The Atlanta school board will vote tonight on a plan to give about 3,000 teachers and staff raises.
The move would spend $11 million to bring staff affected by years of pay freezes up to par with new employees hired during those years.
Atlanta teachers are already some of the best-paid in the region.
Atlanta Public Schools employees received raises last year. Before that, the last year they got raises was 2009, Hall said.
But over those years, as the district recruited teachers to take the places of those removed after being implicated in the Atlanta test-cheating scandal and to fill other vacancies, new teachers were hired at salaries higher than those of existing employees with the same years of experience.
"They had to do something drastic to attract people to come here," district human resources chief Pamela Hall told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "When you do that over five years it really builds up."
Also on the board’s agenda:
- The evaluation of Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. The evaluation will be conducted behind closed doors, as allowed by state law.
- A $96,000 contract with a company called Reform Ed for consulting "on matters of policy, legislation, and political strategy."
- Voting to hire two new administrators to oversee teaching and learning, including one who will focus on schools potentially subject to state takeover if the Opportunity School District amendment to the state constitution is approved next year by voters. Rise Up Georgia, a "progressive" political group, tells the AJC it plans to ask the school board tonight to take a position against the amendment.
- Authorization to borrow money to cover any cash flow shortfalls this fall.
- The introduction of 18 new school principals.
Note: The Atlanta school board has changed its meeting schedule. In place of separate Monday work sessions and legislative meetings, the board will hold a single meeting today starting at 2:30 p.m. Registration for public comments will be from 5-5:50 p.m. The board will vote after public comments.
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