LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fayette County would be the first school district in Kentucky to bring starting teacher salaries above $50,000 under the tentative $677.4 million 2023-24 budget approved by the board of education on Monday.

The 2023-24 Tentative Budget invests 86% of new spending – more than $40.6 million – directly into schools and classrooms for the benefit of students.

“Budgets are more than just columns of numbers. They tell a story about what we value,” said Superintendent Demetrus Liggins. “We are proud to say that this year’s budget shows that we value our children and the outstanding employees who serve and support them each day.”

The highest starting teacher salary in Kentucky right now is $45,772 in Kenton County, according to officials.

School board members said staff salaries were their top budget priority after receiving the results of a compensation study by an external firm that determined pay for teachers, principals, and district administrators was not competitive with other school districts, the Herald Leader reported.

Key points in the budget include spending for academics, student support, personnel, strategic initiatives and operations.

Last year’s budget included $12 million to raise the pay of hourly employees such as classroom aides, school bus drivers and cafeteria staff, and an additional $12.3 million to ensure that salaried staff received a 3% salary increase for education and experience.

For 2023-24, the staff recommendation is to add $24.9 million for salaried staff raises and an additional $4 million to provide a minimum 4% pay increase for hourly employees.

Teachers in the audience at the school board meeting called the new salary schedule life- changing. “I’m in that time of my life where I’m thinking about having children,” said Frederick Douglass High School English teacher Erika Pennington, who is in her fourth year of teaching. “One of the biggest considerations was whether I would be able to afford childcare. This decision solidifies that I will be able to return to the classroom.”

All employees will receive at least a 4% raise, with an average raise of 8%, under the tentative budget.

Where does the revenue come from?

The overall tentative budget for the Fayette County Public Schools is about $867 million and is comprised of several different funds, according to analysis from the Herald Leader. Many of those funds are restricted to certain uses, so the school board has the most discretion over how to spend its general fund.

• Total General Fund: $677,440,375; comes from local and state revenue sources and the school safety tax.
• Special Revenue Fund, including federal and state grants, and COVID-19 relief money: $97,988,338
• Food Service Fund: $31,977,438
• Capital Outlay: $3,835,378 (Money from the state to be used for maintenance and construction projects or to pay for previously bonded projects.)
• Building Fund: $55,497,117 (Local property tax revenue that must be used for building construction or renovation projects included on the district’s facilities plan.)

Hightlights of the budget

The district’s general fund includes $47.2 million of new spending:

• $28.9 million for staff raises
• $8.9 million for 157 positions working directly with students
• $1.6 million to support students receiving gifted and talented, special education and multilingual services
• $1.5 million investment in fine arts
• $500,000 to ensure full-time nurses in every school
• $450,000 to open new preschool classrooms
• $448,000 to expand innovative programming and college and career exploration activities.