Education empowerment through advocacy and community. 

 
Findings From SC for Ed’s “Temperature Check #2” (Retention)  

From November 2 to November 10, 2020, SC for Ed surveyed ​over 2,000 teachers and 
other school staff​ through email and multiple social media platforms. The majority of the 
responses ​(91%) were from teachers​, and these responses represented roughly ​4% of all 
current South Carolina teachers​, with survey respondents in some districts representing 
over 9% of current district teachers​. 
 
SC for Ed’s ​September “Temperature Check” Survey​ ​painted a picture of inequity and 
confusion across the state as districts responded to the COVID-19 crisis with varying 
resources and directives given by both district- and state-level leaders. Taken with those 
findings, the data from this retention survey reinforces the ​need for districts and other 
educational leaders to combat the growing teacher and staff recruitment crisis​ with 
concrete action steps based on teacher needs​. 
 
Following are some ​key findings and statistics​ from the survey data, followed by 
representative examples from the optional open-ended responses. The ​raw data from the 
survey​ can be found here: ​tinyurl.com/y6ou7y4g​. 

 
“I plan to leave the education profession” 
-22% of South Carolina School Staff Members Surveyed 

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“They need to figure out how to take something off my plate. I 
have more to do and less time to do it in. I'm exhausted!” 
-Laurens 55 
Key Findings 
1. SC districts are facing a potentially catastrophic teacher retention crisis. 
Only ​56%​ of current teachers and staff surveyed plan to​ continue in their current 
positions​ beyond this school year. ​39%​ of current teachers and staff ​plan not to 
return to their current positions​, a significant increase from the 27% who had the 
same plans during our previous survey. Almost ​7% plan to leave their current 
positions before the 2020-21 school year is over​. Over ​4% plan to take FMLA​ or 
other leave during the 2020-21 school year.   
2. Low compensation is a major driver in the decision to leave.​ ​Adding 
additional steps to the salary schedule​ was the most popular first choice among 
the options given for retaining teachers, and in the top five choices for ​65% ​of 
teachers​, while salary increases​ were the second most common first choice, with 
over ​60%​ of teachers choosing this as one of their top five choices. 
3. However, it isn’t just about money​.​ The third most common choice was ​“Treat 
staff as professionals by allowing them to make decisions about their areas of 
expertise.” ​This suggests that a major obstacle in retention is the perception by 
teachers that state, district, and school-level education leaders micromanage them 
and/ or make decisions without their input.   
4. Many who are staying are doing so for less-than-ideal reasons.​ ​A common 
refrain across many districts was some variation of, ​“I want to quit my job now, but 
I can’t afford to do so.”​ This begs an obvious question: Is it in the best interests of 
children and society for students to spend much of their time with teachers and 
school staff who feel like they are​ financial hostages​, rather than willing public 
servants? 
5. These findings mirror statewide concerns about teacher retention that 
were significant before the pandemic and which have since grown 
significantly. ​The resources at the end of this document demonstrate this trend in 
retention problems over time. As the most recent CERRA Supply and Demand 
report states, “For years, the state’s teacher supply and demand picture has been 
the same:​ more teacher departures, more vacant positions​, more teachers hired to 
fill vacancies, and not enough students enrolled in teacher preparation programs.”  
 
“I feel like I am still in high school being graded and judged on 
my teaching. I went to college, got my degree, please let me do 
my job.”   
-Beaufort 

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“We are being expected to do more than ever with less planning, 
less time, and less support. This has been my most miserable 
year teaching and many of us are seeking a quick exit.” 
-Beaufort 
 
 
District-Specific Responses  
(Representative responses from districts with 6% or more teachers responding.) 
Beaufort (6% of current teachers responding; 44% of staff planning to leave at the end of 
the year, or sooner) 
● “I taught for 16 years in NJ. I have three masters degrees in education, hold five 
different licenses, and speak three different languages. After teaching here for three 
years, ALL of the above would have to be met in order for me to return to the 
classroom. SC treats teachers like peons, and I know my worth. I will work two or 
three jobs in order to make ends meet.” 
● “Burnout is an understatement.” 
● “Frustrated teachers are done getting 17 different answers to every question. We are 
being expected to do more than ever with less planning, less time, and less support. 
This has been my most miserable year teaching and many of us are seeking a quick 
exit.” 
● “If I thought there was a chance we could receive the raise promised to us this year 
retroactively, in addition to a step increase for next year, I may consider NOT 
retiring. But because of the legislature’s decision to not give us what we deserve, 
they have already screwed with the amount of my retirement check. I think I’ll take 
what I can get and run after 28 years.” 
● “District needs to be consistent across the board. Telling me to listen to my 
principal after having attended numerous PDS from the district level that say 
something else is a waste of my time.”   
● “I might not leave next year, but I’m definitely leaving the profession in the next 
handful. Pay freeze is unacceptable.” 
● “There is a lot of micro managing that goes on in my district. It is like they don't 
trust that we are doing our job. I feel like I am still in high school being graded and 
judged on my teaching. I went to college, got my degree, please let me do my job. I 
am leaving because I want to teach children and in South Carolina I feel like I am 
doing everything BUT that.” 
 
