GCS Board of Trustees Unanimously Approve FY 20 Budget

: By Brotherton, Elizabeth; Published: 23 May 2019

Tuesday, the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees unanimously approved the administration’s recommended FY 20 General Fund Budget. The $668.4 million budget increases teacher pay, reduces elementary class sizes, ensures a 30 minute daily planning for all teachers and adds more counselors at the middle and high school levels.

Budget Highlights:

No teacher in Greenville County will be paid less than $40,000 per year
Teachers will receive a salary step, plus each step on the salary schedule will be increased 4%
No teacher in Greenville County will receive less than a 5% raise; the average teacher will see a salary increase of 6.5%
All other eligible employees will receive a step. If the step is not valued at a minimum 4%, it will be adjusted to equal a 4% increase. Employees not eligible for a step will receive a 4% increase.
Personnel added to ensure a minimum 30-minute daily planning period for all teachers.
Personnel to reduce elementary class sizes, grades 1-5
Reduction of student to school counselor ratio from 275:1 to 250:1 in Middle & High Schools

The budget includes a 6 mill tax increase. Greenville County Schools does not receive tax revenue on owner occupied homes. The owner of a 10 year old vehicle will pay an average of $0.11 more per month on their sedan and approximately $0.21 more per month on their full- sized truck. The owner of a new vehicle will pay approximately $0.64 more per month on their sedan and $0.97 more per month on their full-sized truck. The average business owner will pay between $8.00 and $20.00 more per month.

GCS is first in the state to require starting pay of $40,000 for teachers. During public comment Shelley Smith, the reigning GCS Teacher of the Year and a Top Five finalist in the State, praised the administration for listening to teacher concerns and taking positive steps to elevate the profession. Smith thanked the board for advocating on behalf of educators, finding creative solutions to challenges and improving the district’s ability to recruit and retain quality teachers.

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