Members of the Aiken County Board of Education approved a budget for the 2022-2023 school year, despite not having final funding amounts from the state budget process.
Tray Traxler, the district’s chief financial officer, said the version presented at the June 14 board meeting is balanced at just over $227 million. That is lower than the just over $230 million plan approved on first reading on in April.
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Traxler said the first budget proposal was based on figures proposed in March for the state budget by the South Carolina House. That $14 billion proposal included salary increases for teachers. By May, the state Senate had approved a version of roughly $12.5 billion. That would mean $2.5 million less for Aiken County schools.
“We did base it on the Senate version of the budget, the worst-case scenario at this point,” Traxler told board members. “Now, our legislators are still working on finalizing the state budget and we continue to monitor that. But we had to look at what is the worst-case scenario for us.”
Traxler said the budget includes a 3.25% cost of living adjustment and step increases ranging from $2,000 to $3,500 for eligible employees. This does not include bus drivers because the state requires a higher cost of living adjustment for drivers. That increase averages about 4.65%.
The plan includes athletic supplemental increases of 10% for high school coaches and athletic directors, 5% for high school assistants and 12.5% for middle school coaches and athletic directors and 6.2% for assistant coaches.
That smaller increase for high school coaching staff did not sit well with board member Dwight Smith who, before he retired, served as a head coach at the high school level.
“They coach July, August, September, October, November, in some cases. They’re in on weekends washing uniforms. They’re in there on Sundays grading film and doing all of this stuff. And then I come down and I see middle school 12.5% raise for head coaches, and athletic directors and assistant coaches 6.2. I can’t see giving middle school coaches a 12.5% raise,” he said.
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Traxler said the board would have the authority to revisit the budget and make adjustments, based on the funding ultimately approved in the state budget. However, the district needed to have an approved budget in place in order to cover the next payroll checks.
The budget approved does not include a tax increase. The millage will remain at 134.2 mills.
The House and Senate are expected to vote on the final budget plan this week. It must then go to Gov. Henry McMaster for his signature.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