“I might not leave next year, but I’m definitely leaving the 
profession in the next handful. Pay freeze is unacceptable.” 
-Beaufort 

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“If I had options I would be choosing to leave the field.” 
-Berkeley 
 
Berkeley County (8% of current teachers responding; 48% of staff planning to leave at 
the end of the year, or sooner) 
● “I no longer plan on remaining in the state of SC to teach because of the way 
everything has been handled.” 
● “If I [...] had options I would be choosing to leave the field.” 
● “I feel like teachers came last in our district for decisions made this year. Berkeley 
County used to be a great district to work for. These past few years [have] been very 
demoralizing at the district level. I am glad for the three board changes this 
election.” 
● “I honestly am planning to move to a district that supports me and has my same 
view, whether that be in a new state or another district in this state that is listening 
to their teachers. The school district and school board members blatantly 
disrespected teachers with their decisions this year.” 
● “Allow teachers more autonomy. Reduce the amount of political influence at the 
legislative and school board level. Science over politics!!” 
● “-Lack of Mask Mandate 
-Lack of PPE & safety guidelines 
-Lack of medical accommodations 
-Lack of time to complete paperwork (especially sped) 
-Teaching F2F & Blended simultaneously (lack of training & resources) 
-Students constantly switching pathways 
-Salary 
-**Fear of reprimand when expressing concerns” 
 
Chester (6% of current teachers responding; 39% of staff planning to leave at the end of 
the year, or sooner) 
● “Many of these things have been said by teachers for years. We go to school and 
maintain professional certificates. We should be paid and treated accordingly. For 
teachers at virtual academies there is 0 reason to not allow them to work from 
home. Seriously, I'd rather fill out an extra log than to step foot into the building. 
Though anyone with an iota of knowledge of virtual teaching would know that 
classes would be impossible to conduct[,] plan and grade for if we were not good 
stewards of our time.” 
 
“Public education is no longer the respected profession it was 
when I began.” 
-Chester 

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“Stop micromanagement from [the] district office!” 
-Darlington 
 
● “Public education is no longer the respected profession it was when I began. We lost 
respect from politicians and administrators long ago. No, it has carried over to the 
community and it is frustrating. But, I see little changing in the way of money or 
respect.” 
● “Classroom teachers should not be responsible for RTI Tier 2 students. Hire others 
to work with them and do all the paperwork that goes along with it!!” 
● “Teachers need to receive a living wage. We are professionals and starting salaries 
[should at] least be $50,000. I will be leaving my current district because I cannot 
afford rent or house payment at this time. I'll be moving back in with my parents. I 
work too hard to get paid so little.” 
● “Virtual teachers should be with the virtual school and not part of their homeschool. 
Too [many] power issues that you are stuck listening to more than one person. 
Tired of the homeschool not respecting the virtual teacher position.” 
 
Darlington (7% of current teachers responding; 33% of staff planning to leave at the end 
of the year, or sooner) 
● “Stop micromanagement from [the] district office!” 
● “As drivers we only work for about 10 months. When there is no work there is no 
pay. Cutting our hours due to the pandemic has put an extra strain on most 
households. Staying in this field make[s] it extremely hard to ever have a little extra.” 
● “Too many people telling teachers what to do from district and building level. Put 
people in schools to work with students rather than knit pick what the teachers do. 
Be a help, not a critic.” 
● “Administration needs to get off their high horse and understand what it is like now 
to teach; no matter which modality instruction is given. We want someone to 
appreciate those who do this for the right reasons.” 
● “Virtual teachers are being OVERWORKED!”  
 
