Lexington County School District Two’s human resources gave board members their report on the 2024-25 school year showing a decrease in instructor vacancies.

According to the 2024-25 South Carolina annual educator supply and demand report, teacher vacancies across the state have seen a 35% decrease. 

At the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, districts reported having 1,043 vacancies. During the 2023-24 school year, districts reported having 1,613 vacancies. In Lexington Two, the district saw a decrease in teacher vacancies; however, they show a slight uptick in vacancies in administration.

In the 2024-25 school year, Lexington Two had a total of 667 certified teachers. 41 teachers (6.1%) left to go to another district, 38 (5.7%) left for personal reasons, 7 (1%) were either terminated, nonrenewal of contract or breach of contract and 11 (1.7%) retired during the school year. This school year, there were a total of 45 administrators. 3 (6.6%) left for another district, 1 (2.2%) was terminated and 5 (11.1%) retired.

However, district officials say they are currently focusing on how to recruit and retain their educators and staff. This school year, Lexington Two held two informational sessions that over 80 individuals attended to discover career-path positions.

As for retaining, Lexington Two provides support such as mentors, HR/instruction collaboration called Lex 2 Grows, a leadership summit and more.

From 2020-21, the National Education Association (NEA) reported that the percentage of teachers that would remain in the classroom until retirement dropped from 74% to 69%. The NEA then provided a few ways school districts can improve ways to retain their educators.

The first way to retain teachers according to the NEA is to provide a competitive salary, especially at the beginning of the educator's career. According to experts, it can take years for teachers to reach the top of a pay scale. If schools were to provide competitive salaries, it could lead to greater retention and recruitment.

In November 2024, state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver partnered with the South Carolina General Assembly and Gov. Henry McMaster to raise the minimum starting salary to $47,000. In the 2023-24 school year, the starting salary was $42,500.

Adding mentoring programs for early-career or novice teachers can provide support and guidance from experienced colleagues, experts say. The NEA mentioned studies reporting that educators who receive mentorship and support from their coworkers are more likely to stay in the profession.

Additionally, supporting collaboration and offering feedback and reflections allows educators and staff members to feel seen, heard and appreciated, experts say.