(Columbia, SC) — Beginning this school year, public schools across South Carolina will have the option to hire noncertified teachers under a new state law designed to help ease the state’s ongoing teacher shortage.
The legislation, approved unanimously by the General Assembly earlier this year, establishes a five-year pilot program that allows school districts to employ teachers who do not hold traditional teaching certificates—provided they meet specific qualifications.
To be eligible, individuals must hold a bachelor’s or graduate degree in the subject they intend to teach and have at least five years of relevant work experience. These teachers must also enroll in a state-approved educator certification program within three years of being hired if they wish to continue teaching beyond that point. All participants must pass required background checks, and individuals with revoked or suspended certificates are not eligible.
“We are trying to look at any strategy that will get qualified people into the teacher workforce pipeline,” said Senate Education Committee Chair Greg Hembree, R–Horry, who initially proposed the idea several years ago. He noted that other states have adopted similar measures, although with mixed results.
Education advocates say South Carolina’s version includes more safeguards than programs in other states. “This is not a noncertified teacher program that we’ve seen in states like Texas and Utah and Oklahoma that basically just dropped all credentials and all requirements and said anybody with a high school diploma can teach. Those states are now walking that back,” said Patrick Kelly with the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
Districts are not required to participate in the program, and those that do may only fill up to 10 percent of their teaching positions with noncertified educators.
While the pilot is not expected to fully resolve the teacher shortage, lawmakers believe it could offer some relief. “Ultimately, if we can find one unicorn, and that means that one more classroom of students has a highly qualified teacher in a classroom that otherwise would’ve been vacant, then if that moves the needle for those 25 to 30 students, I think it’s worth trying a five-year pilot to see if it works,” Kelly added.
The law mandates the State Board of Education to create guidelines for implementation. The South Carolina Department of Education confirmed that those guidelines are currently being developed and are not yet finalized.
Unless extended by lawmakers, the pilot program is set to end in 2030.
