Their hopes of funding teacher raises with local option sales tax money rebuffed by the county commission, the board of education is now faced with deciding whether to make the $600 a one-time bonus or fund the amount into perpetuity in the form of raises.

“I’m for making it a raise,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps after the commission rejected the school board plan of using money from the sinking fund (local option sales tax) to cover the raises that will cost over $300,000 annually. “We have to take care of our teachers.”

The funding also includes $600 for all school staff along with teachers. With the county commission’s vote to approve the budget, school employees will be getting the increase. Teachers will also get another $600 from the state, that part of it as part in the form of raises. The question to be determined by the board of education is whether the county’s portion of the increase will be permanent.

The amount of raise/bonus has lowered dramatically as the board of education at first asked the county to help fund a $2,400 increase for teachers. That request was rejected and the board lowered its sights to the present $600 amount. However, during their last meeting before the county’s budget vote, the board of education decided to request the sinking fund be used. The plan met with resistance.

“At this time don’t they (the school board) have six million dollars of their own money that they have not spent that they have collected from us?” posed Sixth District Commissioner Betty Atnip just before the budget vote.
County Mayor Tim Stribling confirmed the school system has $6.1 in the coffers, the revelation leaving the school board’s request dead in the water.

With the decision of the commission, it will be up to the board of education to decide in their next meeting whether the increase will be permanent or a one-time bonus that would have to be revisited every year.