South Carolina’s Education Committee Advances Bill for Non-certified Teacher Employment

A legislative proposal in the South Carolina House aims to address the growing problem of teacher shortages by allowing non-certified professionals to work as educators. The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) states that there were 1,400 teacher openings at the start of the current school year.

“Vacancies have been increasing. This is a disservice to South Carolina students, and if we can’t find a way to keep our best teachers, we won’t be fulfilling the standards for our students,” said Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association to WLTX.

The House Education Committee recently agreed to send this bill to the House floor for further consideration, prompting varied reactions from people involved in education. The law proposes a five-year experimental program in which schools could employ non-certified teachers up to 25% of their entire teaching force. Although cautious, Kelly concedes that hiring non-certified teachers may be preferable to having vacant teaching jobs.

“Educator certification matters,” Kelly stated. “The shortage is great, and if this is a way to get one more student access to all highly qualified teachers on a short-term basis, then it’s probably where we’re at as a state, which is an unfortunate reality that this is even necessary.” The measure requires non-certified teachers to have a college degree in their teaching subject and at least five years of relevant professional experience.

It also requires them to obtain certification within three years if they plan to continue teaching. Individual schools and the Department of Education determine the specifics of these persons’ needed continuous training. The program will last five years unless it is extended by a new law. Representative Kambrell Garvin underlined the importance of their schools providing proper support and training to these new staff.

Garvin ensured that those chosen for teaching positions under the new bill would not be inexperienced or unsupported newcomers. Instead, they would bring relevant experience and get comprehensive training from their districts to properly manage classrooms. He believes that this training will alleviate any initial fears. Garvin highlighted the suggestion as an additional resource to address teacher shortages.

“Will it resolve all of our concerns with teacher vacancies? No, but it will provide us with another opportunity to attract high-quality instructors for the classroom,” Garvin added.

Furthermore, the measure includes the option of alternative certification paths. Along with this, politicians are pushing for changes to the current certification system, such as making teaching certifications permanent and allowing teachers to examine their pay before signing annual contracts. Under the current system, teachers sign contracts without knowing their remuneration and face penalties for contract termination, including the suspension of their teaching licenses for a year.

“It’s wonderful to have the bill with alternative certification to give options for bringing other people into the classroom, but we should also be taking care of the teachers already in the classroom, so combining these two is, in my opinion, the best of both worlds,” Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, said