KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The Knox County Board of Education met Wednesday evening to address teacher raises.
BOE members voted in favor to give teachers a 4%, which is up from a 3.5% raise in 2020 education budget the BOE passed in April.
Board Chair Patti Bounds said that's the largest raise for Knox County teachers in at least a decade and said teachers deserve it. She also said it will help the county retain good talent.
"Sometimes we lose employees to Maryville, Oak Ridge, some of these smaller counties that are able to pay their teachers more. Because when we do give people a 4-percent raise, 6,000 employees or more, that is a lot larger than a smaller county who has a smaller workforce," Bounds said.
The raises will add about $1.8 million to the 2020 budget.