SNOW HILL – Requests for competitive teacher salaries, small class sizes and technology funding highlighted a public budget input session hosted by the Worcester County Board of Education this week.
The school system on Tuesday hosted its annual public budget input session. Parents, each representing a local school, presented requests for their facilities for fiscal year 2023. Every speaker brought up the need for competitive salaries for educators.
“The time and commitment put into teaching our children should be compensated at the highest level,” Stephen Decatur High School parent Colby Phillips said.
According to Chief Financial Officer Vince Tolbert, the majority of the school system’s $117 million budget is funded locally, with 74% coming from Worcester County. The state funds about 17% while there is 9% federal funding. A breakdown of expenditures by category shows that 64.8% of funding goes to instructional programs, while 14.49% goes to special education, 10.39% to operation of plant and 5.54% to transportation.
Parents shared requests from various schools. Showell Elementary School is seeking pay increases for teachers, maintaining current staffing and class sizes and continued support of technology needs. Ocean City Elementary School requested materials of instruction, competitive salaries and maintenance of current devices. At Buckingham, requests include competitive salaries, low class sizes and support for the school’s afterschool programs.
Interesting. Go to govsalaries.com and look how much your favorite teacher makes and compare that to other industries in the area.