A systemwide faculty meeting Wednesday evening brought more complaints from DeKalb County teachers upset that next year's proposed budget excludes customary salary supplements many have come to rely on.

"It seems we're always the ones cut," said one teacher, who did not give her name.

The meeting was a continuation of one held last week, during which Superintendent Crawford Lewis acknowledged his proposed $1.1 billion schools budget does not include so-called "step" increases for teachers.

Step increases are based on years of experience and usually come in addition to regular pay.

Lewis proposes next year to give all full-time employees, including teachers, a 2.5 percent pay raise but said the county could not additionally afford the step increases, given the economy and funding cuts by the state.

The exclusion has prompted educators and support staff to deride county officials for underfunding them. Teachers say that their pay alone has not kept up with inflation, and that rising insurance premiums are also cutting into what people bring home.

The local Organization of DeKalb Educators said its own salary study indicated DeKalb was in the lower half of the seven core metro Atlanta systems it reviewed, adding that the county was jeopardizing its competitiveness in recruiting and retaining the best teachers.

Lewis, meanwhile, acknowledged earlier this week that the proposal was not set in stone and that his staff would keep digging to find extra savings. He estimated they would need to find at least another $10 million to fund the increases next school year.