At its recent regular school board meeting, Lexington County School District Two board members reviewed the first reading of the general budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year, which allocates 84% to salaries and fringe benefits.

Chief Financial Officer Sky Strickland presented two budget scenarios for board members to discuss, both including some step increases and cost-of-living adjustments. The proposed general fund budget for 2025–26 is $129,155,143.01, with the operating millage set at 174.9 mills.

The differences between Scenario One and Scenario Two are as follows: administrators receive a 1% cost-of-living adjustment in Scenario One, while in Scenario Two, they receive a 2% adjustment. Additionally, in Scenario Two, each cell in the current teacher salary schedule will receive an added $1,500.

The projected total for Scenario One is $128,391,414.95, while the total for Scenario Two is $129,165,209.36.

Strickland said that neither of these salary schedules will reduce teacher compensation, and no teacher will earn less next school year than they do this year.

Both scenarios include the following additional requests: athletic supplements; one second-grade full-time-equivalent (FTE) teacher at Saluda River Academy for the Arts; one second-grade FTE teacher at Springdale; a billboard campaign; two FTE technology technicians; one FTE teacher for three-year-olds; one FTE teacher for four-year-olds; one FTE teacher assistant for three-year-olds; one FTE teacher assistant for four-year-olds; one FTE coordinator for security and risk; two FTE multilingual-learner specialists; and one FTE administrative assistant/booker for the Performing Arts Center.

The board has already approved the FTE teacher for three-year-olds, the FTE teacher for four-year-olds and the two multilingual-learner specialists.

Strickland reiterated that the first and second readings of the budget could differ significantly due to the reassessment currently underway in Lexington County.

This reassessment program occurs every five years, with the last conducted in 2020. Non-taxable properties will not receive a reassessment notice, but non-manufacturing businesses in the county will. Manufacturing businesses will receive notices from the state instead.

Market sales from January 2020 through December 2024 were analyzed to implement the 2025 Reassessment Program, according to County Administrator Lynn Sturkie. Local residents should have already begun receiving their reassessment notices by mail.

“We are bringing what we believe are viable options for the school district while keeping us competitive in the Midlands and in our state in terms of recruiting and retention,” Superintendent Brenda Hafner said.

In a prior board workshop, members discussed adding multilingual-learner translators or assistants to classrooms. During the 2021–22 school year, the district had 16 FTE multilingual teachers providing direct instruction to students who speak languages other than English.

Currently, the district has 23 such teachers, including the two recently approved by the board.

David McDonald, Chief Academic and Innovation Officer, informed board members that the state-recommended ratio is 60 students per multilingual teacher.

“At some points in our district, we’ve had as many as 100 students per ML teacher, but now we’re approaching that recommended level,” he said.

These 23 teachers will be assigned to schools based on enrollment and student need.

Board member Mary Burkett said that all teachers need more support, particularly with language services, and said the board is working to provide it.

Similarly, board member Tre Bray said, “I want us to make sure we're supporting our teachers and kids who don’t speak the language that school is being taught in.”

In a 5–1 vote, board members approved the first reading of the general fund budget, which included both scenarios.

The next scheduled board meeting will be held on June 18, beginning at 6 p.m. at the District Education Center, located at 3205 Platt Springs Rd. in West Columbia.