Published by WVUA 23 on September 11, 2023.
The Tuscaloosa City Board of Education is gunning for 2% raises and a pay increase to $15 an hour for some positions next year, according to the 2024 budget proposal.
“Those increases and expenditures are based on the fact that inflation has hit us and continues to hit us,” said TCS Chief School Financial Officer Jay Duke. “It’s a competitive market for wages. We’ve got not only school teachers, but school bus drivers, custodians, maintenance workers, and administrative staff.”
In addition to salary increases, the budget would also provide classrooms with $1,000 per teacher for instructional supplies. This is $100 more than in the current education budget.
When deciding on the budget, Duke said the city has funding coming in from federal, state, local and other sources. But it’s a challenge deciding where all the money goes.
“Seventy percent of our budget is in instructional support and instructional services, so we try to put the focus on the classroom,” Duke said.
Arts and music instruction, school safety and transportation are also covered by local funding. The Tuscaloosa City Board of Education will vote on its 2024 budget Sept. 12. If passed, it will go into effect Oct. 1.
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