Charleston County Proposes Significant Teacher Pay Raise
In a move that is already impacting both the recruitment and retention of teachers, Charleston County School District has proposed a promising solution for the upcoming school year. In the first budget reading for 2024-2025, a significant salary increment of $7,500 for teachers has been proposed.
Impacts on Teacher Recruitment
The current Chief Human Resource Officer of Charleston County School district, William Briggman, has unveiled that this proposal is already having notable effects in terms of recruitment. He revealed that the school district usually hires between 500 to 600 new teachers to fill open vacancies every end of the school year. Last year, at the end of May, 279 teachers were hired. Now, by June 4, 2024, the district has already brought onboard 511 teachers, leaving only 137 positions vacant from a total of around 3,600 teaching positions.
According to Mr. Briggman, the proposal for pay increment has played a pivotal role in elevating these recruitment numbers. He expressed his excitement, stating that “It’s pretty significant. We’re very excited about that and making sure that our employees just feel heard and valued.”
Charleston Teachers to Receive Highest Salaries in the State
If approved, the pay increment would place the base salary of a teacher in Charleston County at $55,700 annually, making it the highest in the state. The next high paying district is Greenville, which has proposed a salary of just over $50,000 for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Briggman expressed his desire for other districts to feel motivated by this move and improve their pay structure accordingly. He added, “I want other districts to say ‘oh my gosh, Charleston’s paying this, we’ve got to get close to it or we got to maybe pay more.’”
Future Salary Goals and Teacher Satisfaction
Working hand in hand with the Charleston County School District Teacher Compensation Task Force, Mr. Briggman revealed a future target salary for beginners at $60,000 by 2026. The ultimate goal, according to Briggman, is to create an environment where teaching is a profession that can be trusted and relied on for living. This way, teachers can focus on educating the youth, which is the most crucial part of society.
An experienced teacher in the district, Patrick Martin, lauded the move asserting that the students are the ultimate beneficiaries of all these efforts. “We’re really excited to see the numbers follow an inkling that we’ve had for a long time,” stated Martin.
Charleston Leading in Minimizing Vacancies
When compared to other districts like Dorchester School District 2, which currently has 105 teacher vacancies out of 1,576 positions, Charleston is performing outstandingly in terms of filling vacancies. The proposed pay structure has had a significant positive impact on this according to Mr. Briggman. “Because of the current year’s pay structure, we’re not seeing that,” he stated.
Previous Pay Increments
Last year, a bonus of $5,000 was added to teacher salaries, bringing the total pay to $48,146. This bonus resulted in a drastic reduction in teacher vacancies following the winter break, as opposed to previous years.
Other Benefits Included
The next fiscal year’s budget also plans to offer pay increments to non-teaching staff members as well. Classified workers in the budget are projected to receive market-wide earnings, which is an estimated overall increase of 6 percent.
Upcoming Recruitment Event
In terms of further recruitment, the school district has an upcoming event for anyone interested in joining the Charleston County Schools. The event has been scheduled to take place at the R.B. Stall High School on June 12, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
