Exceptional teachers earn $4.6 million in performance bonuses
September 29, 2025
Some of South Carolina’s top teachers earned a total of $4.6 million in performance bonuses for their students’ academic growth during the 2024-25 school year.
A total of 526 teachers across 39 schools statewide received an Excellence in Teaching Awards, which honors the life-changing work of educators.
“Teachers are the heroes in our classrooms, and excellent teachers deserve excellent pay,” said Josh Bell, president of Beemok Education, which includes the Excellence in Teaching Awards, Meeting Street Schools and the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund. “For too long, teachers’ compensation has been disconnected from students’ outcomes, and these Awards change that by offering bonuses to those whose students grow and achieve the most.”
The Excellence in Teaching Awards aim to reward and retain the best teachers. The Awards launched in 2021 in four Meeting Street Schools, which offer hard-working students the opportunity for an exceptional education. Since then, the initiative has continued to expand, and all 22 of Charleston County School District’s Title 1 elementary schools are eligible for Excellence in Teaching Awards.
The Awards are philanthropically funded in Meeting Street Schools and Charleston County School District, meaning public dollars aren’t used to cover the cost of the financial incentive.
“When we honor great teaching, we inspire more of it,” said Anita Huggins, superintendent of Charleston County School District. “The Excellence in Teaching Awards highlight the extraordinary work happening in our classrooms every day. Our educators are deeply committed to helping every student grow and succeed, and these awards showcase the powerful connection between great teaching and significant student achievement.”
The Awards also have expanded across South Carolina with the support of public funding. The South Carolina Department of Education used a portion of a $5 million Strategic Compensation Pilot Grant to fund the Awards in 10 schools statewide.
“The Excellence in Teaching Awards shine a spotlight on the educators who are moving the needle in exceptional ways for their students,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. “By rewarding impact and celebrating results, we’re not only honoring our best teachers—we’re setting a higher standard for what’s possible. South Carolina students deserve nothing less, and we need more bold innovation like this to raise the bar for every child in every classroom.”
The Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2024-25 school year included two components: classroom growth and individual student achievement. To earn an Award for classroom growth, teachers’ students must make more than one year of progress in reading or math. To earn an Award for individual student growth, students must move up at least one quartile in reading or math. The bigger the growth, the bigger the Award.
One of this year’s recipients was Barbara Ojehomon, a third-grade teacher at Meeting Street Elementary & Middle – Brentwood. Her students demonstrated nearly two years of academic growth in a single school year in English language arts, and her math students made 1.6 years of growth in math in the same year.
She used the Award to help pay her family’s mortgage and to cover the cost of an upcoming marriage retreat for her and her husband.
“This financial bonus has made a meaningful difference in my life,” she said. “It is a confidence booster. It is a ‘We see you,’ and ‘We know how hard you work.’ It is a ‘You deserve it.’ It is a reminder that my students grew, they learned and I was the one who taught them. This recognition is exactly what teachers need at the end of the school year.”
Some highlights of this year’s Excellence in Teaching Awards include:
- 526 educators earned an Award
- 76 percent of eligible teachers earned an Award
- The average teacher award was $8,800
- The highest teacher award was $57,250.
