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SALARIES
Minimum salaries for teachers are set by the state and are based on education level and years of teaching experience. Salaries increase for each additional year of teaching experience and for completion of a higher degree.
Greenville County Schools Salary Rank
Like many other school districts, Greenville County Schools pays teachers above the state minimums to keep teacher pay competitive with area school districts—both in-state and out-of-state. Below are Greenville County Schools’ rankings among the 73 state, non-charter, school districts for 2022-23.
Rank: 3rd*
1st-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree.
Rank: 13th
Teacher with 10 years of experience and a master’s degree.
Rank: 6th
Teacher with 20 years of experience and a master’s degree.
Teacher Salary Schedules
*Greenville County Schools’ first-year teacher salary includes four supplemental work days (beyond 190 days).
Source: “Teacher Salary Schedules,” South Carolina Dept. of Education. (online: http://ed.sc.gov/finance/financial-data/historical-data/teacher-salary-schedules/); “Greenville County Schools Teacher Salary Schedule,” Greenville County Schools. (online: https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/employees/resources/payroll/salaries-and-pay-schedules); Human Resources Dept., Greenville County Schools.
Average Teacher Salary: Southeast States
State government in South Carolina compares the average public school teacher salary in the state to that of the eleven southeast states shown below. In 2021-22 the average salary in South Carolina was $340 above the average across these other states. Greenville County Schools’ was nearly $2,000 higher.
Sources: Southeastern Average Teacher Salary Survey. South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office (online: https://rfa.sc.gov/teacher-salary-projections); South Carolina Teacher Salary Information, Average Teacher Salary by District, CERRA (online: https://www.cerra.org/research.html).
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WORK ENVIRONMENT
Teaching is both a rewarding and challenging profession. A supportive work environment with opportunities for professional growth is essential to job satisfaction and retaining good teachers.
WORK QUICK FACTS
CHALLENGES TEACHERS FACE
Teachers face numerous challenges in their work. An important finding from a pre-pandemic, 2019 survey on public education was that half of teachers had seriously considered leaving the profession in recent years. Their main reasons for considering leaving their jobs are listed in order below.
Reasons Teachers Have Considered Leaving the Profession (Pre-Pandemic)
“Frustration in the Schools,” PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, September 2019.
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SHORTAGE
Rapid population growth in Greenville County and across South Carolina, combined with declining availability of qualified teachers, is leading to an increasing shortage of professional educators in the public K-12 education system.
INCREASING OPEN POSITIONS
Open teaching positions are those for which teachers need to be hired prior to the school year. They include positions that were filled and those that were not (remained vacant). Open positions in South Carolina public schools numbered 6,010 in 2012-13 and 9,160 in 2022-23–a 52% increase. Over the same period, open positions in Greenville County Schools increased from 400 to 760–a 90% increase.
The number of unfilled or vacant teaching positions at the start of the school year in South Carolina public schools more than doubled in two years from 2020-21 to 2022-23 going from 700 to 1,470. In Greenville County Schools it increased from 7 to 28.
Open Teaching Positions in South Carolina and Greenville County Schools
Source: Tables 3C & 5, South Carolina Annual Educator Supply & Demand Reports, Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention & Advancement (CERRA). (online: https://www.cerra.org/research.html)
DECLINING TEACHER POOL
The number of in-state, college graduates eligible for teacher certification has decreased significantly since 2015. The number used here (from CERRA) is the number eligible with bachelor’s degrees from public and private colleges in South Carolina plus the number eligible with master’s degrees from state public institutions.
In 2022, this number of graduates eligible for teacher certification was 9% lower than 2015. Over the same seven-year time period public K-12 enrollment in South Carolina grew by more than 25,000 students.
South Carolina In-State Teacher Program Graduates
Source: “Five-Year Key Teacher Supply & Demand Data,” Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement (CERRA). (online https://www.cerra.org/research.html); Active Student Headcounts, 135-Day Active Headcount,” South Carolina Department of Education (online: https://ed.sc.gov/data/other/student-counts/active-student-headcounts/)
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