Greenville County Schools Proposes $989M Budget Featuring Teacher Raises and Staff Realignments

The Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees has approved the first reading of a $989.4 million general fund budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

The proposed package balances competitive salary increases for educators with strategic staff realignments designed to address a projected dip in student enrollment. Notably, the district administration has recommended no increase to the local millage rate, marking the fifth time in 11 years that local school taxes will remain flat.

Salary Boosts to Recruit and Retain Talent

To combat inflation and keep the district competitive, the recommended budget earmarks significant funding for staff salary increases:

• Teacher Pay Raises: Educators are slated to receive a $2,550 salary increase across the board, which would raise the starting salary for a first-year teacher in the district to $54,344. Teachers will also receive a standard salary step increase, and a 38th step is being added to the schedule to reward veteran educators.

• Non-Teacher Increases: All other district employees are scheduled to receive a 3.5% salary increase or a step increase, whichever is greater.

• Leadership Adjustments: The budget includes targeted funds to adjust salary schedules for principals and assistant principals, ensuring a competitive gap between administration and classroom pay scales.

• Special Education Support: Special education aides will see their hourly pay scale adjusted upward to a range of $20 to $23.50 per hour, alongside a 6% pay bump for special education aide substitutes.

Position Reductions Due to Declining Enrollment

While the budget invests heavily in compensation, it also reflects a $15.5 million reduction in personnel costs.

The school district anticipates student enrollment to drop from approximately 77,000 to 75,760 students for the upcoming school year. In response, GCS plans to trim and realign several staff allocations to match actual student counts.

According to district forecasts, the positions slated for reduction include:

• 134.8 teaching positions

• 3 administrative roles

• 6.5 school counselors

• 3 media specialists

• 8 clerks

• 3.5 lab managers

Superintendent Dr. W. Burke Royster emphasized that the district is committed to transitioning certified employees affected by these staff reductions into other open, qualifying positions within the school system for the upcoming year.

Expanding Special Education and Other Key Investments

Despite the staff realignments, the budget plans for targeted expansion in critical areas, particularly special education services. The district has set aside funding to hire four new special education specialists, ten aides, three behavior specialists, five behavior support liaisons, a school psychologist, and an occupational therapist.

Additionally, GCS plans to fund 15 permanent substitute teacher positions to support schools struggling with high teacher absence rates.

The school board will hold a public hearing and a second, final reading on the proposed budget before it officially takes effect for the new fiscal year starting July 1.