COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Educationn (SCDE) has a new list of recommendations to try and retain teachers.
It’s an ongoing problem essentially every district is facing, and it’s an even bigger concern now as the school year ends, with many teachers retiring or choosing to leave their careers.
The newly released 36-page report outlies 23 recommendations, with their number one focus being salary.
SCDE is asking for the General Assembly set the minimum salary to at least $50,000 by the 2026-2027 school year, something most districts agree with.
“Richland One has 52 schools and centers. We're sitting, when you look at our vacancies for our certified staff, which are teachers, and for people who support our school, we have, you know, in the area of the hundreds," said Richland One Coordinator for Recruitment and Retention Felicia Richardson.
Richardson says they've been facing the issue and working to fill the roles. “It’s been tough."
In the lengthy SCDE report, many of the recommendations center around pay.
Recent data shows in South Carolina that from the 2018-2019 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, the number of teachers leaving the profession has jumped about 15%, and the number of vacant positions in the month of August went from 621 to 1,473 during those same school years.
Lexington-Richland District Five Coordinator of Personnel Melanie Cohen agrees pay being at the top of the report is an important factor.
“Having a competitive salary is certainly important for all careers, and for teachers as well,” Cohen said.
Cohen adds that a pay increase would help districts across the state significantly, while thankfully Lex-Rich 5 isn't struggling like most.
“We want to remain competitive, not only with the people or the districts right around us, but also with the other workforce," Cohen said. "So, we want to make sure that our teachers are earning what they could in other places. I'm hopeful to be staffed at 100% by the time school begins.”
We also reached out to Kershaw County School District, which currently has 28 classroom teacher vacancies and 8 certified vacancies.
The report also recommends school districts try to engage retirees to see if they could be part-time teachers or volunteers and suggests a public relations campaign.
Richland One is preparing to host a career fair on Thursday, June 15, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. the C.A. Johnson High School gymnasium.