COLUMBIA, S.C. — Before the month ends, the South Carolina Department of Education must give Gov. Henry McMaster and other top officials recommendations for potential reforms on how it recruits and retains teachers.
In one of its last meetings before the report is due, education leaders presented a grim picture of the sharp rise in teacher vacancies.
"Currently, there are about 1,200 positions, teaching and service positions that are vacant," said Jennifer Garrett, the research coordinator for the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement.
Garrett presented at a South Carolina State Board of Education Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force meeting Friday morning. She said at the beginning of the year the state recorded 1,500 teacher vacancies.
"There was about a 39% increase from last year to this year," Garrett said.
It's also double the numbers they saw just two school years ago.
South Carolina is trying to do what dozens of other states across the U.S. are doing: finding a way to keep teachers from leaving.
"They're out there and they are willing, it's in the back of their head," said Jenna Hallman, the executive director at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement. "We've just got to kind of grab hold of them, give them the financial incentives to go off to be become a teacher go to school, and then support them along the way."
In a survey conducted by the CERRA, they concluded that about 8,300 teachers left their jobs.
"Just just for context, about 6,100 of those departures did not transfer to another South Carolina district," Garrett said.
At the task force meeting, there were solutions offered on how to offset the number of people leaving.
"Can we examine not just why teachers leave? But why are teachers staying," asked Barnett Berry, a University of South Carolina research professor who also presented at the meeting. "Why don't we look hard at the teachers who are deeply committed to our state, learn more from them, and utilize their expertise to move the work forward?"
One possible recommendation is expanding the state’s teacher loan forgiveness program. Right now, certain teachers can receive loan forgiveness of up to $5,000 a year for service in their district.
There’s also a call for administrators and teachers to have more flexibility in what works for them.
"Almost everything that needs to be done has begun to be done," Berry said. "Just got to put the system together. It needs time, people need permission, people need agency to do things differently."
The report to the top government leaders could bring the state one step closer to keeping and getting more teachers. The recommendations must be submitted by May 31 to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.