Teachers warn SC lawmakers: Ignore us and face challengers, another rally
As South Carolina legislators debate legislation aimed at improving the state’s public schools, a group of about 150 teachers came to the State House on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to heed a warning.
Put simply? Listen to our ideas for improving public education — or else.
If legislators don’t meet the March 17 deadline to adopt an agenda set by the teachers group — a date near when candidates can begin filing to run for state offices — lawmakers may face political challenges. The teachers also may plan another rally at the State House to put pressure on lawmakers.
Last year, the grassroots teacher group SC for Ed organized a rally on the State House grounds calling for public school reforms in the state. The event drew 10,000 educators and their allies to the state Capitol.
Lisa Ellis, SC for Ed founder and board member, said Wednesday it would take a week or two to plan a march. But she hopes it’s unnecessary.
“If they actually listen to what we’re saying and the things we’re asking them to do, I don’t have to order 15 porta potties, which is a lot of money,” Ellis said.
What does the group want?
Ellis said her group wants lawmakers to adopt its legislative agenda, which calls for less testing, more time to plan, higher teacher pay, lower class sizes and an earlier start date to the first Monday of August, among other things.
They argue there are parts of their agenda that don’t require any new dollars and could be done before a budget needs to be passed.
The group, which has more than 30,000 followers on Facebook, also has been contacted by potential candidates who are looking to run, including from a couple of teachers, one assistant principal ,other educators and teacher supporters, Ellis said.
However, Ellis would not disclose the names of possible candidates who are considering filing to run when the window opens from March 16 through March 30.
“We are not running people,” Ellis added. “We’re encouraging teachers and people who feel empowered to run, not only for here, but also for school boards.”
If a candidate with connections to SC for Ed is successful, it may give the group more influence.
“We want people who will be pro-education in the State House,” Ellis said.
Among those who joined the teachers on Wednesday were people running for the S.C. House including Heather Bauer and Rhodes Bailey, Democrats running in House District 75 in Richland County, and Ed Sutton who is running in House District 114 in the Charleston area.
“I came out to the rally in May and (was) so impressed by people who were getting involved and trying to make a difference to make people aware how important public education was,” said Bailey, a public defender. “It is a make or break moment for education not just in our state but right here in Richland County.”
As the day started, the teachers used the hash tag “SCforEdDressRehearsal” as a sign they may plan an additional protest later this year.
Bridget Goetowski, who is a special education teacher in Lexington 3 at Batesburg Leesville Middle School, was among the roughly 150 teachers to participate in the SC for Ed lobby day.
She said her students encouraged her to participate in last year’s rally to help the future public education in the state.
“I’m not walking out on my kids — my kids are telling me to go,” Goetowski said.
Jennifer Houston, a high school math teacher from Charleston, attended her second lobbying day to push for higher teacher salaries to help with retention, limiting class size and cutting back on testing.
Houston added colleagues from her school also sent their concerns with her to share with legislators.
“We’re really here representing all the teachers from our school,” she said.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 5:05 PM.
