Members of the Charleston County School District teacher compensation task force plan to rally for higher wages at the March 25 school board meeting.
The task force’s main request is that the board incorporate last year’s $5,000 one-time bonus into teachers’ pay scales, and increase pay and benefits for school-based classified employees.
It’s ultimate goal is that the board raise teachers’ starting salaries to $58,000, which would trigger a pay increase for teachers across-the-board. The starting salary for first-year teachers is currently $48,146 per year.
Patrick Martin, CCSD teacher and member of the task force, called for those attending the March 25 meeting to wear red, the traditional color to advocate for educators and schools.
“We’re encouraging everyone to break out their red to show their support for public education and teacher compensation,” he said.
Martin said more than 30 teachers confirmed they will attend the meeting and 10 plan to speak in front of the board. But some teachers who plan to speak are facing challenges since CCSD no longer allows members of the public to sign up electronically to speak at board meetings and must register in person.
“A lot of us are interested in at least voicing our opinion that the system of having people show up at 4:15 and sign up for the 5:15 meeting is not the most conducive thing for a teacher,” he said. “So a lot of us are taking personal time to get there earlier to sign up.”
Still, Martin said that teachers are excited for the opportunity to speak to the board about how investing in teachers and school-based classified employees is paramount for the success of schools in the current budget cycle.
The role of the task force in obtaining these raises becomes crucial for CCSD educators amid a teacher shortage and retention crisis in South Carolina, and nationwide.
The South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement reported in November that districts reported more than 1,600 teacher vacancies at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, compared to around 1,400 for the previous year. The report also stated that, on average, more than 7,000 educators in South Carolina public school districts leave the profession each year.
Last year, the task force succeeded in obtaining a $5,000 pay raise across the board in addition to a $5,000 ESSER-funded bonus. They also extended the number of years teachers are available for salary raises from 30 to 40. The task force’s accomplishment from last year yielded positive results, as Bill Briggman, CCSD’s chief human resources officer, told The Post and Courier that 15 vacancies had been reported so far this school year, when the usual number is around 65 for this time of the year.
Jody Stallings, another member of the task force, said that although teachers made their voices heard at board meetings last year, there is a difference this year in terms of how optimistic they are to achieve what they are asking for. He said that in the past, teachers had been jaded on the subject since they hadn’t seen efforts from the district to do significant raises, but that he hopes this year teachers will be more enthusiastic since they saw what the board was able to grant last year.
Stallings emphasized how important it is for teachers to advocate for themselves as it makes a stronger impression to the board about the task force’s requests.
“I think we’re very grateful to the board for what they’ve done. I would not want anyone to misinterpret this as, you know, kind of pitchforks and torches,” he said. “We just want to ask for something that is going to help us be able to live in the communities where we serve.”
Herasheia Dozier, a CCSD teacher, said a lot of educators share housing with roommates, or keep living with their parents to be able to afford housing costs in Charleston. She also said others choose to live on the outskirts of Charleston with longer commute times, which becomes exhausting for those who also hold a part-time job.
Dozier urged community members and businesses to join and show support for teachers to succeed in their requests.
“You know, our motto is ‘scholars are the heart of our work,’ but teachers are definitely the heartbeat," she said. “We just have to get all the stakeholders we can to put their fingers on the pulse and help us push this through.”
Teacher salary increase considerations were discussed at the beginning of the budget workshop on March 11, when Briggman and new Chief Financial Officer Daniel Prentice presented the task force’s request to the board.
At the workshop, Darlene Roberson, a board member, asked Briggman for a two to three year projection reflecting how long it would take to get to the desired number of $58,000 starting salary for teachers.
“I feel like every year we are inching there, and I’d like to see how long it will actually take us to get there,” she said.
Superintendent Anita Huggins told Roberson that the board will soon be presented with a three- to five-year plan for these raises. She said that the district is currently working with Prentice and Interim Chief Financial Officer Jacque’ Carlen on developing strategies that, in the case that the board votes for a $5,000 increase this year, would allow for another increase in the 2026 fiscal year without having to raise millage again.
“Certainly that would be part of that three- to five-year plan that we aim to bring to the board,” she said.
The district told The Post and Courier in an emailed statement that Huggins and her cabinet are committed to increasing teacher and classified pay in the FY25 budget.
“The Board’s commitment to increasing the teacher salary schedule at all cells for FY24 and offering teachers a one-time ESSER bonus was a major benefit to our children,” the district said. “We know that the most important factor in a student’s success is their teacher, and without great teachers, CCSD wouldn’t be able to serve students and their families.”
Keith Grybowski, current chair of the school board, said in a statement that it’s too early in the budget process to comment on teacher pay raises, and that a base model of revenue needed to cover required expenditures is essential before discussing permanent expense increases.
“We do not know what the state is going to do, nor do we have a working model based upon our projected expenses for this year. We are trying to cover the ESSER abyss,” he said. “Salaries, with the benefit and retirement components require extensive impact reviews. Projected revenues are qualified guesses.”
Martin said that an informal online survey sent out by Lowcountry Teacher Advocates asking community members to show support for teachers’ salary raises has already gathered 300 responses.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct a quote from Herasheia Dozier.
