Board adopts 2025–26 salary schedule, recommends 4.5% increase plus steps

The Anderson County Board of Education voted on April 14 to adopt a 2025–26 salary schedule that officials said would average about a 6% total pay increase for many employees when step movement is included. The board recorded a roll-call approval after staff recommended a 4.5% increase for certified staff plus the usual step increases and a parallel 4.5% plus targeted hourly bumps for selected classified grades.

Superintendent (speaking during the salary presentation) said the recommendation balances competitive pay with fiscal prudence, outlining sample salary impacts across rank-and-step examples. The presentation included specific recommendations to raise the bus-monitor starting rate to $13 per hour, raise instructional assistant minimums to $15 per hour, and move bus drivers to a minimum $18 per hour. The superintendent also proposed a formal periodic review of classified grade assignments and new stipends for duties such as acting as a substitute teacher.

Board members discussed comparatives with surrounding districts and state schedules. One board member moved the 4.5% motion; the board approved the measure by roll call (Jason Collins, Scott Brown, Steve Carmichael, Sunny Fentress, James Sergeant recorded affirmative votes). The superintendent noted the motion’s projected contingency impact: roughly a 4–4.8% contingency balance under the presented revenue assumptions.

What happens next: staff will incorporate the approved schedule into payroll planning and bring implementation details (step movement dates, stipend coding) to the administration for execution before the 2025–26 fiscal year begins.