YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Inside North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's state budget plan is a focus on teacher retention through raising salaries. The state of South Carolina is discussing a similar proposal, as the budget calls for teacher salaries to increase to $50,000 by 2026.
In the meantime, school districts like the Fort Mill School District started to great creative, building partnerships outside the district at HBCUs and other universities.
Fred Wolf is a proud parent with a son at West Point and a daughter just about to begin her high school journey. He says in each case, there have been countless teachers within Fort Mill that have impacted them for the future.
"There's a constant infusion of new teachers in the district. They love the kids and are dedicated to the district and to the school," he said. "Plus, they've been there a long time."
Teacher retention is a nationwide problem. It's why Fort Mill has put Rinice Sauls on the ground to recruit at colleges. The Director of Recruitment and Retention said the district has worked hard to find the cream of the crop.
"As our community grows, we continue to diversify and felt that it was important to have teachers and staff that reflect our student population", she said.
The district is waiting for the state budget and the incremental increases to teacher salaries. They are looking to attack the problem now and create momentum.
Sauls told WCNC Charlotte that her visit to Florida A&M University was a complete success. She's preparing partnerships right now for next year and for the future.
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.