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Within the next ten years, up to half of South Carolina's teachers will be up for retirement. In response, the state has launched several initiatives to entice new teachers to enter the education system.

Read more stories on this subject in our teachers topic page.Although the state currently struggles to attract teachers, especially to rural areas, the new initiatives put in place aim to direct South Carolina toward becoming a national leader in teacher recruitment.

The most recently launched initiative is www.scteachervillage.com, a first of its kind social site specifically for South Carolina certified teachers to connect. Apartment buildings are being renovated and turned into living spaces specifically for teachers, and there is also an effort to provide low-interest loans to teachers.

The obvious initiative would be to increase teacher salaries, but as of now, that option doesn't seem to be a viable one.

Hop on over to The Post and Courier to read up on this subject.