Certified Substitutes

Certificate renewals for educators not employed in a South Carolina school district or entity are normally handled directly through the State Department of Education.  Please refer to the State Department Certification Website.  If you have points through the GCSD Portal please contact the Sr. Certification Processing Specialist, Tammie Fletcher, 355-3989, to submit your current earned renewal points to the SC SDE. A completed Professional Growth and Development Plan must be on file with Human Resources in order for your points to be submitted to the SC SDE.

Once your certificate has been renewed it is your responsibility to submit a copy of your renewed certificate to Human Resources, fax 355-9784, in order to maintain certified pay. Please write “substitute” and your employee number on your certificate for processing. Print your certificate.

Tammie Fletcher, Sr. Certification Processing Specialist
864-355-3989 | Fax: 864-355-9784 | certificate@greenville.k12.sc.us

New! Retired Educator Certificate (must be currently certified)

SC legislation, H 3513, created a 5 year retired educator certification that allows for teachers to substitute without participating in any professional learning or renewal. This means that those with a Retired Educator Certificate will not have to take the Read to Succeed courses to substitute. If someone is in a fulltime position, they would continue to hold a regular certification, which would require that they take the Read to Succeed courses. See information below. 

Retired Educator Certificate

The Retired Educator certificate allows eligible retirees to maintain certification for the purpose of substituting.  This certificate does not eliminate the Retirement Earnings Limitation. 

As of October 9, 2018 the Retired Educator Certificate is available for application at the SC Department of Education.  To be eligible initially for the credential:

• • an individual must have a valid Professional Educator Certificate at the time of retirement

  • does not hold another valid certificate at the time of application

  • present documentation of retirement date and status from the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), and

  • have never held a South Carolina educator certificate that has been suspended, revoked, or voluntarily surrendered  

To apply, complete the application through the CATS Portal (Certification Application Technology Services), submit a Photocopy from PEBA of your retirement document and submit a $30 application fee along with a completed Request for Change/Action Form.

This information is available on SC Department of Education Website, Retired Educator Certificate Page.

Please note: Retirement Certificate content areas are removed and replaced with the word Substitute. If you intend to work in LT Substitute assignments it is your responsibility to provide evidence of your expired Professional Certificate that reflects your original content area. This certificate must be on file in HR, gcssubs@greenville.k12.sc.us.