SOUTH CAROLINA — A group of teachers across South Carolina are planning a demonstration in Columbia this week urging lawmakers to increase their pay.
Right now, the minimun salary for a South Carolina teacher is about $28,000.
[ [ALSO READ: South Carolina teachers complain of testing, low pay] ]
[Teacher pay: Which states pay teachers the most?]
The state average is more than $50,000, but the national average is more than $59,000.
Some of the teachers say the pay raises should have happened a long time ago.
"Teachers, excellent teachers are leaving the classroom because they are finding jobs doing something else that pays them more," teacher Cori Shuford said.
[RELATED: Study: South Carolina teachers poorer today than in 2008]
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has proposed a five percent increase, but some teachers said it is not good enough.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Deputies: Victim fatally shot before being driven to Salisbury convenience store
- Woman charged in death of 63-year-old grandmother caught in path of gunfire
- Car crashes into woods, slams into tree off U.S. 521 in Indian Land
- WATCH: Severe Weather Center 9's Sunday forecast outlook
- Troopers: Vehicle did not reduce speed before hitting, killing 66-year-old man on I-77