Charleston County: Let’s give teachers a pay raise like we mean it
TO: pamela_mckinney@charleston.k12.sc.us; carlotte_bailey@charleston.k12.sc.us; daron_calhoun@charleston.k12.sc.us; keith_grybowski@charleston.k12.sc.us; edward_kelley@charleston.k12.sc.us; darlene_roberson@charleston.k12.sc.us; carol_tempel@charleston.k12.sc.us; courtney_waters@charleston.k12.sc.us; leah_whatley@charleston.k12.sc.us
To the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees:
Please take all actions necessary to raise teacher pay scales by $7,000 across the board, up to 40 years’ worth of experience. The teacher compensation task force brought you a reasonable proposal that would put a meaningful dent in our ongoing teacher workforce crisis by paying our educators like the valuable professionals they are. Let’s not water their recommendations down!
I write to you today as a father of 3 Charleston County School District students who also covered our district extensively during my 8 years as a local journalist. I’ve met, interviewed, and observed hundreds of teachers in this district over the years, and I’ve also heard why so many are leaving the profession.
No teacher should have to work multiple jobs to pay their bills, but I have known far too many teachers who take on second and third jobs to make rent, pay off debt, and buy supplies for their students. Think how much more effective our teachers could be, and how much more likely they would be to stay, if they didn’t have to wait tables or drive Uber to supplement their income.
I recently signed a petition, along with 2,000-plus others, in support of the $7,000 pay raise proposal. I know that this means raising my own taxes, and I endorse it without reservation. As one of the largest districts in the state, CCSD has an opportunity to set the bar higher for all districts. Work remains to be done at the Statehouse to fix our broken and inequitable funding system, but in the meantime we can exert pressure using the political leverage we have. Please take account of this as a moment when you can show real leadership and real service to our community and state.
Money isn’t everything for teachers, but it’s something, particularly in our expensive housing market. A lack of autonomy, a lack of support, and a lack of respect for the profession are other issues that I hope we can tackle with equal urgency. In the meantime, let’s give our teachers a real raise. It’s the least we can do.
Paul Bowers
North Charleston, S.C.
