BY DR. JENNIFER GARRETT

The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) has released its 2020-21 South Carolina (SC) Annual Educator Supply and Demand Report. Approximately 6,000 teachers from 2019-20 did not return to teach in the same district for the 2020-21 school year. This is a 10% decrease compared to the number of departures reported last year. In the report, “teachers” include classroom-based certified educators as well as other certified educators who provide instructional/support services outside the classroom.
 
Although the number of departures decreased overall, early-career resignations were more prevalent this year with 42% who had five or fewer years of SC teaching experience and 16% with one year or less. The percentages reported last year were 36% and 13%, respectively. Of the first-year teachers hired for the 2019-20 school year, 36% did not return to a teaching/service position in the same district in 2020-21. This percentage is up from 28% last year.
 
Districts reported an increase of more than 140 vacant teaching/service positions for 2020-21 compared to last year. As of October/November this year, there were about 700 vacancies in SC public schools. With the growing impact of the pandemic, it was anticipated that districts would have more difficulty filling positions this year.
 
Results from this year’s Supply and Demand Survey may not fully reflect the effects of COVID-19 on schools and districts. Many teachers may have already signed their contracts for 2020-21 when the impact of the pandemic began to be felt, potentially deterring them from resigning. Additionally, districts may have experienced more teacher departures after surveys were submitted. CERRA plans to survey district personnel directors in early 2021 to further assess how the pandemic is affecting their teacher recruitment and retention efforts. 
 
The SC Annual Educator Supply and Demand Report can be accessed on the CERRA website at https://www.cerra.org/supply-and-demand.html.​

BY DR. JENNIFER GARRETT

For a number of years the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) has been working closely with districts to better understand the reasons behind teacher departures. In May 2019, CERRA began an effort to identify the various methods districts are using to gather information about these departures. This report summarizes these findings, and outlines plans to continue exploring this topic during the 2020-21 school year. 

Readers can download the report below.​

BY TODD SCHOLL

CERRA congratulates the five finalists for 2021 SC Teacher of the Year. These five teachers are distinguished as "Honor Roll Teachers." One of them will serve a one-year residency with us at CERRA during the 2020-21 school year.

The Finalists

• Ashley Bennett, a seventh grade mathematics teacher at Woodruff Middle School
  (Spartanburg Four)

• Sarah Gams, a tenth through twelfth grade English teacher at Spring Hill High School
  (Lexington-Richland Five)
  
  
• Shawn Norris, a physical education teacher at Satchel Ford Elementary School
  (Richland One)
  
  
• Tanya Peckham, a first grade teacher at Wilder Elementary School
  (Sumter)
  
  
• Rick Whitmore, a ninth through twelfth grade Spanish teacher at York Comprehensive High School
  ​(York One)

These five teachers will play an instrumental role in developing teacher leadership throughout the state over the next year. We look forward to working with them and thank them for being outstanding ambassadors of the teaching profession.