Fulton schools budget calls for 2.5 percent pay raise

Number of students: 96, 424

Number of school days: 178

Number of teachers: About 8,000

Source: Fulton County school system

Fulton County school officials aim to increase employee pay and give students more days in the classroom as part of the district’s nearly $885 million proposed budget for the fall 2014-spring 2015 school year.

Superintendent Robert Avossa’s recommended balanced budget includes a 2.5 percent raise for teachers, bus drivers and some other workers, as well as an extra day added to the student calendar, bringing it to 178 days. The school district employs nearly 12,000 people.

Fulton was among a small number of school districts in Georgia that gave a nearly 3 percent pay increase to employees in the current school year.

“I’m proud of that,” Avossa said. “Our teachers work very hard, and the vast majority of them are producing great results and doing the right work.”

Board members got a first look at the prospective budget at a work session meeting on Wednesday. Members are expected to vote on the proposal next month, and the board is scheduled to adopt a final version of the budget in June.

Under the plan, class sizes won’t change in 2014-2015. Like other districts across Georgia, class sizes in Fulton have grown in recent years because state and local revenue has dropped and teacher positions have been cut.

Avossa acknowledged many parents would like smaller class sizes. But he said Fulton has opted to give raises to stay competitive with other metro school districts in attracting talented teachers and staff.

“As the economy gets better and we’re able to invest back in the schools, certainly class size will be one (priority),” Avossa said.

Amid recession-related budget constraints, Fulton in recent years trimmed the usual 180-day school calendar recommended by the state to 177 days, but had students spend more time in the classroom, thereby meeting the equivalent of 180 days of instruction.

Under the proposed budget, the district would add one day to the school calendar, bringing it to 178 days. Students would still get the equivalent of 180 days, school officials said.

Fulton — Georgia’s fourth-largest school district — has close to 95,500 students, with that number expected to climb by close to 1,000 next school year.

Under Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed budget for the fall 2014-spring 2015 school year, schools across Georgia are projected to receive a nearly $300 million bump in funding from the state, though school officials say it’s still not likely enough to get districts back to where they were financially before the recession.

Fulton schools would get an extra $20 million or so in state funding, in addition to nearly $9 million more in local property tax revenue, according to Robert Morales, Fulton’s chief financial officer.

The district is also projected to dip into its “rainy day” reserve funds by up to $30 million for one-time expenses such as new computers and textbooks. The district has a total of about $200 million in reserve funds, Morales said.