PRESS RELEASE
South Carolina Office of the Governor
David M. Beasley - Governor
For Immediate Release:  September 8, 1998
Contact:  Gary Karr (803) 734-9840
 
GOVERNOR UNVEILS NEW EDUCATION PROPOSAL

(Columbia) -- Governor David M. Beasley today unveiled a new nine-point education plan designed to take South Carolina’s schools to the next level and build on the successes of this year’s Accountability Act.
The plan focuses attention on teaching, including new incentives for the best teachers, high standards for incoming teachers and competency testing for teachers who have yet to measure up.
“It only makes sense: if we’re going to expect more from our students, they must have teachers who are capable of raising that bar,” the Governor said at today’s news conference.
The Governor’s plan:

1. New teachers must score at the 50th percentile on the PRAXIS II in order to become certified. The Governor encouraged the state Board of Education to “hold firm” on the proposed new standard.

2. Principals should have the ability to require teachers who are struggling to take the PRAXIS II test. Those who do not score at the 50th percentile would have to undergo a three-year professional growth plan. Local schools would retain their current power to remove teachers from the classroom.

3. All teachers will be paid at the national average if they score at the 50th percentile on the PRAXIS II test. The Governor calls on all teachers to voluntarily take the test so they can earn this reward for excellence.

4. South Carolina’s colleges and universities should reshape their teacher training programs to bring them in line with the new standards.

5. The Commission on Higher Education should strengthen performance indicators to measure how education graduates are meeting the higher standards.

6. The South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment at Winthrop University should come up with a plan within the next 90 days to recruit the best teachers and attract the best students into teaching. The emphasis should be on the critical areas of science, math and computer technology.

7. The governor pledges to put a computer in every classroom, using the Capital Reserve Fund and this year’s surplus to begin to accomplish this task.

8. For safe, calm schools, the Governor pledges to put a school resource officer in every middle school, junior high and high school that wants one.

9. The state Superintendent of Education should be appointed, rather than elected. The Governor believes that to make the state’s Chief Executive fully accountable for education, he or she should have the power to appoint the Superintendent. Governor Beasley asks the General Assembly to approve a constitutional amendment to accomplish that task.
 

 The Governor’s education package is designed to bring new standards to the teaching profession, with the goal of rewarding the best teachers and finding out who is struggling.
“Doctors and lawyers have to meet basic standards throughout their careers. So when it comes to our children, why shouldn’t teachers?” the Governor said.
The incentive for scoring at the 50th percentile – raising pay to the national average – would mean an increase of about $6,000 a year to the average South Carolina teacher.
“Everyone’s goal here is the same, and that’s academic excellence,” the Governor said. “To improve the quality of schools, we must improve the quality of teaching. You can’t have one without the other.”

 

 

Remarks by Governor David M. Beasley

Teacher Quality Plan News Conference

September 8, 1998

Note: The Governor sometimes deviates from text.

Good afternoon, and thanks for coming.

Over the last 20 years, we’ve all been reading the same headlines year after year: SC is lagging the nation in SAT scores.

Believe me, I hate those stories just as much as you do. But for the first time in a long time, I think a lot of us looked at those numbers…and had a glimmer of hope.

Because with the support of visionary leaders in the General Assembly --Republicans and Democrats alike working together – we’ve been implementing landmark reforms at every level of education.

When it comes to financial resources, we’re putting our money in the right place. A recent report showed per-pupil spending is up, and that money is going to the classroom instead of the administration building.

But it's about more than dollars. That's why we made our most criticial breakthrough with the Accountability Act of 1998.

It took us two years to make it law, but now we’re finally implementing standards in schools: rigorous, world-class, back to basic standards…for every student in every school in every grade.

Not only that, but we’re testing to those standards, and then reporting back to parents on how their schools are performing.

Parents, after all, are a child’s first and most important teacher. And the direction of a child’s education is ultimately up to them.

But we’re looking to ways that we, as a state, can support parents in their role.

The starting point for reform had to be the higher standards…but all the reforms in the world won’t do us a bit of good if we don’t have quality teachers in the classroom. So today we’re turning our attention to those who will teach to those standards.

It only makes sense: if we’re going to expect more from our students, they must have teachers who are capable of raising that bar.

So today I’m proud to announce our plan for maintaining, recruiting and supporting the highest quality teachers all across South Carolina.

But before I get into the details of the plan, let me just make one point very clear.

We’ve got some of the best schools in the nation, and the vast majority of our teachers are good and honorable with impeccable academic credentials.

At Chapin High School, for example, their SAT scores topped the national average this year…as did Dreher, Irmo, Palmetto High in Anderson, Johnsonville High.

And schools like Estill High and Blackville-Hilda High saw huge gains.

Every day, educators are going to heroic lengths in the classrooms of this state.

Our challenge is to make sure that every classroom has a top-notch teacher. And we want to reward them like they’ve never been rewarded in our state’s history.

But we also have to take a stand when it comes to teachers who aren’t performing. We simply must provide a mechanism for finding the struggling teachers and getting them up to par.

So today, our plan for boosting teacher quality has nine points that boil down to this: we must test our teachers…and pay our teachers…so we can attract the best teachers capable of taking South Carolina students to the next level.

First, we want new teachers to be ready to teach at a more rigorous level.
As you know, the State Board of Education will vote soon whether to raise the standard for new teachers entering the system. Instead of having to be better than just 5% of their peers, they’ll have to test at the 50th percentile to become a teacher.

I want to encourage the Board to hold firm. We need those higher standards.

But what about the 42,000 teachers already working in South Carolina classrooms? Can we afford to wait through 30 years of attrition…before we can finally guarantee parents there’s a qualified teacher in their child’s classroom? I say no.

For every teacher not performing, we want principals to be able to require them to take the new competency exam, called the PRAXIS II.
If they don’t meet the 50th percentile, they will undergo a three-year professional growth plan to help get them where they need to be.

But there are plenty of great teachers out there who can pass the test with flying colors…and we want to pay them what they’re worth. So I'm calling on all teachers to voluntarily take the Praxis II test. If they pass, we'll raise their salary to the national average....and that’s about a $6,000 raise for the typical South Carolina teacher.

This is about rewarding good teachers. And it’s about helping those few teachers who are below-par, and getting them on the path to success.

Furthermore, I’m calling on our colleges and universities to reshape their education programs so graduates meet the new higher certification standards.

And we want the Commission on Higher Education to strengthen the performance indicators to measure how many education graduates are meeting the higher standards.

I am asking the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment at Winthrop University to come up with a plan within the next 90 days for recruiting the best teachers and attracting the best students into the teaching profession. We’re especially targeting the critical areas of science, math and computer technology.

To support teachers in their work, we’re also looking to put a computer in every classroom.

And we want to put a school resource officer in every middle school, junior high, and high school that wants one.

And last but not least, you’ve heard me say it before, and I’ll say it again. Let’s make the Department of Education a Cabinet agency and the superintendent a position appointed by the Governor.

I want the buck to stop here. But I can’t fully do the job…and you can’t fully hold me accountable…until you give me the tools to make it work.

Everyone’s goal here is the same: and that’s academic excellence.

To improve the quality of schools, we must improve the quality of teaching. You can’t have one without the other.

So this is our plan to reward strong teachers…to help teachers who are struggling…and to make the teaching profession attractive again.

But most importantly, this is our chance to give our children teachers who challenge, encourage, inspire…and who are truly capable of giving the next generation a world-class education.

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