Horry Schools facing ‘potentially catastrophic’ teacher retention issue, survey finds
Horry County Schools, along with districts across South Carolina, are facing “a potentially catastrophic teacher retention crisis” after a year full of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to survey results from an educator-led advocacy group.
SC for Ed recently released results from its survey, which garnered more than 2,000 responses in November from teachers and school staff, showing 39% of respondents were planning not to return to their current positions.
Survey data showed 185 staff, including 166 teachers, from HCS responded, and more than 37% stated they were planning to quit before the start of the 2021-22 school year.
Concerns about safety in the classroom and not being respected as professionals were among the primary issues listed by teachers and staff responding.
“I feel that the state dept and my district is trying to shove us back into the classrooms when there is no way we can keep the children safe,” an HCS staff member responded, according to an SC for Ed press release.
“I’m only staying because I carry the insurance for my family,” another HCS staffer responded. “I will be retiring ASAP. I’m very tired. The work load and expectations are overwhelming. The lack of respect from so many areas of society is defeating.”
Horry Schools operated on a hybrid schedule for the entire first semester, with students allowed to attend in-person classes two days per week, but the district has since moved forward with full-week in-person learning as plexiglass barriers have been installed on desks. All elementary and middle schools are currently fully opened, while high schools are expected to follow suit by the end of March.
The most prominent complaint, though, was about the lack of salary or STEP increases. The S.C. Legislature froze annual STEP increases last year amid uncertainty of the financial impact the pandemic would cause, though legislators appear primed to retroactively include those pay bumps in the coming budget.
HCS board members are also considering full implementation of an employee compensation study that recommended salary increases adding up to $10-14 million.
A district spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the survey’s findings.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 2:24 PM.