Dorchester 2 (10% of current teachers responding; 35% of staff planning to leave at the 
end of the year, or sooner) 
● “My employment plan may be to get out of the classroom and work in a safer 
environment at the local or state level to get full retirement in three years. I can’t 
afford to leave at this point.” 
 
“I am so burnt out.” 
-Dorchester 2 
 

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“Step increases!” 
-Florence 1 
 
● “I am so burnt out.” 
● “Teachers deserve more after stepping up and working overtime this year to meet 
student needs.” 
 
Florence 1 (6% of current teachers responding; 47% of staff planning to leave at the end 
of the year, or sooner) 
● “I already plan on taking [leave…] and won't be returning next year. If I can't find an 
alternative way to use my certification in the year off, I may look into other school 
districts.” 
● “Step increases!!!” 
● “No one wants to work in a job not knowing what’s going to happen next or how 
many students you may get mid year.” 
● “The total lack of communication and absolutely no teacher input in decision 
making is the main thing that is making me want to leave the profession. Decisions 
are made as to what teachers are expected to do without anyone asking the 
teachers their opinion. There is no professional respect for the teachers in my 
district.”  
 
Richland 1 (6% of current teachers responding; ​34% of staff planning to leave at the end 
of the year, or sooner​) 
● “I am single and have no other options right now. My decision to return was based 
on the initial plan from my district and my schools. However, as of right now, there 
is no protective equipment in place for me or my students at either school. I AM 
STUCK!” 
● “I fear for my health based more on the carelessness of adults and being used purely 
as a planning period babysitter than I do from kids themselves. I’m required to push 
in to other people’s classrooms, where I can observe slack mask use, and I know 
there’s been no ventilation improvement.” 
● “I like my job and would continue with no problem if we weren't in this health crisis. 
I am not really comfortable with the thought of bringing more students back to the 
buildings while our disease level is still high. If I had the opportunity to secure a job 
with a safer working environment, I would take it in a minute.” 
 
“Follow the science, not the politics.” 
-Richland 1 
 

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“My decision to return was based on the initial plan from my 
district and my schools.” 
-Richland 1 
 
● “I am a 1st year teacher. I am not planning to leave, but I am looking at other 
districts to assess their teacher satisfaction.”  
● I'm a[...] teacher with many years of experience. My district cannot replace me at 
the same level of service to the students. At this point, all my district has to do to 
retain me is to follow the guidelines for re-opening that THEY set forth! Otherwise, 
they give me no choice but to go.” 
● “Stop breaking your own word on the phase-in guidelines for school reopening. 
Restore trust. Follow the science, not the politics.” 
 
Richland 2 (10% of current teachers responding; 49% of staff planning to leave at the end 
of the year, or sooner) 
● “​When will they learn that we are not easily replaceable any more?” 
● “Stop making aides always sub. Let them do what they were hired to do instead of 
treating them as in house subs.” 
● “Teachers should advocate for improvements, but keep it in perspective. So many 
are suffering right now. At least we have steady jobs and benefits!” 
● “Unless [there] is a commitment to getting teacher salaries to the national average 
we are going to continue to see teachers leave the profession. The state legislature 
and the governor have failed the teachers of South Carolina In regards to the way 
they are paid and the way they are treated. The lack of respect and investment in 
teachers in this state has cost us thousands of teachers. The teacher shortage is at a 
critical point right now. Most teachers in this state feel under appreciated and are 
under paid in comparison to their peers across the country.”   
● “We are working 2 jobs, being paid for one and additional paperwork and duties are 
being piled on. One can only take so much and I think many of us are at the 
breaking point. Love my kids but the benefits/risks are just not worth it at this 
point”  
● “While I do intend to stay at my current school, I am not happy with many of the 
decisions being made during this global pandemic and I wasn't thrilled even before 
the pandemic.” 
 
“When will they learn that we are not easily replaceable any 
more?” 
-Richland 2 

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“When great teachers are allowed to lead, great success follows! 
Please remember this and act accordingly!” 
-Richland 2 
 
 
● “I’m severely disappointed in Richland 2. Myself and many others with health 
concerns were denied actual reasonable accommodations for our safety. We are 
being forced back into classrooms to teach while covid numbers are now going back 
up. It’s also not consistent across the district about dual modalities in elementary 
schools. Some elementary schools have required staff to teach both F2F and virtual 
students and other schools have virtual teachers for every grade level. I increased 
my life insurance policy in the event I were to test positive and my health were to 
decline resulting in death. ” 
● “When great teachers are allowed to lead, great success follows! Please remember 
this and act accordingly!” 
● “Stop dumping more and more on us, especially this year!” 
● “The stress level that comes from being overworked and not compensated 
appropriately for our level of education or years of experience must be addressed. 
Do not continue to add things to a teacher's plate unless you are taking three things 
off of that plate first. 
 
