State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman released the following statement in response to the release of the 2022 Educator Supply and Demand Report by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). Additional information concerning Superintendent Spearman and the South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) actions to address the state’s teacher shortage crisis are also noted.
“Every child in South Carolina deserves a high-quality educator when they walk into their classroom,” said State Superintendent Molly Spearman. “This report yet again provides evidence of the crisis our school districts face across the state in recruiting and retaining teachers. It will take time and collaboration to address these issues, and I call on our state and local leaders to come together and help us ensure that our students will have quality educators who will prepare them for college, career, and citizenship.”
For the past several years, Superintendent Spearman and the SCDE have strived to utilize authority provided by the General Assembly and the State Board of Education to create flexibility and alleviate burdens in certification and evaluation. These actions included the Emergency Educator Evaluation Flexibility of 2021–22 and the COVID-19 Emergency Certification Provisions to Assist Current and Prospective Educators. In August 2022, the State Board approved the Provisional Initial Certificate as a three-year pilot. This option creates a pathway to certification for an individual who has completed all requirements of an approved, traditional college- or university-based teacher preparation program but has not earned a passing score on one or more required certification exams.
The SCDE has invested a portion of the agency’s set aside from the American Rescue Plan's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to grow educator recruitment and preparation programs including Teach.org. SCDE is also using federal funding to support school and district leaders to build expertise in best practices for recruiting, retaining, and developing high-quality teachers.
Prior to the start of the 2023 legislative session, the SCDE submitted a budget request that included $75 million to increase State Aid to Classrooms. The agency also has supported legislative actions frequently cited by educators as barriers entering and staying in the profession including:
- Increasing the starting salary of teachers. Since Superintendent Spearman took office in 2015, teacher salaries have increased by more than 35 percent.
- Increasing the teacher supply supplement amount available to teachers
- Funding the salary supplement for National Board Certified Teachers
- Providing step increases through 28 years of service
- Continuing to allow retired educators who return to covered employment in the K-12 public education system to be hired and earn up to $50,000 annually without impacting their monthly retirement allowance
The legislature recently approved several actions to address educator barriers including:
- Increasing the starting pay of teachers to $40,000
- Providing teachers with protected unencumbered planning time to dedicate to non-instructional tasks
The 2022 CERRA Educator Supply and Demand Report and previous annual reports can be found by visiting - https://www.cerra.org/supply-and-demand.html.
