South Carolina Teachers Salary Presented by: The SCEA SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON TEACHING NOVEMBER 5, 2015 THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching Good Afternoon, I am Bernadette Hampton, President of The SC Education Association Along with me today is Roger Smith, Executive Director of The SC Education Association Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today We would like to present some data and recommendations to the Select Committee today THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching Currently SC teachers are paid less than their colleagues in other states, both on a national and regional basis Teaching must be viewed as a career choice that allows educators to live and raise families in the communities they serve Teacher’s starting salary must be comparable to that of other college graduates who have similar education, training, and responsibility Economic Policy Institute Report – released in 2011, teachers’ earnings have decreased from a nearly 15% advantage over comparable professionals in 1960, to a 13% disadvantage in 2000 SC teachers earned approximately 17% less per week than their counterparts with similar education (Allegretto, Corcoran & Mishel – 2011, The Teaching Penalty, Economic Policy Institute) THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching SC salaries are below average nationally and regionally SC’s average starting teacher salary of $32,389 ranks 39 th nationally and 10 th out of 12 of the southeastern states SC ranks 30 th at $50,751 in the nation for average maximum bachelor’s degree and 6 th in the southeastern states SC ranks 36 th at $36,967 in starting salaries for teachers who hold a master’s degree nationally and 8 th out of 12 in the southeastern states SC ranks 33 rd at $57,331 in the nation for average maximum masters degree salary and 6 th in the southeastern states THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching SC ranks highest (18 th nationally at $70,055) for the highest salary offered, usually for teachers who hold a PhD It takes more than 25 years of experience for most teachers to reach this highest salary in any of the schedule lanes Earning it only in the last years of their career In other words a teacher must work a complete career to reach the highest possible salary With starting and early career salaries being so low, teachers end up earning less over their career than their counterparts, such as, engineers, chemists, biologists, nurses, etc., in professions requiring comparable education, skills, etc. THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching SC teacher salary increases have been minimal - not keeping up with increases in the Consumer Price Index since until 2013–2014 SC new teachers have lost 4.9% of their earnings SC experienced teachers holding a bachelor’s degree are seeing a 4.2% loss in earnings SC teachers holding a master’s degree lost 5.1% of their earning power SC teachers being paid at the highest master’s degree level are losing 3% of their earning power And the highest paid teachers n SC are still losing 4% of their earning power According to a report released by the Center for American Progress, Boser and Strauss, 2014, 16.1% nationally and 12.6% of SC teachers hold second jobs THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching South Carolina Salary Schedule Benchmarks Versus Inflation Over Time Year Avg BA Min Avg BA Max Avg MA Min Avg MA Max Avg Max $32,388$50,751$36,967$57,331$70, $32,306$50,484$36,999$57,151$69, $31,685$49,383$36,143$55,899$68, $31,656$49,154$36,115$55,628$67, $31,764$49,214$36,251$55,710$67, $31,706$49,344$36,270$55,114$67, $30,507$47,214$34,995$53,756$65,473 Change in average salary over 5 years2.2%2.9%1.9%4.0%3.1% Change in CPI-U from Sept Sept % Loss due to Inflation-4.9%-4.2%-5.1%-3.0%-4.0% Source: NEA Salary Database, U.S Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching After being hit hard by the “Great Recession” SC’s economy is again moving forward The state’s unemployment rate is close to the the national average While SC is one of the top states for doing business (#3 in the nation according to one survey released in October) SC also ranks as having the 7 th worst quality of life of any state in an October survey by the World Bank SC is spending 15.7% less per pupil in FY 2014 than it did in FY 2008 Only five other states have overseen a larger drop in per pupil funding than SC THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching Local public schools are often referred to as the heart of SC’s rural communities A Wall Street Journal article called local schools in rural areas “the Best Business in Town” The Wall Street Journal articles notes that, in addition to their main mission of educating students, local public schools also function as “business” – clean low-pollution industries, providing good jobs to local workers and supporting the local economy Studies have found that public school spending in rural communities has a particularly strong effect because, in the near term, that spending is high labor intensity, high local purchase intensity, and a relatively high share of the local economy In the long term education spending is: a key source of labor productivity; a source of regional competiveness; and a major indicator of regional quality of life THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that for each dollar in state aid to local communities raised property values by $20, suggesting that residents and potential residents see significant value in local public school spending At a time when most families require two incomes to survive – teachers’ jobs, particularly in rural communities, often provide the stable source of income that allows the non-teacher spouse, often a farmer or small business owner, to continue in the business even during economic downturns Teacher pay determines a local school district’s ability to attract and retain high quality teachers and staff THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching How might SC go about implementing a new teacher salary system? Recommendation 1 – Increase the state minimum salary schedule to a $40,000 starting salary Recommendation 2 – School districts should collaborate with teacher associations to consider ways to of strengthening teachers pay including local salary supplements to ensure recruitment and retention of teachers Recommendation 3 - Make a long-term commitment with sustainable and appropriate funding source(s) to make SC’s teachers’ pay competitive with rest of the US and comparable professions Recommendation 4 - Provide quality mentoring and support for induction teachers and quality and targeted professional development to meet the needs of teachers THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Senate Select Committee on Teaching Thank you for the opportunity to present to the Committee. Any questions? THE SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION