Gwinnett County school board members tentatively adopted a near $2 billion budget Tuesday evening that will include employee raises and additional funds for school bus repairs and property maintenance.
The proposed budget includes a 3 percent salary increase for all employees. Most teachers will receive an additional boost in pay. The average teacher’s pay will rise by 3.87 percent, officials said.
Gwinnett expects to receive a net $44 million increase from the state and property taxes. State lawmakers provided additional money in this year’s budget for Georgia’s school districts. The school district budget does not include a property tax rate increase, but officials say home values rose this year in Gwinnett so they expect to collect more in property taxes.
Administrators said they are trying to play catch-up after years of lean budgets and state cuts that began more than a decade ago.
“We still have a ways to go … to fund some of the things we have to fund to provide a good education,” said Gwinnett Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks.
School board members are scheduled to conduct a final vote on the budget at a May 19 meeting.
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