Includes $3,500 salary increase for 1st year teachers
During their meeting Tuesday, the Anderson School District One Board of Trustees approved the 2025-26 operating budget of $120,705,198 which includes a salary increase for teachers to bring first year teacher salaries in line with other Anderson County School Districts.
With the increase, starting teacher salary for the first year will be $51,500, an increase of $3,500 from the 2024-25 first year salary which is currently $47,940.
The new teacher salary scale includes a $1500 increase mandated by the SC Dept. of Education plus a $2,000 salary increase to match starting teacher salaries in Anderson Districts 2-5.
Other District One personnel including teacher assistants, bus drivers, custodians, nurses, bookkeepers, attendance clerks, food service, administrators and others will see a 2.5 percent salary increase.
The total cost to the District for the teacher salary scale increases amounts to $3,290,000. Other salary scale increases (for adminstrators and principals) amount to $437,500. The other non-salary scale increases amount to $327,500.
The District will also see an increase in SRO cost of $123,000, ACTC tuition increase $82,000 and Paid Parental Leave for substitutes which will add an additional $300,000 expense.
The budget includes an 8 mill tax increase on businesses, rental property and auto/property taxes. The current millage rate of 166.05 will increase to 174.05 and will generate an additional $1,317,469 in revenue.
On the revenue side, District One is expecting an increase of $4,673,512 from property and auto tax. Other expected revenue increases include Delinquent Tax $100,000; Fee in Lieu $150,000; County Equalization $500,000; Education Funding Model $671,834; State Property Tax (Tiers 1, 2, 3) $732,925. Also Merchants Inventory and Manufacturing Depreciation $250,000; Retiree Insurance $435,507; and $418,340 in other revenues.
The budget includes use of $655,791 from the Fund Balance to balance projected revenues with projected expenses.
Total change in revenue over the current year amounts to $6,634,355.
Total revenue is budgeted at $120,705,198.
Total expenses for the budget include: Salaries $69,091,478; Fringe Benefits $35,142,899; Purchases Services $9,915,117; Supplies and Materials $5,264,304; Equipment/Capital Purchases $881,025; and Transfers and other $410,375. Total Projected Expenditures are $120,705,198.
The District One Fund Balance for 2023-24 amounted to $28,517,000 which is 25 percent of the total budget and meets the recommended three month reserve.
The District One budget will be presented to the Anderson County Board of Education for final approval.
