A rally is being organized in Columbia by SC for Ed for teachers who want better pay and smaller classrooms. Many Florence area teachers have plans to attend, however, they have been notified that if they attend, their bonuses and benefits could be impacted. Teachers can earn $2,000 for perfect attendance this year, but if they take a personal day to attend the rally that will count against them.
Here is the statement from Florence 1 School Superintendent Dr. Richard O'Malley:
“On May 1st, teachers from across the State of South Carolina are planning a rally at the Statehouse in support of the call for action for educators across the state to make their voices heard for education reform in the State of South Carolina.
Many of our teachers have asked for this day as a personal day of leave and Florence One Schools is granting them this opportunity to take this day to advocate for public education and their students. As long as our educators have days available to them, they are free to use them for this purpose. However, any incentives or other benefits granted to our educators will count against this day.
Furthermore, our first priority is to make sure that our students are safe and supervised during our scheduled school day. So, as we begin to plan, we recognize the limited number of substitutes that may be available and we will do our best to ensure that a regular school day is afforded to all of our students.
Florence One Schools support our educators and their decision to exercise their collective voices to share their concerns with our elected leaders throughout this state. I hope that the citizens of Florence and throughout Florence County share in supporting our educators as they express their concerns regarding the state of education and the reforms needed in South Carolina.”
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