S.C.’s education system in critical need of pay raises under consideration by House

Support teacher raises

My thanks to our state Rep. Lee Hewitt and the other members of the House Ways and Means Committee for including significant raises for teachers in the House budget bill.

The committee voted to increase the minimum teacher salary across all levels by $4,000 and raise the starting salary from $36,000 to $40,000.

As someone who spent 32 years in the Georgetown County School District as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent, I have a great respect for teachers and the difficulties of their responsibilities, especially during a pandemic.

South Carolina and county districts are facing an unprecedented teacher shortage, which hurts our students. Better pay will help attract and retain teachers.

Teachers and classroom instruction are of the utmost importance in delivering a quality education to our children.That’s why a higher percentage of our education dollars needs to be spent in the classroom, not on administration.

Again, my thanks to Rep. Hewitt. It’s my hope that these needed pay increases for teachers are ultimately passed in the state budget.

Jon Tester, Pawleys Island

Genius?

Former President Trump has stated Putin’s military crossing the Ukraine border as “genius”!

While he calls Putin’s action “genius,” the UN and nearly every world leader has condemned the invasion.

Only an autocratic mentality would call a despicable action of war “genius.”

Calvin Jordan, Beaufort

Save a life

Emergencies don’t take vacations. They don’t even take off nights and weekends.

Last year alone, the Eastern S.C. Chapter of the Red Cross of South Carolina responded to nearly 300 local disasters, including home fires – assisting 965 people by distributing more than $215,000 in direct financial assistance following local disasters.

Additionally, the Eastern S.C. Chapter collected more than 20,000 units of lifesaving blood, made more than 360 homes safer through educational visits, and served over 700 active duty military, veterans and their families through emergency communications.

On behalf of those we serve, we thank everyone who makes our life saving work possible here in Eastern South Carolina, across the country and around the world.

You can join these local heroes in their commitment during our Red Cross Month celebration by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation, schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets, become a Red Cross volunteer or take a class to learn lifesaving skills like CPR and first aid.

William Barefoot, Eastern Chapter Board chair, Myrtle Beach

Unhappy with POTUS

State of the Union?

1) China?

2) Why are we buying Russian oil when we have our own?

3) Why should we not finish the wall?

5) Gas prices are unacceptable.

6) Green energy? We need solutions not rhetoric.

7) Our withdrawal from Afghanistan projected weakness and that is why Putin pounced.

9) “Job gains” are reemployment from jobs lost.

10) State of the Union? November’s coming.

Steve Quick, Hilton Head