“Stop referring to students and parents as customers. We are NOT a retail business, 
we are educators. Our job is to help kids learn and grow. It is not our job to make 
parents happy by inflating grades, lowering our standards for acceptable behavior in 
our classrooms (if you would not allow your own child to do something why should 
you be expected to tolerate the behavior from a student) and to guide our students 
toward the goal of being responsible, productive members of society.  
 
“Remove the micromanagement that is so suffocating to teachers in this district. 
Professional educators should be treated as professionals. We know what we are 
doing, get out of the way and let us do it.” 
 
 
“Stop dumping more and more on us, especially this year!” 
-Richland 2 
 
 
 
 

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“Ideally, I’d like to see our state standards reworked to be more 
play/experience centered and developmentally appropriate and 
see pacing guides and curriculum not followed as strictly (give 
teachers autonomy).”  
 
Further Suggestions (from the Free-Response Questions) 
● “Listen to the teachers and push back on politically motivated overtures from 
SCDOE, SC legislature and federal government. Be advocates and supporters of 
teachers and staff, and allow teachers and staff to do what's best for students and 
their own families.” 
● “Ideally, I’d like to see our state standards reworked to be more play/experience 
centered and developmentally appropriate and see pacing guides and curriculum 
not followed as strictly (give teachers autonomy).” 
● “More respect for teachers from admins and parents. Enough micromanaging us. 
We are adults.” 
● “Help with SPED paperwork. SPED teachers have to progress monitor, [create] 
progress reports, write IEP’s, attend meetings, attend to discipline, document all 
day, write lesson plans for multiple groups, attend professional development, and 
find time to teach.” 
● “They need to figure out how to take something off my plate. I have more to do and 
less time to do it in. I'm exhausted!” 
● “Minimize and/or eliminate all the unnecessary Early Childhood testing.”  
● “Allow teachers who are working remotely from home to continue to do so if they 
desire.”  
● “District office needs to be helpful, approachable and supportive. They are so far 
removed from what is happening and how to teach. The expectations are 
unreasonable, unsupportive and demeaning.” 
 
“The expectations are unreasonable, unsupportive and 
demeaning.” 
 
 
 
 
 

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“More importantly, the number of teachers who leave the 
classroom each year remains extremely high. For that and 
many other reasons, continued support for educators and their 
profession is essential in this state.” 
- CERRA Supply and Demand Report 
 
Conclusions 
South Carolina has had a teacher retention problem for years, especially since the 
2007-2008 recession, as teacher wages, adjusted for inflation, never recovered from the 
austerity measures put in place at that time, with wages in real dollars falling 6% in the 
years between 1999 and 2017 (see NCES data on inflation-adjusted wages in the “Related 
Resources” below). However, the pandemic has clearly both intensified the existing 
retention problem and added new problems. The South Carolina House of Representatives' 
failure to pass a new budget at the end of the last legislative session resulted in a 
continuation of salary freezes, and left poorer districts with fewer financial options, while 
the Superintendent of Education has reportedly made some federal CARES aid contingent 
upon offering face-to-face options, even amid spiking COVID case numbers throughout the 
state. With many candidates who have supported increased educational funding and 
research-supported reform efforts defeated in the 2020 election, it is now likely up to 
districts to find ways to retain staff. A failure to do so will intensify the crowded 
classrooms and loss of talent that have characterized the last decade. Students and school 
staff deserve better. 
 
Related Resources 
● CERRA “Supply and Demand Report 2019-20”.  
● “Dozens of Charleston-area teachers resign amid pandemic. Advocates fear more 
will follow.” (​Post and Courier​) 
● “Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary 
schools, by state: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2016-17” (NCES) 
● “South Carolina teacher shortage faces another hurdle: COVID resignations” (ABC 
4 News) 
● South Carolina 2020 Report Card Data (see “Classroom Environment” Tab for the 
number of teachers who returned from the previous year at each school) 
The ​raw data from the survey​ can be found here: ​tinyurl.com/y6ou7y4g 
 
Be advocates and supporters of teachers and staff, and allow 
teachers and staff to do what's best for students and their own 
families.”  
-Laurens 55  

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