Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

 

Committee Report

February 12, 2025

 

S. 78

 

Introduced by Senators Hembree, Young and Zell

 

S. Printed 2/12/25--S.

Read the first time January 14, 2025

 

________

 

The committee on Senate Education

To whom was referred a Bill (S. 78) to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 59-25-60 so as to provide that an individual's prior work experience may be awarded on an initial teaching, etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:

 

    Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 59-25-60(A), (B), (C), and (D) and inserting:

    (A) When reviewing an application by an individual for an educator certificate, the State Department of Education shall award years of experience on the educator certificate for non-teaching occupational experience in, or related to, the content field of the certificate for which the individual qualifies. One year of experience credit may be awarded for every two years of full-time relevant work occupational experience completed by the individual. Years of experience shall be awarded solely for the purpose of advancement on the teacher salary schedule. Except for individuals seeking work-based certification, educator experience credit and relevant occupational experience eligible for educator experience credit must have been earned after the conferral of a bachelor's degree from a college or university meeting State Board of Education accreditation requirements. To be eligible for years of experience on the educator certificate, the individual must complete and submit a verification of relevant work occupational experience form developed by the State Department of Education with the application for an educator certificate.

    (B) Individuals who entered the teaching profession prior to July 1, 2025, with non-teaching occupational experience in, or related to, the content field of their teaching certificate may complete and submit the verification of relevant work occupational experience form to the State Department of Education to have additional years of experience added to their certificate for the purposes of advancing on the teacher salary schedule. If additional years of experience are awarded, the eligible individual is entitled to have their pay adjusted for the current school year, from the effective date of the adjustment, to reflect the new experience step on the employing district's salary schedule. However, the individual is not entitled to retroactive pay for the increased years of experience during prior years of teaching or for any purpose other than advancement on the teacher salary schedule.

    (C) Nothing in this section alters any existing requirements for receiving an educator certificate. Individuals with the work occupational experience identified in subsection (A) must still meet all other existing requirements in order to receive an educator certificate.

    (D) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as allowing additional years of experience to be awarded for purposes other than advancement on the teacher salary schedule. Years of experience awarded pursuant to this section for relevant work occupational experience are not considered service credit for the purposes of the state retirement or state health plans administered by PEBA.

Amend the bill further, by striking SECTION 2 and inserting:

SECTION 2.  The State Department of Education shall develop guidelines for purposes of implementation of this act and make available the work non-teaching occupational experience verification form described in this act no later than ninety one hundred eighty days after the approval by the Governor.

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.

 

GREG HEMBREE for Committee.

 

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A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-25-60 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT AN INDIVIDUAL'S PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE MAY BE AWARDED ON AN INITIAL TEACHING CERTIFICATE IF THE PRIOR EXPERIENCE IS IN OR RELATED TO THE CONTENT FIELD OF THE CERTIFICATE, AND TO PROVIDE THAT EXISTING CERTIFICATE HOLDERS MAY RECEIVE CREDIT FOR PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 25, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Section 59-25-60.  (A) When reviewing an application by an individual for an educator certificate, the State Department of Education shall award years of experience on the educator certificate for occupational experience in, or related to, the content field of the certificate for which the individual qualifies. One year of experience credit may be awarded for every two years of full-time relevant work experience completed by the individual. Years of experience shall be awarded solely for the purpose of advancement on the teacher salary schedule. To be eligible for years of experience on the educator certificate, the individual must complete and submit a verification of relevant work experience form developed by the State Department of Education with the application for an educator certificate.

    (B) Individuals who entered the teaching profession prior to July 1, 2025, with occupational experience in, or related to, the content field of their teaching certificate may complete and submit the verification of relevant work experience form to the State Department of Education to have additional years of experience added to their certificate for the purposes of advancing on the teacher salary schedule. If additional years of experience are awarded, the eligible individual is entitled to have their pay adjusted for the current school year to reflect the new experience step on the employing district's salary schedule. However, the individual is not entitled to retroactive pay for the increased years of experience during prior years of teaching or for any purpose other than advancement on the teacher salary schedule.

    (C) Nothing in this section alters any existing requirements for receiving an educator certificate. Individuals with the work experience identified in subsection (A) must still meet all other existing requirements in order to receive an educator certificate.

    (D) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as allowing additional years of experience to be awarded for purposes other than advancement on the teacher salary schedule. Years of experience awarded pursuant to this section for relevant work experience are not considered service credit for the purposes of the state retirement or state health plans administered by PEBA.

 

SECTION 2.  The State Department of Education shall make available the work experience verification form described in this act no later than ninety days after the approval by the Governor.

 

SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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