Board hears budget work session; housing allowance, pay-table tradeoffs debated

Berkeley County Schools staff presented the district’s budget draft during a work session on April 30 and asked the board for guidance on several high-profile personnel and compensation items, including a recurring housing allowance supplement and other funded initiatives.

Why it matters: The draft budget the board will publish for its May 19 public hearing includes proposed supplements and program requests that would reduce the district’s reserves. Board members and staff discussed whether part of the recurring housing allowance should be converted from a supplemental payment to a permanent increase on the pay table, a move that would raise salaries subject to retirement and potentially improve the district’s statewide ranking for starting pay.

What the board heard - Budget totals and reserves: Staff presented aggregated requests and adjustments, totaling roughly $5.0 million in requested items; with state revenue changes the district projected needing about $4.4 million from reserves under the presented assumptions. - Housing allowance and alternative: The district currently pays a recurring housing allowance as supplemental pay. Staff outlined a proposal to convert part of a housing supplement into a permanent pay-table increase (examples discussed were $250–$500 per employee), which would be subject to retirement calculations but would raise Berkeley County’s rank in statewide salary comparisons. Staff noted the trade-off: supplemental housing allowances are not retirement-eligible and are sometimes preferred by workers who value a lump-sum payment, but pay-table increases yield better long-term retention and improved rank in public salary listings. - Other personnel-related supplements: The draft included a $2-per-day hygiene supplement for service personnel with diapering duties (estimated at roughly $125,000) and adjustments to ISSA/PTA supplements, instructional supports and summer-school funding. - Reserve impacts and CEP: The district reported that legislative developments (the failure of a proposed ECAP bill) reduced the need to add 23 positions and allowed the district to retain the CEP program in the plan. Staff said projected revenue additions would reduce the reserve draw but the budget still relied on several million in reserves unless changes were made.

Discussion and next steps Board members raised sustainability concerns about maintaining the housing allowance at the current level and asked staff to investigate whether pay-table changes are permissible within state rules and whether employees would prefer a permanent table increase or a supplemental lump-sum. Staff said they would check state requirements and explore mechanisms to collect employee feedback before finalizing the published budget.

Quotes and attribution: Budget director Michael Butts (presented the draft budget) and Superintendent Sachs led the discussion. Board members asked that staff return with clear options and that the district seek staff feedback on preferences between lump-sum supplements and pay-table increases.

What’s next: Staff will refine the budget for the May 19 public hearing and follow up on state rules and employee preference polling before the final vote. The board indicated a willingness to consider using periodic revenue increases to fund permanent pay-table steps if the board and staff can identify a sustainable approach.