By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | It’s likely too soon to say whether more South Carolina’s teachers will leave the classroom, balking at in-person classes after the coronavirus pandemic, according to an educator retention expert.
However, a national poll found a wave of resignations could come this fall as teachers remain unsure of safety for themselves and students when in-person classes resume. As many as one in five teachers said they would be unlikely to return.
Todd Scholl, coordinator of communications and program development at the S.C. Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement in Rock Hill, said while the state has seen more teachers leaving the profession than entering, the poll was not in-depth enough to draw any real conclusions.
“We do very in-depth collection of data from our districts to determine teacher supply or demand in the state. We would be very hesitant to base any action or policy on a quick poll like that.” Scholl said in an interview. “You’re asking teachers in the middle of a crisis how they feel about their jobs and I don’t think you’re going to get reliable data on that.”
Scholl said the national poll didn’t look at others who may come into the profession due to job loss, or whether some teachers would leave due to continued distance learning.
“(Teachers) were already feeling overwhelmed and you add the pandemic on top of that and you force them to go online,” Scholl said.
He said his nonprofit will continue its focus on offering resources for professional development and pushing for higher pay. He said it also will focus on mental health support, especially in light of the stresses caused by the pandemic.
In other news:
Democratic senator vows to address hazard pay in June. When lawmakers return to address the state’s use of federal funds in June, Hopkins Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson said he will push hard to make hazard pay for essential state employees a priority. “If we are going to call them essential, we need to treat them like they are essential,” Jackson said. He is calling for time-and-a-half for state employees working face-to-face jobs during the pandemic.
AccelerateSC finalizes recommendations. TheAccelerateSC task force has issued 41 recommendations for the state and its industries recovering from pandemic shutdowns. The recommendations included CARES Act funding for the state and reestablishing a state medical stockpile. Read more.
DHEC chief resigns amid coronavirus pandemic. S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control chief Rick Toomey, who has led the agency since 2019, resigned for health and family reasons Wednesday. Read more.
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- Related coverage: DHEC gets praise, criticism for its pandemic response so far.
S.C. yet to apply for extended program on child hunger. Congress created Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer that would send plastic cards to more people to help buffer children against potential hunger by being out of school. It provides $5.70 per child for every lost school day. The federal government pays for the benefits and states pay half the administration costs. But South Carolina has yet to apply, and other states are waiting for permission or benefits. Read more.
Change in absentee voting rules could mean record in S.C. Now that South Carolina will allow voters to vote by mail without an excuse for the June 9 primaries due to the pandemic, officials are bracing for a surge in absentee votes never seen before in South Carolina. Following a judicial order, voting officials also announced this week voting by mail no longer requires a witness signature. Read more.
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- Related coverage: Surge in absentee ballots expected in S.C. (this story was published prior to the absentee ballot changes).
Jobless rate in S.C. hits record with half of hospitality jobs gone. The state’s unemployment rate was 12.1 percent in April — the highest in more than 40 years of reporting as the pandemic’s shutdowns wiped out nearly half of the state’s tourism and food-and-beverage jobs. Read more.
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