SC Senate committee OKs retroactive teacher raises

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – A South Carolina Senate committee approved Tuesday a measure to reinstate some teacher step raises in this year’s budget. The proposal would restore “step increase” raises that amount to several hundred dollars a year given as teachers gain experience. Legislators paused the pay bumps last spring due to uncertainty of how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect the economy. Lawmakers agreed to dedicate up to $50 million to restoring the raises for the current school year. The resolution now heads to the full Senate floor for a vote. House representatives passed a slightly different version of the resolution earlier this year.