KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Education leaders in Knox County met on Wednesday to discuss how to best allocate around $591.5 million in funds.
Leaders proposed spending $24.1 million on pay increases for the school systems' employees. Certified and classified employees could see a 4% increase in their paychecks, while custodians, educational assistants and school clerical positions could get an 8% raise.
There would also be plans for periodic increases to employee pay rates, according to the proposed budget.
They also proposed spending $6.2 million more to hire more teachers as they say schools see significant increases in enrollment. They would also use the money to fill positions at virtual schools that are no longer eligible to receive federal funding.
There was $6.1 million also proposed for building new facilities at Adrian-Burnett Elementary, Lonsdale Elementary and for building a new school in the northwest part of Knox County.
Around $5.1 million more would go to hiring more special education teachers based on the requirements of Individualized Educational Plans. They also proposed hiring more support roles for English Language Learners, assistants to help struggling students and nurses. the money would also go towards hiring more facilitators, school counselors and social workers.
Six social workers would go to high schools, and more counselors would go to elementary schools, according to school officials. There will also be a chronic absenteeism facilitator to address issues with repeat absences.
The school system also said it would spend $1.6 million more on student transportation meant to help bus owners hire and retain drivers. Meanwhile. they would spend an additional $1.4 million to support security officers, purchase more safety equipment and purchase information aggregation software.
Around 31.4% of students in Knox County are considered on track and are succeeding on state exams, according to the state's report card of the district. They said nearly 58,000 students were enrolled in the district during 2021 and more than a quarter were considered economically disadvantaged.
The budget passed with nine 'yes' votes on Wednesday.