Teachers helped on fuel costs

Berkeley's rural teachers get break

MONCKS CORNER — The majority of teachers at rural Timberland High School in St. Stephen live in Goose Creek or Summerville, and Principal Dave Barrow said one instructor even commutes from downtown Charleston.

The nearly 50-mile drive from the peninsula to the high school takes more than an hour, and that's without traffic.

The distance becomes a problem when Barrow tries to hire new teachers. It's tough for Timberland to compete if an instructor also has an offer to teach at high schools closer to their homes such as Hanahan or Stratford, Barrow said.

The Berkeley County School Board on Tuesday passed a revised rural mileage stipend that could provide a greater incentive for teachers to drive to Timberland and eight other rural schools every day.

The district will spend an estimated total of $286,000, or $40,000 more than the current year, on the mileage reimbursements.

The incentive plan will raise mileage stipends by $200 per year for instructors who teach at schools in upper Berkeley County, particularly in St. Stephen and Cross.

The 14 percent jump affects teachers who drive more than 20 miles each day one-way to rural schools.

Teachers who drive 20 to 29 miles each way, for example, now will receive a $1,600 reimbursement, an increase from $1,400. At the highest level, teachers who drive more than 60 miles one way — or more than 120 miles round-trip each day — are set to earn a $2,400 stipend, up from $2,200 this year.

Superintendent Chester Floyd said recruiting teachers for the district's rural schools is a constant challenge, and he hopes current teachers and potential hires recognize that the district is making a "good faith effort" to cover a portion of the travel costs.

Berkeley Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Services Willis Sanders said he estimates that mileage stipends will be paid to nearly 190 teachers at the nine schools next year.

School board member Doug Cooper said he worried the increase would seem slight compared with rising gas prices that could soon approach $4 per gallon. Floyd said he'd ideally like to triple or quadruple the reimbursement rate to better align with gas costs, but such a large increase would be impractical in a tight budget year.

"We recognize this is not going to pay the bill," Floyd said. "We know it's not enough."

Barrow said his teachers would appreciate an upgrade of any kind. More than 30 Timberland teachers qualified for the mileage stipend this year. "This gives them a reason to stay," Barrow said. "Anything that the board can do helps."

Teachers at 11 of Charleston's rural schools get stipends depending on the number of miles they drive round-trip from their homes to the schools. Charleston teachers who drive 50 miles or more round-trip receive the highest stipend offered, which is $1,300 per year.

Reach Mindy B. Hagen at mhagen@postandcourier.com or 937-5433.