Fulton County Schools’ full-time employees, including teachers, will receive a 2% raise in January.

The board of education on Thursday approved a budget adjustment that includes roughly $10 million to cover the cost of the salary bump.

Superintendent Mike Looney had announced in April that he planned to seek a midyear raise for employees.

The January pay hike will build on the district’s initial budget, approved by the board in June, which featured a 3% raise for employees that went into effect last month plus a midyear step increase. The step increase is provided to eligible workers based on years of experience.

The board on Thursday also agreed to distribute an additional $3 million to schools, to be allocated based on student enrollment. District leaders are asking schools to spend that money on safety measures.

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Kate Sharer, Biotechnology Teacher and iGEM Advisor, instructs her students at Lambert High School in Forsyth County in December 2024. Forsyth County Schools had the highest average ACT composite score of any district in Georgia for the graduating class of 2025. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com