CCSD Proposed Budget Invests More in Teachers, Classrooms

The Cherokee County School District’s proposed budget for next school year invests more funding in teachers and resources that directly support student learning, while holding the millage rate steady.

Proposed improvements include more competitive compensation for teachers and staff directly supporting students, advancing school safety and security, and upgrading instructional resources and classroom supplies for teachers and students.

The Cherokee County School Board will review the Superintendent’s recommended budget at its meeting on Thursday, March 20, which begins with a work session at 5:15 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m.  Work sessions and meetings are livestreamed on CCSD’s YouTube channel and then posted to CCSD’s website.

The full recommended budget is posted online here.  The school board will hold public hearings next month and consider adoption of the budget at its April 17 meeting.

In addition to no increase in the millage rate, which is recommended to hold at the historically lowest level of 17.95 mills, the budget’s other financial stewardship highlights include: cuts of more than 5% in operating costs across all central office divisions, totaling $2.4 million; shifting $1.4 million from central office divisions’ funds to school-based funds to improve funding for fine arts, STEM and other classroom materials; and ending district contracts for redundant, duplicate and/or resources not aligned with learning standards.

Here are a few highlights of the proposed improvements:

• For all teachers and support staff, increase salaries for 3% in addition to the longevity step increase.  Central office administrators will not receive the additional 3% increase;

• Lower class sizes for fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms by hiring more than 20 additional teachers;

• Invest in comprehensive K-12 English language and math instructional resources (textbooks, workbooks, digital resources) to build the toolbox of resources for teachers and students;

• Increase school-based budgets to support fine arts, STEM and other classroom consumable instructional materials, classroom supplies, and instructional expenses … in an effort to help reduce class fees to parents and teacher out-of-pocket expenses;

• Add one campus security monitor to each of the three high schools with multiple buildings (Cherokee HS, Etowah HS, Sequoyah HS) to support the two POST-certified CCSD Police officers already assigned to each of these large campuses; and,

• Equip all CCSD Police officers with body cameras.