Cobb County school board members voted Thursday in favor of a proposed budget for next school year, which calls for raises for teachers and other employees.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s recommended nearly $945 million budget includes a 4 percent raise for all employees, with plans to hire close to 100 new teachers.
The budget also includes using $20 million of reserve funds, which would leave approximately $80 million in the reserve.
Other metro Atlanta school districts are also proposing to give teachers and other employees significant raises for the next school year, as local property tax collections and state funding are on the rise again after the recession.
Cobb’s budget is expected to get final approval from the school board on May 28.
Cobb teachers will see the raise after years of furloughs and increasing class sizes. The district also wants to hire 100 more teachers in an effort to reduce classroom sizes.
The district recently held its first job fair in nearly eight years and received about 1,900 teaching applications. The district is looking to hire about 700 teachers for the next school year – including the 100 new teachers, according to John Adams, deputy superintendent.
The average teacher salary in Georgia for 2013-14 was $52,924, compared to the national average, which was $56,610, according to the National Education Association. Georgia ranks 24th in its average teacher salary, compared to other states.
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