On Wednesday, July 12, the Gwinnett County Board of Education (BOE) adopted a millage rate to support the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024) budget. This move, along with the BOE’s adoption of the FY2024 budget at its June 15, 2023, meeting, means GCPS employees will soon get a bump in pay.
The FY2024 budget will now include a $3,500 salary increase for teachers, a minimum 4.5% cost-of-living increase for classified staff, minimum wage increases to $15.00/hour across the board, and a longevity step for eligible employees. In addition, all eligible employees (including teachers, bus drivers, school nutrition employees, custodians, etc.) will receive a one-time $1,000 supplement to be paid out in the fall. The starting salary for a new GCPS teacher with a bachelor’s degree is now $55,146. Last year, starting teachers in Gwinnett County Public Schools made $51,646.
GCPS Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts says GCPS employees deserve the pay increase. "I believe our teachers and employees are the best in the business, and they have certainly earned this increase in compensation,” Dr. Watts shares. “Similar to last year, the district received information that the county-wide digest would be increasing, and our district has earmarked some of the funds to increase the teacher salary schedule to remain competitive with other districts while also maintaining our strong fiscal health. This will enable us to attract and retain superior educators and support staff while furthering the district’s commitment to improving student outcomes.”
As approved by the Superintendent and Board of Education in the FY2024 Budget, GCPS leadership was excited to announce that active classroom teachers will receive a $300-dollar instructional classroom supply card. These instructional classroom supply cards were sourced from Office Depot and may be used exclusively online at officedepot.com or any Office Depot retail location. The instructional classroom supply cards must be used for classroom-related expenses and expire on June 30, 2024. Teachers will receive the cards and instructions from their school location, prior to the start of school. GCPS is excited to provide classroom teachers with additional support to get their student’s new school year off to a great start.
The millage rates are 19.20 for maintenance & operations (M&O) and 1.45 for debt service. Funds generated by the M&O millage pay for the day-to-day operations of the school system, including employee salaries, instructional materials, student transportation, and school utility costs. The debt-service millage is used to pay down the School Board’s long-term debt from bond referenda passed over the years to pay for school construction. To keep the local tax digest current, the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor’s Office conducts annual property value updates (reassessments) on a rotating basis. By state law, local taxing authorities, such as GCBOE, must either keep their tax collections revenue-neutral (by decreasing the millage rate to offset the gained taxes from the property value updates) or announce a tax increase (even though the actual millage rate is not increasing). The total millage will still generate more revenue for FY2024, requiring the announcement of a proposed property tax increase. However, taxpayers whose property values have not increased due to reassessment will see no increase in their school tax bill. The budget provides investments in the areas of compensation, school-based resources, early literacy, access and opportunity, and safety and security. Gwinnett County Public Schools’ enrollment is expected to grow by over 2,064 students, bringing the total projected enrollment for next school year to more than 183,800 students.