State Superintendent of Education Weaver Statement on latest Educator Supply & Demand Report

State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver released the following statement in response to the release of the 2024 Educator Supply and Demand Report by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). Noted below are initiatives underway by the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina General Assembly to address teacher recruitment and retention, along with additional research from SC-TEACHER. 
  
“This year’s Supply and Demand Report provides encouraging signs that we are making progress towards stabilizing the teacher workforce in the Palmetto State,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. “This progress is the result of hard work and a shared commitment at every level to our state’s future and students. It reflects the impact of crucial initiatives like raising teacher pay, seeking educator feedback on key issues and policies, enhancing school safety, and implementing strategic compensation programs.”  
  
She concluded, “Our goal is nothing less than a great teacher in every classroom. By continuing to work together, we can build off this momentum and write the greatest chapter yet in South Carolina’s education story.”  
  
Superintendent Weaver was proud to partner with the South Carolina General Assembly and Governor Henry McMaster this year to address teacher recruitment and retention: 

• Increasing the minimum starting salary to $47,000 (up from $42,500 in FY 2023-24 and a 47% increase since FY 2018-19)  
• Extending the salary schedule for teachers to 28 years (up from 23)  
• Restricting student use of cell phones during the school day (Proviso 1.103) 

Research from SC-TEACHER indicates issues with student discipline, lack of administrative support, and frequent intrusions into teachers’ instructional time were the top contributors to South Carolina teachers leaving the profession.  
 
In an important first step to address some of these issues, the South Carolina Board of Education (SBE) finalized a model policy required by the General Assembly that restricts student use of cell phones during the school day. Smartphone use has been linked to significant negative impacts on student mental health, classroom behavior, and focus. For more information and resources to support these efforts for students and teachers, visit the SCDE's Free to Focus page. 
 
School districts across South Carolina have spent the last few months refining their current policies or have adopted the model policy. A May 2024 survey of South Carolina educators showed 92 percent of the nearly 10,000 teachers who responded were supportive of a policy that restricts the use of cell phones, and a majority favored eliminating their use throughout the entire school day.
  
Superintendent Weaver continues to advocate to increase and professionalize South Carolina’s teacher compensation system:  
 

• Supporting Governor McMaster’s push to increase starting teacher pay to $50,000 by 2026.
• Securing $5 million in FY 2024-25 to expand a strategic compensation pilot program that has already awarded dozens of educators at Allendale and Williamsburg County with Excellence in Teaching Awards this May. Similar programs to reward great teaching and address areas of critical need have already been launched as local initiatives in Charleston, Greenville, Orangeburg, Laurens 55, and beyond. Superintendent Weaver is requesting additional funding from the General Assembly to sustain and expand South Carolina’s strategic compensation pilot program in FY 2025-26. 

 
Additionally, the SCDE continues to recruit teachers through Teach-SC, a state-supported online platform that provides a facilitated roadmap to the classroom for prospective teachers.  SCDE is also partnering with districts to expand “Grow Your Own” and other alternative certification programs across South Carolina. 
 
Superintendent Weaver emphasized caution however in making sweeping conclusions regarding this data, "While this report provides an interesting snapshot of South Carolina’s current teacher workforce at an aggregate level, detailed district level data is required for deeper analysis of trends in student enrollment and educator positions; teacher working conditions and exit survey data; and unique subject area, grade level, and geographic needs. This is work that SCDE, SC-Teacher, and others are currently taking concrete steps to address.” 
 
In Spring 2024, Superintendent Weaver convened the Strategic Talent Acquisition and Retention Taskforce (START) to develop evidence-based policies that strengthen and support the state’s teacher workforce. Building on the recommendations of the General Assembly’s 2023 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Taskforce, START has brought together South Carolina educators, leading national researchers, and practitioners from other states addressing similar challenges.

The group is now finalizing a set of actionable recommendations designed to strengthen South Carolina’s teacher pipeline and ensure every student has access to high-quality educators.