The Walker County, Ga., Board of Education will meet Monday night to review this year’s budget, highlighted by a boost in funding for teachers.
Compared to 2016-17, the budget will add an extra $4 million for instruction, a 7 percent increase. Phyllis Copeland, the system’s director of financial services, said the boost is highlighted by an addition of 30 teachers and “support personnel.”
Superintendent Damon Raines said the school will add 14.5 special education teachers, 11.5 elementary school teachers, three middle school teachers and one guidance counselor. In addition, Copeland said, the system is boosting salaries for employees without teaching certificates by 2 percent.
The state is raising certified teacher pay by the same proportion.
“I was really tickled to be able to give those folks a well-deserved pay increase after the lean years,” school board member Karen Stoker said.