Local school officials are facing a pay problem.
State lawmakers promised public school teachers a pay raise this year.
In Lexington 2 in the Cayce and West Columbia area those raises will cost in salary and fringe benefits $2,559,996, said Dawn Kujawa of the district.
“This would include savings from replacing teachers and staff who are leaving and retiring with employees who have fewer years of experience,” she said.
What lawmakers are sending the district to cover that $2,559,996 is only $1,880,068.93. In other words, district taxpayers will have to pick up $679,927.07.
“The district has adopted an initiative to improve teacher and staff attendance, which would reduce the cost of substitutes and would allow us to decrease that budget line item.”
Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler said, “Those numbers are for the district’s salary schedule. The General Assembly fully funded the statewide minimum salary schedule 100% and required no local match.
“The numbers you were given include all administrative staff not just teachers and fringe benefits for administrative staff.”
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said, “The legislature funded the increase based on the statewide teacher pay scale. Some districts pay higher.”
Lexington 1 in Gilbert, Lexington and Pelion is cutting staff to avoid a tax increase.