COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina lawmakers are trying to fill record teacher shortages by drawing new talent into the classroom.
Cristy Kissell was a forensic scientist for more than 20 years before she became a high school teacher in York County.
“When it came to wanting to maybe move into something different, I felt like I'd already done and loved teaching," said Kissell.
With her new career, came a $15,000 pay cut.
“I kind of had to start over from year zero as a first-year teacher here in South Carolina," said Kissell.
A bill sponsored by Senator Tom Young would give teachers like Kissell an instant and big boost in salary.
Under the measure, teachers who previously worked for at least five years in another field would be paid based on their total years of related experience.
"I have several friends who teach in North Carolina who came out of careers and then moved into teaching, but chose to go to North Carolina because they would start at a much higher pay scale because they are given time for that," said Kissell.
The proposal wouldn't provide back pay for a current teacher with prior experience, but it would allow existing educators with non-teacher experience to request a pay bump equal to their total work experience.
“When I was a high school principal, I had one career changer in my building was all that I had, you know, today in that same size, high school, you would probably have a dozen," said Kershaw County Superintendent Harrison Goodwin.
Goodwin supports the bill, as the district will need at least 80 teachers next year. The teacher shortage in South Carolina is at an all-time high – more than 1,400 unfilled jobs statewide at the beginning of the school year.
"I wish this was just the silver bullet for the teacher shortage, but it's just gonna be one other little piece that we could use," said Goodwin.
For Kissell, the reward of teaching isn't all about the money, but the impact she's making on students.
“I feel like I'm sort of helping to train up the next generation of those scientists," said Kissell.
The State Department of Education indicates that at least 8,000 educators who obtained an alternative certification are likely to have eligible prior experience.
In this year's proposed budget, public schools would get at least $260 million more than the year before. The proposed budget also would raise teacher pay by $2,500. That would bring starting pay in the state to $42,500.
The National Educators Association ranked South Carolina #42 in the country for average starting teacher salary.