South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s budget for next fiscal year calls for pay raises for teachers and an increase in funds for transportation projects. In the proposed budget, released Friday, McMaster called for a $2,500 increase in starting pay for teachers, which would bring it to $42,500.
McMaster also wants to give teachers a $2,500 retention bonus that would be paid out in December and May as an incentive for teachers not to leave the profession, especially in the middle of the year. The budget also calls for an additional $27.3 million to hire 188 additional school resource officers and $3.5 million to build a facility to train them.
The budget would also provide an additional $850 million in funds for road, bridge and other transportation projects as well as a $2,500 signing bonus for new state employees.
The South Carolina General Assembly returns next week and budget discussions start later this month.