Pay raise issue on table as Dougherty School System starts budget work

ALBANY — In January, Gov. Nathan Deal placed nearly $300 million into the state’s education budget over last year’s budget and divvied it up among Georgia’s 181 school districts. Deal suggested the money could be used for 3 percent teacher raises or any other expense, leaving it up to local school boards to decide how the money would be spent.

This has caused problems for some districts across the state because many teachers expect the money to be used for pay raises.

That’s not always the case. Last week, Lee County School Superintendent Jason Miller said, “Some (districts) are restoring furlough days, some are giving a one-time adjustment, some are returning local supplements and some are providing a 3 percent increase. But these are mostly large districts with a strong tax base.”

Lee County is pondering one-time teacher salary adjustments of 2 percent to be distributed in December. The Dougherty County school System is in the middle of putting together its Fiscal Year 2017 budget plan, and Finance Director Ken Dyer will seek input from each of individual School Board members in setting budget recommendations.

Dyer pointed out there are other factors, such as the cost of step increases for teachers and additional health insurance costs, that will increase again in FY 2017. Local costs for non-certified employee health insurance have increased 220 percent over the last few years. Those costs will have to be included in the spending plan.

At a meeting to the Dougherty County School Finance Committee on Tuesday, DCSS Superintendent Butch Mosely said he would prefer to give certified teachers a 3 percent raise and also cover the cost of insurance increases.

“Our thrust is to do something positive for our teachers and support folks,” he said. “We could not operate without them.”

One thing the DCSS has working in its favor is that the system’s fund balance for the end of the fiscal year is projected to be $10,713, 390, that’s $1.4 million more than FY 2016’s anticipated fund balance.

Dyer said he would begin setting up budget meetings with individual board members on Monday.

In addition, Dyer added he was preparing a new E-SPLOST referendum for the November general election ballot, also with the board members input. The current SPLOST expires in September 2017 and has been worth $301 million in capital improvement projects for the DCSS.