SC gov hopeful Cunningham proposes 10% teacher pay bump

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joe Cunningham, who is running to unseat Republican Gov. “People have been gaslighting them, calling them heroes while not showing them their appreciation through the state budget or the district budget.” The proposal calls for an immediate 10% raise for all public-school teachers, gradually raising starting teacher salaries from $36,000 to $50,000 by 2030, at the end of a second Cunningham term if he wins this fall and is reelected. A version of paid leave for state employees overwhelmingly passed the House last year with bipartisan support and is pending in the Senate, but Cunningham said that won’t cover teachers like his plan. The state budget overwhelmingly approved by House lawmakers last week already includes $230 million to boost the minimum teacher pay regardless of experience by $4,000, assuring that starting teachers in every district would be paid at least $40,000. “We have teachers leaving by the droves.. We’ve got a lot at stake here and we aren’t going to be able to solve these problems by just making minimum adjustments.” Cunningham said he would also point to his previous proposals, including “hundreds of millions of dollars” he predicts would flow in if his plan to legalize marijuana were implemented — another proposal that would require legislative buy-in.