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Lancaster County schools outline proposed raises, staff additions and transportation changes in budget preview
Summary
Lancaster County Schools Superintendent reported new positions and student supports, proposed staff pay increases (options of 5% and 3%), ongoing insurance uncertainty, and proposed transportation changes including consolidating bus routes and continuing safety staffing.
Mrs. Davis, superintendent of schools, told Lancaster County supervisors and the school board at a joint work session that the division plans to keep several staff positions added last year and is proposing a salary adjustment in the coming budget.
The superintendent said the district added two elementary behavior support coaches and one high-school coach, a school security officer (SSO) at each school in addition to a school resource officer (SRO), and a STEAM teacher based in the renovated maker space. "Ninety-seven percent of the teachers stated that they feel those positions make the school safer and help eliminate distractions and disruptions," Mrs. Davis said. She added the district has seen a roughly 50% decrease in disciplinary infractions so far this year.
Why it matters: The division is framing these positions as core to protecting instruction and improving outcomes. The superintendent said some gains in academic measures and chronic absenteeism trends are encouraging but cautioned it is too early to draw firm correlations.
Budget details and personnel proposals Mrs. Davis said the schools are preparing two salary scenarios for the board to consider: a 5% across-the-board raise and a 3% option, and that health-insurance premium changes are not final until about Feb. 20. "We would like to work into the budget to cover that increase for our staff so that they don't lose pay because of the insurance increase," she said.
The superintendent identified efficiencies under consideration: moving from separate school-level bookkeepers to a single district bookkeeper, continuing a virtual course currently offered (a science/geometry course) if staffing allows, and examining contracted services for savings. The division also piloted a combined bus route this year and is considering running a single route system pre-K through 12 to address chronic driver shortages and retirements. "We ran one bus route that way this year and it was successful," Mrs. Davis said.
Grants, hiring and recruitment Board members asked about grant-writing capacity. The schools currently write grants in-house; Mrs. Davis named staff who do grant work and said the district had previously funded an SSO through a grant and is still seeking grant opportunities to cover that position. When asked about filling a federal-program-management role, the superintendent said Miss Dobbins and Miss Kellum are overseeing those duties and Mr. Palin continues to help.
Truancy, absenteeism and data collection The superintendent said chronic absenteeism remains a major challenge, with prior-year rates described in the meeting as high (the superintendent cited previous figures and said high-school chronic absenteeism reached 34%). The district recently hired a truancy officer who will collect specific reasons families give for absences to guide intervention work: "I've specifically asked him ... to write down the specific reasons, so we can start looking," Mrs. Davis said.
State accountability and unknown costs Board members discussed the state's new accountability framework and related possible costs. Mrs. Davis said the division is already implementing portions of the new framework but that the total local cost is not yet known: "I don't yet know if we know what all costs will be." A board member pressed for putting a number to the expense; the superintendent said staff will continue to develop estimates.
What the session decided and next steps No formal budget was adopted at the work session. The superintendent and board discussed options and directed staff to continue preparing budget scenarios (including the 5% and 3% salary options), gather final insurance figures when available, and continue seeking grant funding for positions where feasible. The district will keep collecting attendance and disciplinary data to measure trends.
Ending: The school leadership thanked the board for prior support and said they will return with more detailed budget numbers and grant-search updates as the county's budget calendar progresses.
