Teachers across Georgia should expect to get at least an additional 3% bump in pay starting next school year.
Governor Deal’s 2016 State of the State Address
Gov Deal said, “I have shown our appreciation for our teachers by making public education a priority, and we will do so again this year by appropriating an additional $300 million for k-12 education, which is more than is required to give teachers a three percent pay raise.”
This will be the third bump in pay DeKalb teachers should see in a 12 month period. At the beginning of the 2015-16 school year, teachers received a 3%-4% pay raise in the 4-3-2 plan. Just recently the district rolled out a mid year teacher schedule adjustment where teachers received an increase of up to $14,000 to make their salary competitive with other metro Atlanta school districts. And now teachers can expect an additional 3% starting next year if the school district passes along the additional funding meant for teachers the state will send to each school district.
[Update 1/15/16 ]
Question: Does the school district actually have an option whether or not to pass this additional funding along to teachers?
Answer: It does not look like it will be mandated. The Governor did, however, allude to repercussions in the flexibility given to the spending by districts that don’t pass the money along to teachers. Every year the district gets Class Size Flexibility and 65% Rule flexibility waivers. This year DeKalb Schools will also be applying to become a Strategic Waiver School System (SWSS). It would seem those waivers could be in jeopardy if the school district doesn’t comply with the Governor’s wishes.
Governor Deal said:
“We will distribute this money to your local school system under the existing QBE formula, but it is our intention that your local school system pass the three percent pay raise along to you. If that does not happen, it will make it more difficult next year for the state to grant local systems more flexibility in the expenditure of state education dollars, as recommended by the Education Reform Commission.
We have given local school systems large increases in funding for the past three years and given them the flexibility to decide how to spend it. Based on a survey by the State Department of Education, 94 percent of school systems used those funds to reduce or eliminate furlough days. With the additional funding this year, furloughs should be a thing of the past and teachers should receive that three percent pay raise. “
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”