Sumter School District asks county council to fund K–3 reading supports, outlines $12.5 million in new expenditures for FY2026

Sumter School District leaders presented a package of proposed spending and a pilot "reading to learn" initiative to the Sumter County Council on Tuesday, June 10, asking the council to consider funding up to 19 auxiliary educators to support K–3 literacy.

The district's presentation, delivered to the council during the regular meeting, said projected additional new expenditures for fiscal year 2026 total $12,505,004.61. That total includes new positions and salary/fringe estimates the district identified as priorities: teacher salary step increases, 15 instructional coach positions ($1,900,000 estimated salary and fringe), six behavior interventionists ($432,500), an assistant principal at Cherryvale ($130,000), an administrative assistant at Radcon Creek ($101,129), a transition specialist for the alternative school ($47,000), virtual-school licenses ($125,000) and a virtual special-education teacher ($77,000). The district also requested funding to employ paraprofessionals (rebranded in the presentation as "auxiliary educators") at a total estimated cost of $639,912 to place additional staff in targeted K–3 classrooms.

The district representative said the starting-teacher salary…