A house RESOLUTION

 

TO HONOR THE FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CENTER FOR EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND ADVANCEMENT (CERRA) IN RECOGNITION OF ITS IMPACT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND ITS COMMITMENT TO ADVANCE EDUCATION THROUGH RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS, AND TO PROCLAIM MARCH 24, 2026, AS "CERRA RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

 

Whereas, in 1985, the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA), then known as the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment (SCCTR), was established to address the growing teacher shortage; and

 

Whereas, CERRA's pilot program, Teacher Cadets, started in just four high schools but is now in 163 high schools in 70 of South Carolina's 75 school districts; and Pro Team, a middle school program grown from the success of Teacher Cadets, is in 57 middle schools in the state; and

 

Whereas, CERRA's South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program, which was founded in 1999, provides a fellowship to over 800 South Carolina college students at fourteen institutions of higher learning and boasts an 80% graduation rate and approximately 3,000 graduates who have served as classroom teachers in our South Carolina public school classrooms; and

 

Whereas, CERRA's service programs provide both required mentor training and additional support for mentor and induction programs, facilitate National Board Certification for teachers and districts, and host the South Carolina Teacher Forum which promotes leadership development among the District Teachers of the Year; and

 

Whereas, CERRA authors the annual Supply and Demand Report that informs statewide education policy, participates in multiple working groups and collaborative initiatives with education stakeholders, hosts the statewide Online Educator Employment System, and maintains ongoing partnerships with South Carolina's colleges, universities, and school districts; and

 

Whereas, the fortieth anniversary of CERRA is a momentous occasion to reflect upon the past, celebrate the present, and look to the future with both hope and determination to advance education in our State and to recognize that CERRA has become integral to the state's education system. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor the fortieth anniversary of the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) in recognition of its impact on public education in South Carolina and its commitment to advance education through recruitment and retention efforts, and proclaim March 24, 2026, as "CERRA's Recognition and Celebration Day" in South Carolina.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the Executive Director of CERRA, Dr. Lindsay Yearta, Ph.D.

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