Horry County Schools Outlines Digital Prep and Staffing Updates Ahead of Aug. 19 Return

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. — Horry County Schools is urging parents to complete a digital prep checklist ahead of the upcoming academic year, which officially begins on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.

During a pre-school media day hosted at Pine Island Elementary School, district administrators emphasized the importance of families actively verifying their contact information within the district's Parent Link mass notification system. The database is used to dispatch daily updates, school-level notices, and critical emergency alerts by phone call, email, and text message to ensure parents stay informed throughout the school year.

School officials also highlighted the district's extensive online communications network, which includes 59 individual websites covering each school alongside the central district site, as well as official social media channels.

Alongside digital readiness, human resources leadership shared positive news regarding district staffing. Horry County Schools—the county's largest employer with 6,718 total workers—is entering the new academic year with a 98.8 percent teacher fill rate and a 95 percent support staff fill rate, navigating national staffing shortages through local recruiting pipelines with Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College. The district also launched its internal Rise Leadership Academy this year to train future principals.

On the financial front, district leaders detailed salary enhancements for the new year, including a starting teacher salary increase to $54,142, a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for all personnel, and a minimum wage raise for support staff to $16.76 an hour. Chief Financial Officer John Gardner reassured the community that local operations and capital projects remain fully insulated from state-level budget delays in Columbia due to a strong local fund balance. These funds are supporting 20 active capital improvement projects, including the replacement of St. James Elementary School, which is entering its second phase of construction on schedule and within budget.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to log into the district portal to confirm their contact details before students return to classrooms on Aug. 19. Further information and individual school links are available online at www.horrycountyschools.net.