:

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The Dive: What are your biggest takeaways from digging into the pros and cons of the expanded voucher program?

RK: State legislators are poised to continue this program, but it’s not without pushback from public school educators or the State Board of Education. They more or less see it as divesting in much-needed improvements in educator pay, curriculum upgrades, technology, and allocating more public school staff, including therapists, bus drivers, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and social workers. 

Those who support the voucher system say they’re promoting more choice and like you mentioned, they see their tax dollars going into the education they select for their students. They also say things aren’t working in public education, hence the reason to switch. 

However, some empirical studies from the voucher program in Louisiana, Indiana, and Ohio show that private school students aren’t doing better academically than public school students. Another question I have is if North Carolina legislators want to know the will of the voters on this issue–why not put it up for a ballot measure? And even if they don’t want to pursue that, would they be willing to compare outcomes between the public and private schools and report those measures? 

The Dive: What does the data show about who benefits from the program? 

RK: With the influx of additional funding from the legislature, more affluent, white families have taken advantage of the money. Those populations have increased significantly, while the Black student population has decreased. For example, a family of four making under $60,000 still wouldn’t be able to afford most private school tuition in New Hanover County. 

Another wrench is that private schools do not have to provide transportation or meals for these students. Sometimes, these private schools publicize that they might not have the resources available if the student has special or individualized needs. From national and state trends, around 70 percent of those families using the vouchers never attended public school.

The Dive: Opponents argue the expansion incentivizes families to enroll their children in private schools, thus reducing headcount and funding at public schools. Is there evidence this is actually happening?

RK: The public has seen more students taking advantage of the Opportunity Scholarships since its inception. Still, public school enrollment has not dramatically decreased. New Hanover has seen a 1 percent increase in student population since 2022, and North Carolina has seen less than a percent decline over a decade, according to one policy analyst I spoke with. 

Time will tell if the public will see more significant declines now that the legislature is set to spend $6.5 billion in these subsidies through 2033. 

The Dive: You found the biggest voucher recipient in New Hanover County was St. Mark Catholic School, which received close to $1.5 million. Do religious schools have to follow any special guidelines to receive public funds?

RK: In this analysis, over half of the private schools receiving vouchers are religiously based. Across the state, most of these schools are also getting the funds. The legislature stipulated that they do not have to follow any special curriculum or submit testing scores for public viewing. However, the General Assembly requires third and eighth graders to have a testing measure selected for them and then administered in 2026-27. 

Additionally, educators at these schools are not required to have specific credentials or to submit to background checks. 

Read Rachel’s piece here.

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Around the Region

11 Football Fields: That’s how big Amazon’s planned robotics fulfillment center outside of Wilmington will be, company officials announced Wednesday. The project will create 1,000 jobs, Greater Wilmington Business Journal reports. 

Crash Landing: President Trump’s recent federal cuts have nixed a rocket-launching program that served about 1,400 fifth graders each year, WHQR reports.

Death and Taxes: Port City Daily reports New Hanover County officials are worried about a proposed change to the tax code that would be detrimental to county governments.

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Around the State

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