Pay for SC attorney general, superintendent to more than double in 2023
Six South Carolina statewide elected officials, including attorney general and schools superintendent, will each get a sizeable pay bump next year.
Pay for two of those officials will more than double.
Since 1994, the state’s attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, comptroller general and superintendent of education — who all serve four-year terms — have earned $92,000.
But on Wednesday, the Agency Head Salary Commission, made up of eight lawmakers and three governor appointees, agreed to increase the officials’ salaries — a range of $135,000 to $214,000 a year — starting in January, meant to help attract more people to run for those positions and better compete with the private sector.
The raises were based on a study of agency directors’ salaries, the roles of each office, the size of their departments and regional averages. They were set in motion last year when lawmakers passed legislation to have the State Agency Salary Commission review pay for statewide elected officials every four years.
The new raises will start when the officials are sworn in in January.
Only two of South Carolina’s statewide elected officials — Republicans Attorney General Alan Wilson and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom — ran unopposed Tuesday.
Republican Ellen Weaver will become the state’s next superintendent of education in January after winning her election, succeeding outgoing Superintendent Molly Spearman. Pay for the job will more than double after legislators approved raising the superintendent pay to $214,000 a year.
Some school district superintendents earn more than $200,000 a year.
Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, Secretary of State Mark Hammond and state Treasurer Curtis Loftis all won reelection Tuesday. Their pay will be raised to $162,000, $135,000 and $164,000 respectively.
“We’re fortunate that the Agency Head Salary Commission has been established because it allows South Carolina to be more competitive in both salaries (and) attracting candidates that are good for South Carolina,” said state Rep. Gary Simrill, R-York, the outgoing Ways and Means Committee chairman.
Simrill added, “You hear the term government needs to run like a business. Well, if you don’t act like it’s a business, it would be hard to run it like a business.”
Simrill defended raising the attorney general’s annual salary to $208,000, since the state’s 16 circuit solicitors earn more and the Attorney General’s office handles criminal and civil cases and oversees about 24 people, many of whom earn more than $92,000.
The governor, who earns $106,000 a year, and the lieutenant governor, who earns $46,500 a year, were not included in these changes as both positions were removed from the legislation at the request of Gov. Henry McMaster.
McMaster and his Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette won reelection Tuesday to serve a second four-year term.
State Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry, who sits on the legislative panel that approved raises, said Wednesday that South Carolina needs to catch up on pay and called it “shameful” that the state hasn’t changed salaries for statewide elected officials in 28 years.
“As a state, we have not done our constitutional officers right,” Hembree said.
New annual salaries
The Agency Head Salary Commission on Wednesday agreed to increase annual salaries for six statewide elected officials, all who currently earn $92,000. The raises take effect in January.
▪ Superintendent of Education: $214,000
▪ Attorney General: $208,000
▪ Treasurer: $164,000
▪ Agriculture Commissioner: $162,000
▪ Comptroller General: $151,000
▪ Secretary of State: $135,000
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 3:26 PM.
