SC education superintendent proposes teacher pay bump, but wants them to clock more days
Teachers in South Carolina would see a $1,500 increase in the state’s base salary schedule, with the possibility of $1,500 more, if the school districts add five more days to a teacher’s school year, under a plan proposed by the state Department of Education.
The proposal was outlined in the state Department of Education’s annual budget request.
Superintendent Ellen Weaver proposed an increase of $1,500 to every cell of the state’s minimum teachers’ salary schedule, which pays teachers based off of experience and education level. The current minimum salary for a teacher is $42,500.
Weaver also proposed an additional $1,500 pay increase if a school district provides an additional five days of paid high-quality professional learning. This would increase teachers’ contracts to 195 days from 190 days, according to the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
“Superintendent Weaver has heard from district leaders about their need for more paid professional development time,” Laura Bayne, the deputy superintendent of strategic engagement for the Department of Education, wrote in an email. “In some cases, teachers are asked to use their personal time to attend professional development. We propose to ensure teachers are treated as the professionals they are and are paid for their time participating in these important opportunities.”
Last year, the S.C. Education Oversight Committee, a nonpartisan panel of business leaders, educators and elected officials who review the state’s education improvement process and assess how schools are performing, recommended an additional increase in teacher pay for more days of work. The recommendation included two more days for professional development.
Weaver previously chaired the committee and is now an ex-officio member.
Weaver’s pay proposal comes as the latest Annual Educator Supply and Demand Report for South Carolina showed school districts in the state started with 1,613 teacher vacancies for this school year. That is up from 1,474 vacancies last year.
“The shortage is real and is growing,” said Patrick Kelly, the director of governmental affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
If both parts of Weaver’s plan were adopted by lawmakers, it would mean the state would increase its annual state aid to classrooms by $272 million, which would account for 40% of the new annual dollars expected to be available for budget writers when they begin budget discussions during the upcoming legislative session.
“Budget requests are the beginning of an important conversation, not the end. We look forward to ongoing conversations with the governor, legislators and educators about how we can continue our steady march to ensure a highly effective, well-paid teacher in every South Carolina classroom,” Bayne said in an email to The State newspaper.
A lone $1,500 increase would bring the minimum starting salary for teachers in the state to $44,000 up from $42,500. With both $1,500 increases would bring the state minimum starting pay to $45,500.
“I think it’s encouraging that Superintendent Weaver continues to push for increased educator salaries and I applaud her for doing so. I think that more needs to be done,” Kelly said. “When you start talking about educator salaries, you’re talking about general fund and revenues. The most that can be sustained within the budget needs to be done this year.”
However, Kelly said the additional increase tied five additional days of professional development is a “mixed bag.”
He said teachers already work more hours and days than they are contracted for and aren’t receiving compensation. The additional contracted days could be used for other tasks.
“It’s a budget request document, so it’s not a fully fleshed out policy proposal, but five days of additional professional development without detail on what that involves is concerning because that’s not what teachers are telling us they need right now,” Kelly said. “What they need is time in their classroom. They need time to be able to grade papers, design tests, develop lessons, to collaborate with peers, conference with parents. What they don’t need is to sit and get professional development.”
Gov. Henry McMaster set a goal of bringing the starting pay to $50,000 by 2026, and to keep that pace would require a $2,500 raise. It’s a push Weaver has said she supports.
McMaster indicated Tuesday that he would like to continue that pace as he and his office put together an executive budget proposal.
“If we think that we can do more than that, then we will, but there’s is a limit to how fast we can push. But we push it as fast as we can,” McMaster told reporters Tuesday during a media availability.
This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 11:17 AM.
