During the Anderson School District One Board meeting Tuesday, District One Finance Director Travis Thomas presented preliminary information on the State House spending plan and how it will affect the District’s 2024-25 budget.
According to Thomas, the House recently passed a $1.3 billion spending plan, which will have to go before the Senate and the Governor for approval.
Highlights include a $500 million one time property tax cut; $230 million increase in State Aid to Classrooms (raised starting teacher salary from $42,500 to $47,000 and extends salary schedule from 23 to 28 years); and $41 million to provide a $1,000 or 1.5 percent pay raise for state employees, whichever is greater.
Also $107 million allocated to increased health care premiums for state health insurance; $200 millon to Department of Transportation to address bridges in the state; $3 million for an external audit on the $1.8 billion in a pass through at the treasurer’s office and an additional $1.2 million for the treasurer’s office to comply. It also includes $57.5 million to freeze tuition rates for in-state college students.
Thomas said expected increase in expenditures for the District next year will include a loss of ESSER funding; a minimum salary scale and step raises for teachers, bus drivers and other employees; a health insurance increase of 11.8 percent; tuition increase for the Anderson Career and Technology Center; substitute teacher cost increase and property and casualty insurance increase.
Under the House version, there will be no change in reading coach allocations. The state allocation covers approximately one half of the cost for reading coach teachers, Thomas said.
Additional funding available from the State includes Retiree increase of $260,643; a reduction of $79,485 for Career and Technology Education; an additional $2.47 million in State Aid to classrooms (GF) and $225,465 in state aid to classrooms (EIA) for a total of $2,882,719.
Thomas said “There are a lot of needs to try to meet with all of that money as well.”
Superintendent Robbie Binnicker presented information on the draft salary scale being recommended by the State for 2025.
Binnicker said “We are already above the state minimum” on new teacher salaries. However he said the Governor is trying to get to starting salary for a new teacher to $50,000.
He said the state recommendations included a minimum increase of $4,000 to $5,000 for new teachers with a Bachelors or Masters degree and a smaller increase of $100 to $757 for those with a Doctorate degree and teaching experience from 5 to 25 years. More than half of the District’s teachers have a Masters degree with up to thirty years experience and just over fifteen percent have more than thirty years experience. Two percent have a Doctorate.
“The Anderson District One plan is to do something across the board,” Binnicker said. “We are in competition with those around us and will have to pick a number that will fit in our budget.”
The draft State budget will go to the Senate Finance Committee for deliberation April 9-11 and to the Senate Floor April 23-25. The final State budget will be sent to the Governor May 7-9.
A final budget for District One will be presented to the Board for public hearing and final approval at their May 28 meeting.
