H 3621 General Bill, By Allen, Bales, Battle, Bowers, Breeland, J. Brown, 
T. Brown, Emory, M. Hines, Howard, Inabinett, Jennings, Kennedy, Littlejohn, 
Maddox, McCraw, W. McLeod, Miller, Moody-Lawrence, J.H. Neal, Parks, Phillips, 
Rutherford, Scott, Simrill, J. Smith and Tripp
 A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 59-20-50, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
 1976, RELATING TO STATE AND LOCAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE EDUCATION FINANCE ACT
 AND THE MINIMUM REQUIRED TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT
 BEGINNING WITH FISCAL YEAR 1999-2000, THE MINIMUM REQUIRED TEACHER SALARY
 SCHEDULE MUST BE ADJUSTED TO BE AT THE NATIONAL RATHER THAN THE SOUTHEASTERN
 AVERAGE.

   02/25/99  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-25
   02/25/99  House  Referred to Committee on Ways and Means HJ-25

TO AMEND SECTION 59-20-50, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO STATE AND LOCAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE EDUCATION FINANCE ACT AND THE MINIMUM REQUIRED TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT BEGINNING WITH FISCAL YEAR 1999-2000, THE MINIMUM REQUIRED TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE MUST BE ADJUSTED TO BE AT THE NATIONAL RATHER THAN THE SOUTHEASTERN AVERAGE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 59-20-50(4) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 497 of 1994, is further amended to read:

"(4)(a) Each school district shall pay each certified teacher or administrator an annual salary at least equal to the salary stated in the statewide minimum salary schedule for the person's experience and class. No teacher or administrator employed in the same position, over the same time period, shall receive less total salary, including any normal incremental increase, than that teacher or administrator received for the fiscal year before the implementation of this article.

(b) The state minimum salary schedule must be based on the state minimum salary schedule index in effect as of July 1, 1984. In Fiscal Year 1985, the 1.000 figure in the index is $14,172. (This figure is based on a 10.27% increase pursuant to the South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984.) Beginning with Fiscal Year 1986 1999-2000, the 1.000 figure in the index must be adjusted on a schedule to stay at the southeastern national average as projected by the Division of Research and Statistical Services and provided to the Budget and Control Board and General Assembly during their deliberations on the annual appropriations bill. The southeastern national average teacher salary is the average of the average teachers' salaries of the southeastern fifty states. In projecting the southeastern national average, the division shall include in the South Carolina base teacher salary all local teacher supplements and all incentive pay. Under this schedule, school districts are required to maintain local salary supplements per teacher no less than their prior fiscal level. In Fiscal Year 1986 and thereafter teacher pay raises through adjustments in the state's minimum salary schedule may be provided only to teachers who demonstrate minimum knowledge proficiency by meeting one of the following criteria:

(1) holding a valid professional certificate;

(2) having a score of 425 or greater on the Commons Examination of the National Teachers Examinations;

(3) meeting the minimum qualifying score on the appropriate area teaching examination; or

(4) meeting the minimum standards on the basic skills examinations as prescribed by the State Board of Education provided in Section 59-26-20."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.