The nearly $3 billion budget adopted by the Gwinnett County school board on Thursday will allow for hundreds of new jobs while also providing pay increases for a majority of employees.
Taking effect on July 1, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the $2.8 billion budget will require a series of public hearings and a second vote before being officially implemented.
Gwinnett County teachers will now have an increased salary floor, with Chief Financial Officer Joe Heffron saying the current minimum salary of $9 per hour will be raised to $13.50 per hour. The district hopes to increase the minimum salary even more in the near future, reportedly eyeing a $15 minimum wage within the next two years.
The AJC reports that nearly all teachers within the school system, and 43% of all other employees, will be getting raises through a salary step increase. In addition, a $2,000 cost-of-living raise will be paid out to teachers, while other employees would receive a cost-of-living raise of at least 4%.
On the job creation front, the opening of Buford's Seckinger High School will bring roughly 200 new jobs to the county. In an effort to reduce overall class sizes, the budget also calls for a additional 182 teachers to be hired system-wide.
