May 3, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
Educators and support staff will be getting larger paychecks based on years of service if the Board of Education’s proposed 2024-25 budget is adopted by the county commission this summer.
During Thursday night’s monthly meeting, the school board approved its new budget with the proposed raises, but it (budget) first has to pass the test of both the county budget committee and full county commission before it takes effect. Under the plan, a $2,000 increase would go to employees with up to 9 years of service; $5,000 for those with 10-19 years; and $6,000 to staff with 20 or more years.
Director of Schools Patrick Cripps will present the new school spending plan to the budget committee on Tuesday, May 28 at 6 p.m. But unlike previous years when the school board absorbed the increased costs of pay hikes from the school budget’s almost $10 million fund balance reserves, this time Cripps and the board will ask the county to ante up some extra money to help fund the raises.
“We are asking the county for help,” said Director Cripps. “I think we have done our due diligence for the nine years I have been here as director. We haven’t asked for an extra penny (more local property tax money) but now we need help,” he said.
A total of 0.5298 cents of the county’s $2.00 property tax rate per $100 of assessed value goes to help fund the DeKalb County School District. That equates to around $62,000 per one cent of the tax levy.
When asked how much extra money the school board would be requesting from the county, Director Cripps replied “we would be happy with whatever we could get at this point”.
The DeKalb County School District employs 234 teachers and other professional personnel as well as 177 support staff and all of them would be eligible to earn more money under the board’s proposal.
According to Director Cripps, entry level pay for teachers locally is now just over $50,000 per year but many teachers who have worked in the system for years are not earning much more than that. One educator speaking at a school board workshop last month said she has been teaching for 28 years and is making $56,000. The school board’s pay proposal in this budget seeks to address issues like that.
“One of the things we have noticed is that there isn’t a great separation from the pay of an individual who starts teaching to those with 20 plus years. Partly because of this we are starting to lose teachers with more experience because they are trying to get their high five,” said Director Cripps. “We (DeKalb County School District) are number 7 in the state with starting out salaries because we are at $50,000 but on the back end of the scale we are lagging in the state”.
During a workshop prior to the school board meeting Thursday night, Director Cripps explained the impact the proposed pay raises would have on the 2024-25 budget.
“If you look at our total budget last year it was $30,440,922. With this (pay raise plan) the budget would be $33, 458, 197 which is about a $3.1 million increase in the budget. We’re getting a little over $28 million from the state and the county,” explained Director Cripps.
“The majority of the budget increases are for raises,” explained Cripps. “We have added a PE teacher at the West School because their numbers have grown. They are growing probably faster than any other school. We are adding a kindergarten teacher and taking on new salaries, including one out of ESSER and two for special education because of the needs of students coming in especially in the elementary, K-5 grade level. I think there are 20 plus kids in CDC at Smithville Elementary and that’s Pre-K to 2. Those numbers are getting to be exceedingly high. We are also looking at putting a CDC or SED classroom at the West School because we are transporting several students from that building to the Middle School, Northside, or Smithville Elementary,” said Director Cripps.
Meanwhile in his monthly report on personnel to the board, Director Cripps said that Cole Dziekiewicz has been granted a leave of absence.
Resignations/Retirements
Suzanne Gash, teacher at DMS, retirement
Tina Gash, teacher at SES, retirement
Jennifer Griffith, teacher at NES, resignation
Brandi Womack, bookkeeper, DWS, resignation