In a 4-1 vote Thursday, the Worcester County Board of Education adopted a revised budget for the upcoming fiscal year following the country commissioners’ reduced funding level announced earlier this month.
According to a news release from Worcester County Public Schools, the commissioners’ passed the county’s Fiscal Year 2025 spending plan, which included $105,393,692 for the board of education, of which $1,587,052 is restricted for use toward Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) for retirees and cannot be used for current employee salaries. The reduced funding level coupled with new state Blueprint program restrictions for early childhood allocations left the board facing a budget shortfall of over $2.7 million.
To address the shortfall, the release said board members renegotiations with the Worcester County Teacher Association and Worcester County Educational Support Professional Association. Table agreements were reached earlier this week with both associations that include the following salary increases:
• WCTA: Salary step and 5 percent cost-of-living adjustment
• WCESPA: Salary step and 5.5 percent cost of living adjustment
Bus contractors will also receive an increase equivalent to a 5 percent cost-of -iving adjustment.
“We are at a tipping point in Worcester County,” Board of Education President Todd Ferrante said in the release. “Not only are we facing a mandated starting teacher salary of $60,000 as part of the Blueprint, we are beginning to lose high quality teachers and staff to neighboring counties. We must compensate our employees to show them how much they are valued, but also to entice potential recruits to make Worcester their chosen place to begin or elevate their career.”