Lee School Board mulls one-time salary adjustment for certified teachers

LEESBURG — The Lee County School Board got its first look at a preliminary FY 2017 budget during its monthly meeting Monday. The preliminary $83,623,085 budget includes an additional $1,197,629 in education funding from the state.

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 is spent.

Lee County’s teachers, however, will not be getting a 3 percent raise.

“We appreciate the additional funds and are thankful that the legislature and governor are providing more support for our schools,” Lee County School System Superintendent Jason Miller said in a letter to the county’s teachers. “However, the funds we will receive locally are not sufficient to provide each certified educator with a 3 percent raise. We project the cost of a 3 percent raise to be $1,138, 900. Preliminary projections for our FY 2017 budget indicate our school system will receive an additional $1,197,629 in funding from the state.”

The state is expected to adjust its education funding formula next year, leaving LCSS officials hesitant to make a commitment to teacher raises this year. Coupling that with uncertainty about the state providing the money in the future, the system chose a different tack.

“Our plan is to give each certified staff member a one-time salary adjustment in December 2016 based on certificate level,” Miller said. “This means that someone with a T-4 will receive an additional $1,000, a person with a T-5 will receive an additional $1,200, a person with a T-6 will receive an additional $1,350, and someone with a T-7 will receive an additional $1,500. Retirement will not be deducted from this adjustment, so it will not count toward the two highest years for teacher retirement.

Miller added that the additional funding from the state will be used to cover the cost of step increases for teachers and additional health insurance costs, which will increase again next year. Local costs for non-certified employee health insurance have increased 220 percent over the last few years.

The one-time teacher stipend represents what is, in effect, a 2 percent supplement to each certificate level. Miller noted some teachers might see a little more than 2 percent.

The superintendent said most systems in Georgia are taking this action or something similar. Some 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.

LCSS Assistant Superintendent for Business and Financial Services Gary Kelley stressed that the one-time salary adjustment would not be official until the School Board approves the final budget in late June.