Dorchester School District 2 seeks 7.6-mill increase to fund teacher raises and cover new mandates

Dorchester School District 2 officials on Tuesday presented a proposed FY2026 general fund budget that would increase expenditures to $295,960,702 and include a request to Dorchester County Council for a 7.6-mill operating increase to help fund teacher raises and cover mandated cost increases.

The presentation, given during a required public hearing, laid out revenues of $292,707,546 for FY2026 — roughly $8.6 million more than FY2025 projections — and an expenditure increase of about $7.2 million. Miss Meunier, who led the presentation, said the district must adopt a budget by June 30 for taxing purposes and is monitoring state budget negotiations, including a conference committee meeting the day after the hearing that could change available state revenue.

The budget package prioritizes student achievement and teacher quality, officials said. "Student achievement is number 1 focus," Miss Meunier said, and the…