COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the first day of the 2023-2024 school year approaches for local school districts, News19 reached out to district representatives for the latest update on teacher and staffing vacancies.
WLTX posed the following questions to all Midlands school districts:
- How many positions do you have open, out of how many total employees? (Hoping to report specific numbers of vacancies and what % that represents.)
- What types of positions are you looking to fill?
- Are you offering any hiring incentives such as sign-on bonuses or the like?
- When do you hope to have all the positions filled?
- What backup plans do you have in place should you not be able to fill all the positions before the new school year?
- Are you planning any recruitment/hiring events? If so, can you share those details with us?
Here are the responses received (Note: some districts did not answer all of the questions):
Richland 1
Dr. Felicia Richardson, Richland One's Coordinator of Recruitment and Retention, responds: We have a total of 230 certified vacancies (out of over 1,900 certified positions total) and 155 support staff vacancies (out of over 2,500 total).
The district is trying to fill elementary, middle, and high school teachers, cafeteria workers, truck drivers, crossing guards, maintenance workers, custodians and more.
Not only do we offer a sign-on bonus of up to $2,000 for new teachers and support staff, we provide financial incentives for employees who remain in the district. During the 2022-2023 school year, employees who remained could receive up to $300 for retention and longevity. We also reimburse certification test fees and moving expenses for certified teachers beyond 75 miles. The Richland One Board of School Commissioners recently approved:
- A step increase for teachers and non-teaching staff.
- A 4.5% pay increase for teachers.
- A 3% pay increase for non-teachers.
* A state-mandated 25% pay increase for school bus drivers (on the State Bus Drivers Salary Schedule).
We are working diligently to fill all positions as soon as possible. We are continuously hiring qualified applicants.
We have a great pool of committed substitute teachers and instructional assistants who are very capable of providing our students with the necessary classroom support. We are also continuing to provide unique experiences for passionate professionals to become certified teachers. In addition, we provide incentives to teachers who cover additional classes. We are also working with temp agencies for positions such as custodians and cafeteria workers.
On July 20, we held a drop-in for our Project R.I.S.E. (Recruiting, Inspiring, Supporting and Educating Prospective Teachers) initiative. Project R.I.S.E is a unique experience for non-certified individuals who have a four-year degree and are seeking certification to begin teaching. Our next job fair for all positions will be held in the fall.
Richland 2
Current vacancies -- 128 certified positions and 50 support positions
Number of employees - 3,705
The district is hiring Certified classroom teachers, Instructional Assistants, Special Education Assistants, and substitute staff.
The district is offering the following incentives: $3,000 for certified teachers; $1,500 for classified staff.
The district will actively continue our recruitment efforts until all positions are filled.
And is exploring multiple options to ensure we provide quality instruction for each student.
Richland 2 is hosting:
- In-person All Positions Recruitment Fair Tuesday, August 15, 2023 - 4:30 pm-6:30 pm
- Virtual All-positions Recruitment Fair August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Kershaw County School District
Current vacancies -- 29 vacancies
Number of employees -- 806 Certified Employees (teachers and administrators)
The district has an urgent need for Middle School Math, Special Education, Psychologist and Athletic Trainer.
The district is offering the following incentive: $3,000 sign-on bonus
The district hopes to have all positions filled before the first day of school.
KCSD's Backup plan is to retain the services of retired teachers until a permanent teacher can be hired.
Lexington 1
As of July 23, 2023, Lexington One has 24 certified full-time employee positions available. The district employs 2,321 total certified employees.
Lexington One has available positions in secondary science, secondary math, secondary English and special education.
Because teachers return to the classroom on August 2 and students return on August 9, we hope to have these positions filled as soon as possible.
Lexington One has plans in place to ensure all students are served this school year, despite hiring challenges. The district is working with virtual contractors and strategically scheduling some courses.
Lexington One is currently planning recruitment and hiring events and will share those events soon.
Lexington 3
We only have two teaching vacancies in Lexington County School District Three: a Special Education teacher at B-L Elementary School and a Drama teacher at B-L High School.
Lexington 4
Lexington 4 has one teaching vacancy (social studies) that the district anticipates will be filled by the start of school.
There are also a few openings for bus drivers, and folks can apply online at www.lexington4.net
LexRich 5
The number of vacancies is constantly changing. Visit this link for a list of vacancies: https://www.applitrack.com/lex5/onlineapp/default.aspx
AS OF Friday, July 28, 2023, there are 86 positions open in LexRich5
School District Five offers a New Educator Retention Incentive Program ("NERI"). New educators with 0-2 years experience are eligible to receive $2,500 per year for up to 3 years, payable to either the employee directly or to their student loan provider.
