Bill H.5309, The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, aims to allow teachers with valid licensure to teach outside of South Carolina state lines.
Caroline Smith
Staff Writer
Photo via experiencecolumbiasc.com
Outside of the South Carolina State House
On March 4, 2026, The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was introduced to the South Carolina House of Representatives by Republican Representative Shannon S. Erickson. The bill can reduce teacher shortages across the state by allowing teachers from other states to teach in SC and in the member states.
As of April 2, 2026, the bill is currently being worked on in the House of Representatives and is awaiting approval to pass onto the next step which will bring it to the House floor for a second hearing and voting. SC would not be the only state in passing legislation like this; it will be joining 13 other states from all over the country.
Utah was the first state to pass legislation regarding interstate teaching licensure, followed by Colorado and Kentucky. The likelihood of SC passing this bill is relatively high considering their most recent update on April 2 where they received a “Favorable Education and Public Works” comment from the committee report.
This bill’s main goal is to “establish a collective regulatory framework that expedites and enhances the ability of teachers to move across state lines” and to “support the retention of teachers in the profession by removing barriers to relicensure in a new state,” as per Article I.
The bill aims to curb low staffing in South Carolina schools due to the recent decades of teacher vacancies. According to the Learning Policy Institute, as of June 2025 “48 states plus the District of Columbia employed 365,967 teachers who were not fully certified for their teaching assignments.”
The school districts who reported that they hired teachers who were semi-qualified or completely under-qualified did so to fill spots of vacancy in desperation. This bill has plans to change that in a way that accommodates for a more seamless licensure transferral process for qualified teachers seeking placements outside of their licensed state.
A common issue that this bill is working to simplify is the frequent relocation of military families. This compact supports these families by providing eligible active duty military and their eligible spouses an equivalent license outside of the member state, overall streamlining and simplifying the process of transitioning out of member state lines.
This positive note will make it significantly easier for military affiliates to have a smoother Permanent Change of Station (PCS). Commonly the service member is unable to pick the next duty station, so this legislation allows for versatile job placements for those seeking it.
Further, any teacher holding a Career and Technical Education (CTE) license without a bachelor’s degree is subject to being temporarily declined from this transitional licensure depending on the receiving state’s industry requirements by law.
Eligibility for receiving a transferable teaching license to the receiving state requires applicants to “undergo a criminal background check in the receiving state in accordance with the laws and regulations of the receiving state; and provide the receiving state with information in addition to the information required for licensure for the purposes of determining compensation, if applicable,” as per Article III.
None of the eligibility requirements are abnormal as teachers are traditionally reviewed under these standard checks to determine eligibility for employment.
On another note, for college students who are pursuing their undergraduate or graduate education programs, this could affect their eligibility for the SC Teacher Loan for the 2026-2027 school year. The standard for receiving this loan in full without repayment of funds or any interest is to teach in any area in SC with a public school that is in critical need.
This raises fears of potentially losing this grant and facing substantial financial repayment if they decide to transfer their applicable licensure to another member state. The students pursuing these types of loans will be eligible for it only if they stayed in SC and not transfer outside of state lines. Essentially meaning that they would be facing repayment of any used loan money with interest.
Education majors can stay connected with their college advisors in their departments to learn more and watch for updates on this compact while it moves through the General Assembly in the coming weeks.
