The South Carolina Education Association (SCEA) is a left-of-center teachers’ union representing teachers throughout the state of South Carolina. It conducts legislative lobbying and other pro-union activities. The group is the state-level affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the largest government-worker union in the United States, and is officially organized as a professional association rather than a labor union due to the union’s inability to collectively bargain in the state. SCEA lobbies for a variety of pro-union public education stances such as opposing school choice programs and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideologies in public education. ^{1 2 3 4}

History

The South Carolina Education Association was formed in 1881 and launched in its current form in 1966 during the integration of public schools in the state when the Palmetto Education Association, the teacher’s association for African American teachers that was formed in 1900, merged with the South Carolina Education Association, which until that time had been the all-white teachers’ association in the state. ^{5 6}

The SCEA does not have the ability to collectively bargain on behalf of teachers due to state laws and as such is not formally organized as a labor union. The group conducts other activities consistent with state teachers’ unions including legislative lobbying, local-level advocacy, and events. The group is also the official South Carolina affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the largest government-worker union in the United States which exerts significant influence in left-of-center politics and public policy. ^{7 8}

The SCEA is not the sole teachers’ association in South Carolina. The Palmetto State Teachers Association was formed in 1976 as an alternative to the SCEA and NEA and claims no national union affiliation. ⁹

Activities

The South Carolina Education Association lobbies for a variety of pro-union public education stances such as increasing funding for public schools, opposing school choice programs, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideologies in public education. ^{10 11 12 13}

In 2023, the group announced strong opposition to a state-level school choice bill that, in their words, would establish “Educational Scholarship Trust Funds to provide families with vouchers for private and religious school tuition and costs.” ¹⁴

The group also hosted a workshop titled “Speak Up and Out: LGBTQ+ Educator Voice Engagement” and published a toolkit on “Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth” that stated, “Now is our time to demand the fully resourced and supportive schools all our families need, and to ensure all LGBTQ+ people are free to be their authentic selves and pursue their dreams.” ^{15 16}

In 2024, SCEA opposed a bill in the state legislature concerning gender identity that would require school employees to inform the parents or guardian if a minor identified themselves as transgender, stating that “All South Carolina students deserve to feel protected in our public schools.” ¹⁷

The group’s legislative newsletter also shared the South Carolina League of Women Voters voter guide. ¹⁸

1. “The SCEA Strongly Opposes Passage of Voucher Bill.” South Carolina Education Association. April 27, 2023. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/about-the-scea/media-center/press-releases/scea-strongly-opposes-passage-voucher-bill
2. “Speak Up and Out: LGBTQ+ Educator Voice Engagement.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024.  https://www.thescea.org/professional-excellence/conferences-events/events/speak-and-out-lgbtq-educator-voice-engagement
3. “Our Mission, Vision, & Values.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/about-scea/our-mission-vision-values
4. “Join.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/join
5. “Manuscript Collection: South Carolina Education Association Records – Accession 434.” Winthrop University. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1402/
6. “South Carolina.” The Black Teacher Archive, Harvard University Libraries. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/black-teacher-archive/feature/south-carolina
7. “The South Carolina Education Association.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/570275275
8. “Join.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/join
9. “History and Vision.” Palmetto State Teachers Association. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://palmettoteachers.org/about-us/history-vision/
10. “Press Release: The SCEA Strongly Opposes Passage of Voucher Bill.” South Carolina Education Association. April 27, 2023. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/about-the-scea/media-center/press-releases/scea-strongly-opposes-passage-voucher-bill
11. “Speak Up and Out: LGBTQ+ Educator Voice Engagement.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024.  https://www.thescea.org/professional-excellence/conferences-events/events/speak-and-out-lgbtq-educator-voice-engagement
12. “Our Mission, Vision, & Values.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/about-scea/our-mission-vision-values
13. “Join.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/join
14.  “The SCEA Strongly Opposes Passage of Voucher Bill.” South Carolina Education Association. April 27, 2023. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/about-the-scea/media-center/press-releases/scea-strongly-opposes-passage-voucher-bill
15. “Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth.” National Education Association. May 11, 2023. https://www.thescea.org/resource-library/lgbtq-support-protection
16. “Speak Up and Out: LGBTQ+ Educator Voice Engagement.” South Carolina Education Association. Accessed September 8, 2024.  https://www.thescea.org/professional-excellence/conferences-events/events/speak-and-out-lgbtq-educator-voice-engagement
17. “Members Matter Weekly Legislative Updates.” South Carolina Education Association. April 25, 2024. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/sites/scea/files/2024-05/members-matter-april-27-2024_0.pdf
18. “Members Matter Weekly Legislative Updates.” South Carolina Education Association. April 25, 2024. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://www.thescea.org/sites/scea/files/2024-05/members-matter-april-27-2024_0.pdf