As South Carolina looks to address its growing teacher shortage, educators say the problem is not worsening solely because more teachers are leaving the classroom, though that is a driver.
They say fewer people becoming teachers in the first place is exacerbating the issue, leaving more than 1,100 classrooms across the state without a teacher, as of February. But a proposal moving through the South Carolina Senate aims to incentivize students to take those jobs.
Currently students who receive LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarships to attend South Carolina’s four-year, public and private colleges and universities can receive additional money while they are in school if they major in math or science.