Sullivan County Commission approves long-awaited 15% raise for school teachers

BLOUNTVILLE — The long-awaited 15% raise that teachers and staff of Sullivan County have been advocating for was finally approved by the Sullivan County Commission during a called meeting Friday morning.Commissioner and sponsor Zane Vanover asked for immediate consideration and adoption of the new school budget proposal for the already started fiscal year 2024-25.Unanimous Support for the BudgetSchool officials addressed concerns raised by commissioners at the July 30 meeting regarding the sustainability of using the fund balance to finance a 15% raise for school employees, as well as the potential pay disparity the raise could create between teachers and administrative personnel.On Wednesday, the school board met and unanimously approved a revised budget that includes a 15% pay raise for teachers and support staff. The new budget also ensures that administrators receive the 15% raise, calculated based on what they would earn if they were still teaching in their certified areas. This adjustment will affect 34 school administrators and seven supervisors in the Central Office.The revised proposal reduced the estimated amount of fund balance needed to fund the raises and the overall budget for the 2024-25 school year from $7.9 million to approximately $6.5 million.Vanover motioned to suspend the rules for the resolution, which passed unanimously with 20 commissioners present and four absent, surpassing the required two-thirds or 16-vote minimum required.During the discussion, several commissioners expressed their support for the new proposal.Commissioner Hershel Glover thanked the school board for working with the commission to make the raise possible for teachers and support staff."We've had to find common ground and that hasn't been easy," Glover said. "I will support this budget, and I want to show appreciation to the school board for making this compromise happen."Glover also requested that the school board provide updates throughout the fiscal year to ensure the raises can be sustained in the future.Commissioner Matt Slagle, who said he was against using the fund balance to pay for the raises, also said his vote would be one in confidence of the school board. He also said he believed Sullivan County Schools' support staff have been underpaid.Commissioner Travis Ward asked Director of Schools Chuck Carter whether the school would be able to sustain the raises.Carter assured the commission that the school plans to increase enrollment and maximize TISA funding, along with getting additional state funding.Commissioner Cheryl Harvey spoke in favor of the compromise, calling it "an opportunity worth celebrating."The newly proposed school budget passed unanimously.How did they get here?In May, Carter presented the Sullivan County Board of Education's budget to the commission, which requested an additional $6 million for the upcoming fiscal year to fund a 15% raise for all employees. This move was in response to the state of Tennessee's April 2024 mandate requiring all teachers to be paid at least $50,000 by 2026 — a goal the county aimed to achieve two years early.Later that month, the Sullivan County Commission's Budget Committee got its first look at the initial proposed county school system budget, totaling $97,670,414, including the pay raise, costing about $9 million.On June 12, the budget committee rejected the proposal, stating it would require a 37-cent property tax hike.By June 20, the budget committee approved a revised proposal, which used $6.8 million of the fund balance to cover the pay raises.Despite the new proposal, commissioners cautioned against using the fund balance for recurring expenses, warning it could deplete the general fund.On July 30, the commission rejected the proposed school budget in a 12-10 vote, just shy of the 13 votes needed for passage.Several commissioners expressed concerns about the 15% raise for all school staff, including administrative personnel, because it would widen the salary gap between teachers and administrators such as principals and supervisors.Glover put forth a proposal that would have used $5.7 million of the fund balance to give all employees a raise capped at $6,289, with the 15% raise applied until this cap was reached.This led to the school board's meeting on Wednesday, where board members 7-0 approved a compromise by member Randall Jones that was ultimately approved by the commission.The county's 2025 general fund budget, approved on July 31, totals $87,870,488. This budget includes a 5% raise for all county employees, not including teachers.The commission also increased property taxes from $2.40 to $2.49 per $100 of assessed value. The additional revenue is distributed as follows: 4 cents to the general fund, 2 cents each to the solid waste and highway funds, and 1 cent to the school fund.