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Coffee County board reviews draft budget and options to meet state'mandated teacher minimums
Summary
At its spring retreat the Coffee County School Board reviewed a draft general fund budget that includes steps and a proposed 2% base increase aimed at meeting a state requirement to raise certified teacher pay to a $50,000 minimum; staff warned of state legislative changes to TISA that could reduce local protections.
The Coffee County Board of Education'retreat focused primarily on next year's draft general fund budget, with staff modeling pay options designed to satisfy a state-certified minimum salary requirement.
April, the district's budget presenter, told the group the March TISA estimate included an additional $1.16 million over last year and explained that the district must direct roughly $538,000 in certified-pay increases next year to meet the state's 50,000 minimum. She said step increases alone would cover about $256,000 of that total, so the recommended starting point was a 2% base increase plus the steps; a 3% option was also modeled for comparison.
Board members asked for clarity about how percentage raises affect supplements and extra days. April replied that a percentage on base pay increases the value of supplements (coaching and supervisory supplements) because supplements are calculated as a percent of base salary; that can produce larger dollar increases for very long'tenured staff whose supplements are already large.
Separately, a board member warned of pending state legislation (House Bill 2532 was cited by participants) that would narrow hold'harmless protections in TISA so districts could be compensated only when students left for specific voucher programs. Staff said the Senate version differed and could expand voucher slots; they urged board members to contact state representatives because both outcomes would materially affect local revenues and the ability to sustain pay commitments.
April said she had taken a conservative approach to revenue forecasts (omitting an expected Bonnaroo-related sales-tax boost this year), and that the budget also reflected increases in special-education and benefit costs. She said projected fund balance after modeled raises would still be adequate under conservative estimates, but stressed the sensitivity to state action and to sales-tax revenue swings.
The retreat left members with clear choices to weigh: approve a package built around 2% plus steps to meet the state-certified minimum and preserve staff supplements, adopt a different percentage, or change staffing allocations if revenue or state law shifts demand. April said she would return an updated recommendation once the board narrowed its preferences and as more state and local revenue data came in.
