Three years after posting a $14 million deficit, DeKalb County School District Superintendent Michael Thurmond announced a budget surplus of about $80.8 million for the proposed 2015-2016 budget, the district said in a press release.
The budget also estimates a 4 percent increase in the property tax base.
“Working with the Board of Education, we have been able to manage our resources and needs in a more prudent and responsible manner,” Thurmond said in the release. “With better management practices and the improving economy, we are able to address our priorities, which are retaining experienced teachers, adding more qualified classroom instructors and continuing to invest in academic growth and achievement.”
The budget is expected to be presented to the Board of Education during its meeting Monday. Thurmond said previously that the district’s fund balance is expected to reach $51 million by the end of the current fiscal year.
Also expected in the budget is $20 million to be spent giving out raises to teachers, secretaries, bus drivers and other staffers, who only have seen a 1 percent increase in the past seven years.
Under the plan, teachers with six or more years of service would get a 4 percent cost-of-living hike, teachers with up to five years of experience would receive 3 percent, and other district staff would receive 2 percent increases.
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