COLUMBIA, S.C. — In a bid to elevate teacher salaries, the State Department of Education is requesting millions of dollars in the state budget. The proposed salary boost, however, comes with an additional workload.
The State Department of Education is advocating for a $1,500 increment to the minimum teachers' salary, currently set at $42,500. An additional $1,500 could be granted if districts incorporate five days of professional development into their contracts.
This adjustment would extend teachers' contracts to 195 days and establish a new minimum starting pay of $45,500.
“This budget request was also in part of conversations we've had with district superintendents that have communicated with the state superintendent that there are all of these professional development opportunities they'd like to offer and just not enough time with their teachers without having instruction,” said Bayne.
Bayne added school Districts would be responsible for devising plans on how to utilize the extra time effectively.
“As we roll out new ELA standards in 2024, 2025, and math in the coming years, there are new instructional materials that will be procured as part of the alignment to the new standards. And so we anticipate that professional development will continue to be, um, in demand,” said Bayne. "We want to ensure that teachers are not being asked to use any unpaid time for professional development.”
However, Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association notes that unpaid time for professional development is already occurring. He suggests that the additional days could be better utilized for tasks such as planning and preparing for students.
"If you flesh that out more, and it ends up being time for teachers to actually plan and prepare for students, I think that has more merit," says Kelly. "But it's going to have to be carefully thought out. If you just call it professional development days, that could end up with teachers sitting through a lot more training that they honestly aren't saying that they need."
The request comes as the latest annual educator supply and demand report for South Carolina showed record teacher vacancies for this school year.
“I think that it’s important Superintendent Weaver has prioritized teacher pay raises in her budget request,” said Kelly. “I’m Still not convinced that the five days of professional development is the best tool for retention.”
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.
The proposed request must navigate through the legislative process before receiving final approval in June 2024.
Governor Henry McMaster has set a goal to raise the starting pay to $50,000 by 2026, requiring a $2,500 raise to maintain that pace.
The proposal is outlined in the State Department of Education's annual budget request.