Board approved draft two forward to commissioners Feb. 20
Raises for teachers were the highlight of the $136 million budget members of the Worcester County Board of Education approved last month.
The school board voted 5-1, on Feb. 20, to approve the school system’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which includes a step increase and a 6% cost-of-living adjustment for teachers. The budget also includes a 6.5% cost-of-living raise for support staff, as well as a pay increase for bus drivers.
“Our parents come to the board and share requests for what they think is important for the board’s budget,” Chief Financial Officer Vince Tolbert said. “This past year it was stated over and over again by every parent that came to the table where their priorities were. They were to recruit, hire, retain high quality teachers and staff, to maintain small class sizes and to restore FY24 cuts… Our budget addresses those three priorities shared with the board by our parents and our community.”
Tolbert told the school board the proposed budget was $136 million, with about 80%, or $109,632,071, in county appropriations. He said about $26 million was expected in state aid.
The fiscal 2025 budget includes a step increase and 6% COLA for certificated staff and a 6.5% COLA for support staff. The 6% COLA has been discussed by the school system in recent weeks as the best way for Worcester County Public Schools to work toward the $60,000 starting teacher salary that will be mandated by the state in fiscal 2027.
Salary increases are expected to cost $5.9 million in the coming year. Health insurance increases are expected to exceed $1.8 million. Tolbert noted that health insurance rates wouldn’t be finalized until March.
School board member Katie Addis asked about the possibility of zero-based budgeting, something she thought might help the school system reevaluate what was important.
Why don’t you just ask for raises for the teachers and support staff. Admin is WAY overpaid and 6% increase to them would be a ridiculous amount that could go towards teacher and support staff increases?
Its a start….long overdue. Hard to attract newbies when the salaries cannot allow for living. Hence the talent goes elsewhere in the country, where they can teach and live close by. Sad but true.
Another point is the next gen isnt getting into teaching, which means many who should retire dont…for the love of teaching. Eventually that catches up on the back end.
Pretty ballsy to approve raises when you haven’t at least considered a reduction in force. Maybe run a study that would cut 15% (each) of teaching and admin staff (central office first) and then see what the savings might be and how to repurpose that into the general fund.
Teacher pay shouldn’t rise. They already make plenty, and for what? Babysitting kids all day and getting summers off? And it’s not like they’re really teaching anything: just look at how badly students perform nowadays.
Worcester County’s teachers are the lowest paid in the state.
If they want to make more they can go into a different business. Maybe even one that requires you work all 12 months of the year. If you wanted a lucrative career then why did you go into teaching?
Somebody has to be the lowest.