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Hundreds of South Carolina teachers have quit their jobs since the beginning of the school year

A report by the Center for Educator Recruitment Retention and Advancement shows 977 teachers left their jobs in the middle of this school year.

ROCK HILL, S.C. — There was a shortage of teachers before the pandemic, but now it's even worse. With COVID-19 prompting early retirements and just general burnout, teachers are leaving schools. 

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“It’s been a challenging year," director of communications for Rock Hill Schools Lindsay Machak said.

A recent report by the Center for Educator Recruitment Retention and Advancement shows 977 teachers left their jobs in the middle of this school year.

RELATED: 'It's incredibly frustrating': South Carolina sees more teacher vacancies

Researchers say there are 1,121 vacant teacher positions right now. 

“It’s something that as a school district, we have to deal with, and yeah that is something that we have seen this year," Machak said.

Back in December, Rock Hill Schools gave their teachers a $2,000 bonus. 

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York County Schools also provided teachers with a "thank you" bonus, which ranged from $300 to $500. In addition, this year, they paid each qualifying teacher a Dual Modality bonus for providing instruction to students in the face-to-face setting while simultaneously instructing students virtually who are absent due to illness or quarantine. The Dual Modality bonus will be a total of $1000, paid in two equal payments, one per semester.

Lastly, they recently started a new incentive bonus. Each week a teacher has perfect attendance they get $50. 

WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to the Defenders team by emailing money@wcnc.com.

School districts are creating resources to ease their teachers' hardships. 

“Our employees can call a hotline 24 hours a day and get some support," Machak said. 

Some South Carolina lawmakers are hoping to retain teachers by raising salaries by $4,000 in this year's state budget. 

Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.  

 

 

 

 

 

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