Increased teacher pay could bring Greenville County starting pay to over $44K

Alexis Hamilton, Greenville News
·2 min read
Greenville County School District Administrative Center

Greenville County Schools teachers are one step closer to receiving a $2,000 salary raise.

In the first reading of the proposed FY 23 General Fund Budget, Greenville County School Administration included a $2,000 increase to "every cell on the GCS teacher salary schedule."

An additional $2,000 means entry-level teacher pay will go up to $44,515, one of the highest starting salaries for public school teachers in the state.

Education news: Greenville County Schools staff making $150K or more has tripled. Here's why.

This comes after Gov. Henry McMaster proposed increasing minimum teacher salaries across the state to $38,000 per year in January as part of a plan to rework the state's education funding formulas.

Because 52 school districts, including Greenville County Schools and districts in Anderson and Spartanburg counties, already pay above the proposed minimum salary, they are not required to increase the salaries and have the option to decide how they want to use the funding.

Related: McMaster proposes education funding overhaul, increased staff pay, improve transparency

The focus on starting salaries and salaries for existing employees is to address both inflation and to help recruitment and retention efforts needed to ensure a viable workforce for the growing student population.

Last year, the Greenville school board approved a $1,000 raise, boosting the teacher pay to a minimum salary of $42,515.

The proposed budget is estimated at $789,524,000 and is scheduled for a second and final reading on June 6.

A few other expenditures in the budget include:

  • Minimum entry-level pay for any district jobs at $15.00/hour

  • Final step of a multi-step process to move bus driver salary schedule to two rates

  • Addressing the internal inequities of principal pay and external competitiveness of assistant principal pay

  • Funding to meet the required employer costs related to healthcare and retirement for employees

  • Funding to further enhance school security measures

Alexis Hamilton is a Beaufort, SC native covering higher education in the Upstate. Reach her at 727-514-5734 or ahamilton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County Schools teachers could see pay increase