DeKalb Schools is scheduled to come out with the proposed FY16 budget at the May 4 board meeting. The board made it clear at the March 2 meeting, they wanted to see an increase in spending on instruction.
Since 2012, annual tax collections for the school district have increased by roughly $100 million. The superintendent proposed spending $20 million of that on teachers with the following news release.
4 percent cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for all veteran teachers with 6 or more years of experience
3 percent COLA increase to teachers with 0-5 years of experience; and,
2 percent COLA increase for all other employees.
The school district FY2015-2016 Budgeting Process includes:
April 1 – Board of Education and public comment input
May 4 – Proposed budget and revenue projections presented to the Board
May 28 – Tentative budget published in The Champion
June 1 – Board adopts tentative budget and has first millage rate hearing
June 4 – Five-year millage rate history published in The Champion
June 17 – Final budget adoption vote and 2nd and 3rd millage hearings
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Is the school board trying to deflect attention away from the TSA class action lawsuit, hoping no one will notice and that it will go away from the public eye? It’s almost as if they saying, look what we’re doing for the current teachers now-pay raises! Please don’t bring up the fact that we eliminated Board TSA contributions to teachers back in 2009 , and are fighting to not reinstate/reimburse the teachers TSA funding. (which they strongly reccommended/implemented as an alternative to Social Security back in 1979)
Once something goes into legal, the board is limited as to what they can say about the issue. I try to keep my website up to date on TSA here.
Moving forward, my understanding is that the board can start making TSA contributions without affecting the current case. At the 02/02/15 Mid Year Adjustments meeting, I asked the board to do just that. The attorneys stepped in and it hasn’t come up since then.
There is, however, a big push to get 65% of the operating budget into the classroom. At the 03/02/2015 meeting the board attempted to make 65% classroom expenditures a requirement for the next budget to no avail.