A group of South Carolina teachers organized on social media is asking all teachers to take a day off during the middle of the week this week and march on the State House in Columbia.
In a statement, the group says a 4% raise for teachers in this year's proposed budget is not enough. They also are upset the General Assembly has not passed proposals to reduce class sizes, guarantee teachers at least a short break without students and add social workers and counselors. “After nearly a year of engaging with policy makers, we have reached a point where educator voices have fallen on deaf ears,” SCforED wrote in an official statement. “This inaction continues to compound the current issues of teacher recruitment and retention.”
At least one SC school district is canceling class on Wednesday. Chester County School District officials say that many teachers asked for the day off, so they will close schools on May 1 and make up the missed day at the end of the year. No word on how many teachers are expected to be out of school that day from Greenville or Spartanburg school districts.
Lawmakers in Columbia are working on a plan to give teachers a daily 30-minute break and eliminate at least three state-required social studies and science tests.
A similar rally is planned for North Carolina on Wednesday also, where a number of the state's larger school districts have canceled classes.