The DeKalb County Board of Education unveiled its proposed 2012-13 spending plan Thursday night.
The new budget, which would not cause an increase in the property tax rate but  might require a bond issue, includes funding for pay raises, additional staff members, roof replacement at three schools, and money for a revamp of DeKalb West School.
According to Director of Schools Mark Willoughby, he and County Mayor Mike Foster have worked closely to come up with a budget everyone can agree on.
“A few weeks ago you gave me permission to work with Mr. Foster,” Willoughby told the board. “We have worked together in several different meetings to get a budget where we would not have to ask for a tax increase. Mr. Foster said there is a possibility the county may do a bond issue and he is going before his board with the same packet  that you have. I do want to thank Mr. Foster for working with me,” Willoughby said.
The plan includes a state-approved 2.5 percent pay raise, as well as a 2.5 percent increase along with the regular step increases and degree advancements for teachers.
It also calls for a local 2.5 percent increase for support staff along with the regular step increases per salary schedule and an increase of 9 percent for projected health insurance costs for teachers and support staff.
The proposed budget also allows for the addition of one math teacher at DCHS.
The plan includes funds for an additional kindergarten teacher at Smithville Elementary, and another sixth-grade instructor at DeKalb Middle as enrollment requires.
Funds are included for replacement of computers for the school bookkeepers, additional costs in special education due to contracted services and normal increases for utilities, fuel and supplies
The plan would also put custodians on 12-month contracts, as opposed to the 10-month contracts they currently work under.
Among items of interest eliminated in the proposal are the addition of an assistant band teacher, an assistant soccer coach, and funding for Drivers Education.
Local funding in the amount of $600,000 to meet a 12.5 percent FEMA grant match for building eight new tornado-safe classrooms at DeKalb West School is also included.
The $1.5 million grant has been approved by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and is now awaiting final approval by the FEMA.
Willoughby said that two plans are under consideration to fund the county’s share of the classroom additions at DWS, as well as the proposed cafeteria renovation.
One plan calls for the local grant match of $600,000 to be funded from reserves and fund balance.
The other option would be to fund the grant match, the DWS cafeteria renovation project and the re-roofing of DMS, DWS, SES with a county bond issue.
Willoughby said the DWS project can be completed under either plan.
“The $600,000 matching money for the FEMA grant is in the budget either way,” he informed the board. “It is in the budget using our reserves. We will be using $1.3 million in reserves to balance this budget without a tax increase," Willoughby said.
The proposed budget calls for  $1,236,824 to be used from school reserves to balance the budget with a bond issue for the DWS cafeteria, or $1,836,824 without the bond issue.
The plan must now be presented to the county commission's budget committee for approval.
The food-service budget includes a 2.5 percent increase for support staff with step increases as per salary schedules.
The central office bookkeeper for food service will go from an 11-month to a 12-month contract.
Assistant cafeteria managers would receive a quarter-an-hour increase over their pay as cooks.
The food service at Dekalb County Schools is self supporting and requires no local funds to support it.