Low Pay, Lack of Support Contribute to Continued Teacher Exodus in SC

Teachers in South Carolina are still leaving their jobs in big numbers.

Approximately 6,700 South Carolina teachers left their positions during or at the end of the 2016-17 school year, according to a new report from the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA). That’s up from the 6,500 who left their jobs the previous year. School district officials started worrying about vacancies the year before that when the departures numbered just over 5,000.

At the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, districts reported 550 vacant teaching positions in S.C public school classrooms. This number represents a 16 percent increase compared to vacancies reported at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, according to the report.

The departures continue despite a variety of initiatives at the state and local level to keep teachers in their jobs.

In the Midlands, five different teacher recruitment fairs were scheduled in January and February. The districts included Lexington 1 and 2, Richland 1 and 2, and Lexington-Richland 5.

Read more: https://www.free-times.com/news/local-and-state-news/low-pay-lack-of-support-contribute-to-continued-teacher-exodus/article_b2f9fc9c-007a-11e8-8965-1f229b7c98a9.html