DCSD Proposed FY2017 Budget
General Operating Fund – Revenues and expenditures increased to $955 million.
Beginning Fund Balance – It is expected that the Beginning Fund Balance (Jul 2016) will be $124 million.
Total Expenditures – Total expenditures in all funds including the General fund, ESPLOST (capital outlay) and grants (special revenue), is $1.2 billion.
You can see more detail at the Proposed FY2017 Budget Presentation page.
The budget includes a 3% raise for all employees, the elimination of all furlough days as well as bonuses for new and current teachers.
Employee Salary Analysis
A market midpoint salary analysis for metro Atlanta was performed. 53.4% of employees are above or at market. With 3% salary increase, we would be at 65.7% at or above the market. Generally speaking, the seasoned employees are typically above market and new employees are typically below market.
Teacher Bonuses
A $500 retention bonus for teachers who are currently employed, and sign a contract to teach with DCSD in SY16-17. The retention bonus would be paid in October 2016.
Signing bonus amount for new teachers depends on the region and content area. The US Department of Education identified the following as hard to fill positions: Special Ed, Math, Science, Spanish Teachers
The signing bonus matrix is as follows:
“Classrooms First for Georgia” – Requires, at a minimum, 65% of a system’s total operating funds to be spent in the classroom. DeKalb Schools has never been in compliance with this law.
65% rule is calculated on actuals. If we spend this budget as planned, then we will cross over the 65% threshold for the first time.
Millage rate relief – In the height of the recession, the board increased the millage rate a full millage point to close the budget gap. Last year it was lowered from 23.98 to 23.73 mills. Dr. Green, “We have to be mindful of the liabilities, but we should be in a position to have a [millage rate reduction] discussion.”
Related Posts
Approved FY2017 Budget Highlights
June 22, 2016 – Here are the highlights for the budget and millage rate approved by the DeKalb County Board of Education last night. I was the lone dissenting vote for both the millage rate and the budget.
DeKalb Schools Proposed 2016-2017 Budget
May 13, 2016 – Total expenditures in all funds including the General fund, ESPLOST (capital outlay) and grants (special revenue), is $1.2 billion.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Stan,
In either the Work Session or the Committee of the Whole session of the May BOE meeting, it sounded like Dr. Green was proposing supplemental pay for hard-to-staff-subjects in hard-to-staff schools. It wasn’t at all clear if this was linked to OSD candidate schools or covered even more of the schools with perennial low test scores.
Can that be made public, or can you point me toward where it is posted?
Thanks!
Hard to Fill Content Areas – Special Ed, Math, Science, Spanish, Teachers
Region 1 – $1000 for hard to fill content areas / $1000 all other content areas
Region II – $1,500 / $1,000
Region III – $2,000 / $1,000
Region Iv – $2,500 / $1,500
Region V – $3,000 / $2,000
Thank you, Stan! I will have to noodle over this, and I’m sure some folks will find it unfair, but on first read it shows that the Administration recognizes that not every school is the same and not every subject area is the same. If we keep doing the same thing we have been doing we will probably get the same results.
Fulton’s approach: Fulton offers $20,000 stipends for teachers to serve needy schools
Nov 23, 2015 – Fulton County’s top teachers can earn $20,000 stipends for working in the system’s lowest-performing schools.
Stan,
Is the 3% raise proposed by the district in addition to the 3% raise for teachers in the state education budget or is the district merely passing along the state funding increase?
Stan,
Can you please tell me if teachers will receive a true step increase this year? For the last 5 or 6 years, the county has simply added steps to the pay scale while moving a teacher up the scale. This basically keeps the teacher on the same step while appearing to give the teacher a step increase. This could be part of the reason why teachers with 5 to 10 years of experience had to be given a substantial increase a few months ago.
The proposed budget has a 3% increase for all employees and $500 retention bonus for teachers.
Not sure you answered the question from curious- do teachers get their step increase too?
Returning teachers should plan on making 3% more than they are making now and get a $500 bonus (before taxes) in October. I’ll have to find out how the 3% raise for teachers is being orchestrated.