Think a SC teacher walkout is out of the question? Don’t be so sure

Recent teacher walkouts in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona have caused me to wonder whether something similar could take place here in South Carolina. I think it’s possible given that South Carolina also has spent the past 10 years de-investing in education.

There are several factors that I believe come into play.

First of all, teacher pay in South Carolina is, to say the least, inadequate. Pay in Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida is as much as $6,000 higher. This is particularly problematic because we are now competing with these same states for teachers, because our colleges and universities are not producing anywhere near the number of teachers we need and will need in the future.

The pay problem is a festering one, especially given our state’s unhealthy obsession with bubble tests and the intrusive mandates constantly being dumped on schools.

Then there is funding for classrooms and programs. In South Carolina, per-student funding is about $530 below what the law requires, and has been well below the legal requirement for almost 10 years. This means teachers are lacking instructional materials and other critical classroom needs, and schools and districts are lacking programs and services they need to meet the wide range of needs of an increasingly diverse student population. (That said, there is always money for more bubble tests and such superfluous foolishness as “student engagement” surveys.)

__________

What’s the chance of teachers getting the pay and respect they deserve? No wonder they flee

Imagine if we built a brand-new school system for South Carolina

Why S.C. teachers won’t go on strike

Classrooms in Crisis: Why SC teachers are quitting in record numbers

__________

Teachers keep spending money from their own pockets, and school communities keep fund-raising to try to fill the void. Unfortunately, the void keeps getting larger, and more bake sales aren’t going to fill it. Frustration on the part of teachers who want to do their best by their students keeps building. A tipping point is approaching, I think, if this trend continues in our state.

Finally, the mindset of teachers about walkouts is changing. Teachers who started their careers 20 or more years ago might see this as betraying their students. I think the younger generation is more likely to reach a point that they will be willing to draw a line in the sand because of their students and because politicians aren’t listening. Further, as was the case in Oklahoma in particular, a great deal of the organizing was done social media. A union or other professional group is no longer essential to organizing a walkout.

Back when there was a glut of teachers, the threat of firing might have prevented them from standing up. The reality now is that mass firings aren’t practical or feasible because the jobs already can’t be filled.

It’s also pretty evident that disruption of schools disrupts commerce. The child-care function of schools is now more critical to business than ever in terms of their labor force. Teachers have some leverage they haven’t had in the past, and I see them becoming more inclined to use it.

I’m not saying that teachers will walk out in South Carolina. But I do see large storm clouds gathering. Candidates for governor and superintendent of education should be able to explain both how they plan to try to prevent this kind of meltdown and how they will handle it if it does happen.

Unfortunately in our state, we’re very good at closing the barn door after the horses have escaped.

This story was originally published May 5, 2018 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Think a SC teacher walkout is out of the question? Don’t be so sure."