MORNING NEWSBREAK | The Charleston County School District Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously approved its $847.5 million budget for the 2024-25 school year with an $8,000 increase in teacher pay across the county.
Almost seven in 10 dollars of the budget — a 20% increase over the current budget — will go toward teacher and staff pay, the City Paper reported earlier this month.
The raise would put the starting salary of a Charleston County teacher at $56,200 a year, the highest salary in the state, according to WCSC-TV. A 6% pay increase for all non-teachers and classified employees — including clerks, classroom support staff and teacher assistants — is also included in the budget.
The 2024-25 budget also includes $32.8 million shared with Charleston County schools through a new Weighted Student Funding (WSF) formula, according to the district. The WSF money is an additional allocation to what schools normally receive. It’s based on the number of students in poverty, multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
In other recent headlines:
S.C.’s new public health agency ready to launch. The 50-year-old S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will split into two — the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Services — starting July 1.
- Previous CP coverage: Ag Department to oversee restaurant inspectors
March in downtown Charleston marks 2 years since Roe v. Wade overturned. More than 50 people assembled Monday in Washington Square on Broad Street to mark two years since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the federal constitutional right to abortion.
North Charleston begins search for next police chief. The position was formally posted on Monday, and the city has partnered with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to oversee the selection process.
Where is the John C. Calhoun statue now? The fate of the John C. Calhoun statue that was taken down in downtown Charleston four years ago is still in limbo. Officials are still trying to determine what to do with the monument.
Downtown Charleston house on market sits atop 2 graveyards. A downtown Charleston home on the market for $2.7 million was built on the Ephrath and Trinity cemeteries. However, no visible signs of the cemeteries exist on the property, alarming preservationists and scholars over the possibility that the graveyards could be lost to history and off-limits to the public.
James Island meeting to determine firefighter pay. James Island firefighters headed Monday into the James Island Public Service District budget meeting in an ongoing attempt to increase their pay, which they say the district is underfunding.
Duplex-style homes in North Charleston ‘up to standard’. A set of new homes in North Charleston, which raised concern for some nearby homeowners, were determined to be up to standard, according to the city’s zoning and building officials.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.