State of South Carolina
Office of the Governor
David M. Beasley
Governor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gary Karr
August 13, 1998 803/734-9840
GOVERNORS STATEMENT ON TEACHER STANDARDS
(Columbia) -- Governor David M. Beasley today issued the following statement on the state Board of Educations endorsement of higher standards for teachers:
I commend the action of Dr. Nielsen and the state board for endorsing a higher standard for teachers in South Carolina. We are working together to improve the quality of our schools, and this move will help improve the quality of teaching. We have many highly qualified teachers about to enter the classroom, and those soon-to-be teachers have nothing to fear by a higher standard because they will meet it easily. But we cannot talk about improving schools if we have a testing standard that gives a passing grade to teachers who score worse than 95 percent of their peers.
During the last two years, we have raised teacher pay above the Southeastern average for the first time in our states history. We are reducing class sizes and putting clear, back-to-basic, rigorous academic standards into the classroom. Yesterdays vote is another step in the right direction, and I urge the board to give it final approval next month.
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