For more than a century, The SCEA members have joined together with families and community leaders to advocate for our students and our public schools.
And along the way, we’ve accomplished quite a bit.
Take a look at what we can do together when we use our collective power to speak up for students and educators.
The 21st Century
2023
Pay Increases for Educators
Budget proviso 1.3 includes a $2500 increase to the minimum salary schedule, bringing starting educator salary to $42,500 in 2023! The budget also increases State Aid to Classrooms from $4,895 per pupil to $5,377 per pupil.
2023
Paid Parental Leave for School Employees
Unanimous passage of H.3908 provides six weeks of paid parental leave to a school employee who gives birth or is "primarily responsible for furnishing the care" of an adopted child; also provides two weeks of paid leave for a parent who did not give birth and two weeks of paid leave at the start of a foster placement.
2022
Duty-free lunch back on the menu
Unanimous passage of a 30 minute duty-free break for elementary & special education educators through S.946—the first state-guaranteed unencumbered time of any kind passed in decades!
2022
Minimum educator salary, bus driver pay, and supply checks increased
The higher of two raise proposals adopted in budget proviso 1.3, increasing the minimum teacher starting salary $40,000. Increased Bus Driver salary by 3% in 2022 budget proviso 117.149. Increase of the Teacher Supply checks to $300 in budget proviso 1A.9. However, as not all educators and school staff were guaranteed a raise, the fight for the pay members deserve continues!
2022
Voucher schemes stopped in their tracks
Defeat of Private School Vouchers. Fought voucher schemes like S.935 and H.4879 all session long and won final defeat at the last hour through bipartisan agreement.
2022
Defeat of anti-truth censorship bills
Defeat of anti-truth censorship bills H.5183, H.4325, H.4343, H.4392, H.4799, and H.4605 and anti-truth censorship amendments to S.945. Members of The SCEA and ProTruthSC coalition partners across the state united to fight for truth and honesty in education. After many battles, we ensured this legislation didn’t pass into law in any form.
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