Bill aim to fix SC teacher contracts, reduce the loading requirements – WIS NEWS 10

Columbia, SC (WIS) – Every year, thousands of teachers in South Carolina public schools sign their contracts for the next school year, without knowing how much they will be paid, what subjects they will teach or where they will work.

This uncertainty is at the top of the loading documents that are required to complete, and other mandate working conditions that teachers say they need to change if they will remain in the classroom.

A bill proposed to deal with many of these concerns is again progressing in the State House of South Carolina.

“The policies in this bill can significantly improve the recruitment of teachers, and especially the detention in South Carolina,” says Patrick Kelly of the Palmeto State Teachers Association.

PSTA, the biggest group for intercession of teachers in South Carolina, said the “Law on Teachers Assistance” is its primary priority among all bills that have already been filed at this legislative session.

The bill would reduce the amount of documents and the administrative burdens that teachers are required to complete, including by creating an automatic re -certification for active teachers.

This would achieve this by allowing professional development managed by the area to be reported to continuing education that teachers should renew their teaching certificate.

“It is time to let teachers have some of these very simple things that don’t mean much to people unless you are,” said reporter Shannon Erickson, R – Beaufort and chairman of the Education and Public Professional Committee, during a meeting time of the Commission on Wednesday.

The Law on Supporting Teachers will also reform the process of their contract.

Teachers are currently obliged to sign their contracts in mid -May for the next school year, and the binding agreement does not include information about what they will teach or the school where they will work.

These contracts also lack a language that guarantees how much they will make, as the state budgets are the local regional budgets that affect-usually have not yet been finalized until the date of signing the contract.

Teachers who violate their contract risk their license being suspended for one year.

“We ask teachers to sign a contract, which is generally empty. I do not know another profession about the fact that someone would take this job, but the teachers are so dedicated that they will trust and sign these contracts and do the job, and they will be there, “Erickson, a leading sponsor from bilateral legislation, said S

Erickson’s bill will require the areas to notify teachers of their job assignment no later than 14 days before the start of the school year and any re -approval will need the approval of the local school board.

This will also require areas to include an estimated minimum wage in the teachers’ contracts, which they will still have to sign in mid -May.

The bill will also give teachers without meetings at the beginning of the school year to prepare their classrooms before students return, and this will create a process of retired teachers to maintain their certificates active if they want to return to the class room.

“This bill enables teachers and gives them stability in the classroom and in their professional development,” said reporter Hamilton Grant, D – Richland, on Wednesday, before the Committee on Education and Public Professionals in the Chamber to improve the bill unanimously.

The legislation is now heading for the floor of the House of Representatives, where it will expect a debate.

Such legislation has been adopted in the House in previous years, but has never been adopted in the Senate.

But Erickson is an optimist who will change this year, referring to the cooperation that came into the creation of this new version of groups, including teachers, school districts, the Ministry of Education in South Carolina and even the State Chief of Education Ellen Weaver, for whom Erickson said he supported the bill.

“I think this is quite close to being a really pleasant, huge step forward to giving the initial respect of teachers when they make contracts, the time of respect when they prepare their classrooms, and then their continuing education,” Erickson said S

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