Dorchester 02 outlines FY26 budget plan, proposes 7.6-mill request to county for teacher pay increase

Dorchester County School District Two staff presented a draft fiscal year 2026 budget focused on teacher pay and classroom instruction and said they plan to ask the county for a 7.6-mill increase to fund pay raises for teachers.

At a public input meeting, a district presenter identified in the meeting as Miss Munier summarized projected revenues and expenditures, proposed salary increases, planned reductions in vacant positions and program changes, and potential impacts from pending state legislation and conference committee actions in Columbia, South Carolina. "We would be asking for 7.6 mills to get us to $295,000,000," Munier said in the meeting, describing the millage request the district will present to Dorchester County Council on May 12.

The district framed the budget around student achievement, with teacher recruitment and retention as the top priority. Munier said the draft includes a $1,500 across-the-board increase to the teacher salary scale (cost estimated at $3.4 million), mandated annual "step" increases for eligible teachers and bus drivers, and a 1% increase for classified staff. The district also outlined an additional $500 option to raise the teacher minimum to $51,000, which the presentation said would require a 2.6-mill increase.

District staff projected current-year general fund revenues at about $284 million and proposed next-year general fund revenues of roughly $292 million, an increase the presenter attributed in part to $5.5 million in assessment growth in county property taxes (not including military assessments). Munier said the district depends heavily on local assessments for operating revenue, noting that owner-occupied home tax credits created under state Act 388 reduce operating revenue for residential-heavy districts.

The presentation said the district plans to "rightsize" by not filling about 54 vacant positions — a change described as reductions in allocations that would yield about $5.1 million in savings — while adding targeted classroom positions where enrollment growth requires them. Staff said they expect to add roughly 16.5 special education positions and several related-arts teachers in schools showing enrollment growth, at an estimated cost of $1.0 million.

Staff also reported program and staffing restructures for instructional technology and content specialists: 26 positions previously funded through a mix of federal and general funds were reduced to 11 positions and moved to full general-fund support because federal funding rules changed.

Munier flagged several pending state actions that could affect local costs but were not built into the draft numbers. Those include property-tax exemptions being discussed in the South Carolina House property tax subcommittee (a proposal referenced in the presentation would exempt 50% of fair-market value for certain vehicles and recreational property, with counties expected to adjust millage rates to offset revenue losses) and potential changes to employer/employee health-insurance cost-sharing and expanded parental leave legislation. Staff estimated a potential $600,000 cost if parental leave is expanded from six to 12 weeks but said the outcome depends on final conference-committee decisions.

The presenter described the district's expenditure profile: roughly 86.3% of expenditures go to salaries and benefits, about 13.7% to fixed costs, and instruction and student-facing functions comprise the majority of operating spending. She said projected class sizes remain below state averages after planned reallocations and that the district is not proposing program cuts.

A resident, James "Jay" Tayo of the Legend Oaks neighborhood, asked how tax bills and state credits affect district operating revenue. Munier explained that Act 388 credits reduce the operating portion of residential property taxes statewide and that districts with more commercial and industrial assessments receive proportionally more operating revenue.

Munier told attendees the district will present the millage request and budget to Dorchester County Council on May 12 and that the board would consider formal approval in an upcoming board meeting. She closed the session and opened the meeting to public comment; no formal vote on the FY26 budget was recorded at this public input meeting.

The presentation and public comments focused on funding priorities for the coming year, the balance between local revenue limits and teacher pay, and uncertainties tied to pending state legislation. District staff urged public input ahead of the board’s deliberations and the county council presentation.