Rock Hill charter school sets starting teacher pay above SC, national average.
Teachers at a Rock Hill charter school will now make a minimum of $40,000 a year.
York Preparatory Academy, a public K-12 charter school, announced Monday an increase in the starting salary of the school’s full-time, certified teachers to $40,000.
York Prep’s leaders have been developing the package, dubbed #40forall, for a year, according to a release from the school. Along with the starting pay, York Prep approved salary increases for other teachers and a retention bonus for teachers when they return in the fall.
“Nothing in education has a greater effect on student growth than the teacher in the classroom,” Brian Myrup, managing director of York Preparatory Academy said in a prepared statement. “Being that York Prep’s driving focus is to maximize each individual student’s growth as they prepare to succeed in life, we have been looking to make a significant investment into supporting and retaining dedicated teachers who are making that difference every day.”
Better pay is one issue thousands of educators highlighted during a March 1 rally at the statehouse in Columbia. Teachers also are pushing for education funding, fewer standardized tests, smaller class sizes and a voice in education policies.
At $40,000, York Prep’s starting teacher salary is above the national average of $39,249 and above the South Carolina average of $33,148, according to 2017-18 average starting teacher salaries provided by the National Education Association.
It’s likely South Carolina lawmakers will approve a four percent raise for all teachers and set the starting teacher salary at $35,000, reports The State newspaper.
State leaders have said South Carolina’s education reform bill, which aims to address problems in public schools, will not pass this year, reports The State.
