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State budget raises pay at lower steps; Union County schools balance local costs
Summary
District finance staff told the committee that the state budget raises pay mostly at the lower end of the teacher salary scale, and that the district used an 8% average increase to model local budget impacts, including a higher retirement match and health premium increases.
Shauna, a district staff member presenting the finance update, said the General Assembly signed a state budget in early July and that it included increases targeted at the lower steps of the certified teacher salary schedule. "The average is 8%, so that is what I've used to allocate and budget for our local funds," she told the committee.
Shauna said the state increased pay most for teachers with 0–9 years of experience; in one example she cited a bottom-step change from a $41,000 base to $48,000. She also told the committee that health insurance costs rose from the prior year and that the employer retirement match increased "from 24.67 on the employer match to 26.1," which staff must account for when balancing local budgets. Committee members asked how the increases affected veteran teachers and staffing categories; Shauna said the dollar increases were smaller at the top of the scale because the state targeted lower-paid steps to improve recruitment.
The committee discussed implications for Title I schools, which often rely on those funds for classroom supports; Shauna said those schools will need to review local budgets and that district staff will provide guidance. The committee did not take formal action on the state changes at this meeting; staff said they will bring refined local projections back to the board as figures are finalized.
