Knox County Schools approves budget with historic raises for teachers and staff
Knox County schools board unanimously approved a $684 million budget for the upcoming year with a historic investment in teacher and staff salary increases even after the loss of pandemic-related federal aid.
Now that the school district's budget is in place for the 2024-2025 school year, it must be approved by the Knox County Commission. It is a 3.5% increase over the current budget.
Board member Jennifer Owen asked why there are 20 fewer custodian positions when it has been difficult to find and retain them, as well as decreases in instruction and office supplies.
"Our custodians are understaffed as it is," Owen said.
Superintendent Jon Rysewyk told Knox News the custodial positions have long been vacant.
The board also unanimously approved a capital budget of $99.7 million and nutrition budget of $32.8 million.
The budget can be found online at shorturl.at/tvyz9.
More: Every budget tells a story. What's Knox County Schools' story this year?
More: Knox County school board OKs raises that will bring salaries up to competitive levels
Among other highlights in this year's budget are:
Knox County Schools will spend $1.3 million on 865 Academies, which is Knox County Schools' career-focused learning model for high schools.
$3.5 million will be used to pay for 47 English language learner support positions for students whose first language is not English. This aligns with student demographic changes.
The district will spend $2.7 million on 67 educational assistants for special education classrooms.
What do the salary increases mean for teachers and staff?
The pay raises, which kick in July 1, will bring salaries closer to market rates to help administrators attract and retain educators and staffers.
A recent study showed Knox County Schools paid 9% less than the market minimum, and this move will correct that shortfall. The new salary schedule means a teacher with a bachelor's degree will have a starting salary of a little over $47,000. With a master's degree, the starting pay would be about $50,700.
The new schedule can be found online at shorturl.at/adnqV.
The pay hikes move the district closer to meeting a state law passed last year that requires Tennessee teachers to be paid at least $50,000 a year by the 2026-27 school year.
What did the community want from the budget?
The district engaged 10 principals, nine district representatives and five regional representatives in the budget development process. It also surveyed the community and got 2,032 responses, with 64% coming from students and parents, 34% from employees and 2% from the community.
The community's top priority was that the budget be people-centered, according to the budget document.
Where does the district get its money?
The majority of the district's revenue comes from state funds and local tax levies.
Funding funneled to Knox County Schools includes 72% of the sales tax collected in Knox County and the city of Knoxville, 50% of sales tax collected in Farragut, and 35% of the county property tax rate.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, called the ESSER fund, which was established by the federal government in March 2020 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, is sunsetting. That fund brought in $178 million for the district over the last three years.
Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AreenaArora.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Schools approves budget with raises for teachers, staff
