SC educators combine their voices to urge Governor McMaster to sign new pension bill

The unified membership of The South Carolina Education Association supports H.3726, a bill that ensures stable pension plan for state and district employees.

The members of The South Carolina Education Association (The SCEA) called on Governor McMaster to sign H. 3726, the bipartisan, responsible pension funding bill.  The bill represents hard work between Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate and will have a positive impact on educators and families across our state.

“This bill is good for educators and taxpayers, and will ensure that our pension remains well-funded and help us stay competitive for the best educators in a tough environment,” said Bernadette R. Hampton, president of the SCEA. “We encourage Governor McMaster to sign this bill that represents a compromise for all parties and is the right move for South Carolina.”

With surrounding states offering better pay and benefits to their teachers, South Carolina should be using every tool in the toolkit to recruit and retain the best teachers.  Just to our south, Georgia teachers make an average salary of $52,880 with an average pension of $27,583.  In South Carolina, we pay our teachers an average salary of $48,375 with a pension of $21,013.  This bill is essential to our future competitiveness.  Governor McMaster should sign it.