Teachers in Henry County Schools will see a little more in their paychecks starting in January. Plus, all full-time employees will see a retention supplement in their December paychecks. The school board approved the FY 2025 mid-year teacher pay raise on December 9, 2024.
The effective starting salary for a teacher in Henry County Schools will now be $53,670. Five years ago, in 2020, this amount was $41,000.
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FY 2025 Mid-Year Teacher Pay Raise
The school board adopted their FY 2024-2025 budget in May. At the time, it had a $2,500 bump in teacher pay. They have now approved a mid-year teacher pay raise. The pay raise includes the following:
- a $170 monthly pay raise beginning in January 2025, and
- a $60 monthly raise to offset increasing benefit costs.
The $230 per month raise equals $2,760 annually.
Board members shared their remarks in support of the pay raise. Chair Sophe Pope remarked “I am grateful for this opportunity to pour into our teachers.” Board Member Makenzie McDaniel commended the district staff for their due-diligence in making the pay raise possible. Other board members Cobb, Edwards and Nutt also expressed their support for the pay raise. It passed by the board unanimously.
HCS Teacher Pay Since 2019
The pay raise continues an upward trend since 2019. A teacher’s starting pay has increased over $12,000 in Henry County during that time. While yes, the state has raised its base pay by $9,500 during that time, the county has increased pay by an additional $6,170. Henry County Schools pays a starting teacher about $10,000 above the state’s starting pay.
In addition, the district employs more teachers than the state funding formula, QBE, assigns it. The state provides funding for 2,841 teacher positions in FY 2025. The local budget supports an additional 836 teachers. These additional positions are paid for by local property taxes.
December Pay Supplement
Finally, the school board approved a December pay supplement. It will be $250 for full-time employees whose contracts continue into the spring semester. Part-time employees will receive a prorated amount.
The December pay supplement and mid-year teacher pay raise will cost $11,090,086. This increases the FY 2024-2025 budget. The school district’s general fund budget now has $573 million in expenses.
Featured image shows the Henry County Schools district office. Henry County Schools photo. Editor’s note: the original headline has been corrected to “employee supplement” instead of “employee bonus.”
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