Schools in Charleston Co. are defying the odds when it comes to staffing

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Teacher shortages continue to be a problem across the country, but one Lowcountry school district isn’t seeing that problem – and that could be because of recent changes.

The Charleston County School District consists of approximately 3,700 teachers; However, there are currently only about 25 teaching positions available in the district. About nine of those positions are for resignations or retirements that will occur in the future, and teachers are still in the classroom in the meantime.

These numbers are impressive as school districts across the country suffer from staffing shortages.

A recent study from Brown University estimates that there are currently approximately 55,000 teaching positions nationwide and another 270,000 positions are currently filled by underqualified teachers.

These may be long-term substitutes, teachers without a teaching degree, or educators who have just graduated from school and may not yet be adequately equipped to handle a classroom on their own.

Despite the teacher shortage affecting so many districts, Charleston County is almost fully staffed, which appears to be due to the proactive measures the district is taking.

This year alone, CCSD increased teacher pay by $8,000, making it the highest salary in the state.

Charleston County School District Chief Human Resources Officer Bill Briggman says salary appears to be a common reason for these shortages, especially as the cost of living has risen significantly in many areas, but salaries don’t seem to match that. Briggman says the salary change has been extremely effective and he encourages other school districts to take similar measures to retain these teachers who have such an important job.

“We find that in many cases we are one of the highest paying counties in the Southeast, but our goal is to continue that raise because the cost of living alone here in Charleston is really high. And our new teachers can’t afford it, so we’re going to continue to focus on that,” Briggman said.

Briggman says they would like to offer their teachers a salary of $60,000 this year. He says since the raise, they’ve seen teachers delay their retirement or even return to the classroom after retirement. He says he would like to see salary changes at the state level. He believes maintaining full staffing and retaining those teachers is important for both educators and students.

“It is of course good for our teachers to keep them in the profession. We want to keep our teachers. This is the only way our students will benefit,” he says. “If we can keep the teacher workforce in the school very consistent with no turnover, it’s very important for our young people who see that to see their teachers. They know their teachers and know that they are there year after year. And we see that teachers are part of a school community, which I think is very important.”

The district also works hard to be proactive in hiring and recruiting. In preparation for this decline, they made changes to their recruiting process in 2018. That’s why Briggman has seen a big difference in staffing levels over the past two years.

This is an achievement as many studies report that these shortages began as a result of the pandemic.

The Charleston County School District launched an alternative recruiting strategy in 2018 to give graduates who may not have teaching credentials the opportunity to do so now. Briggman says her recruiting team’s efforts and these small changes have helped keep staffing levels at desired levels.

Another way the district is being proactive is through virtual hiring events. The district is hosting a Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This is to fill the few open positions but also to begin hiring for the 2026 school year. The CCSD Human Resources Department will use this event to connect teacher candidates with district administrators and human resources managers.

Those interested in participating in the virtual hiring event can register using this link.

For more information, call CCSD Human Resources at (843) 937-6380 or visit www.teachincharleston.com.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.