Prince William School Board Funds 150 New Instructional Positions, Step Increases

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Photo by Ashleigh Henegar Photo by Ashleigh Henegar

Prince William County Schools approved the FY17 budget Wednesday, which increases staffing and offers step-increases for employees.

According to PWCS, the School Board plans to increase spending by 4.6 percent over the current year. It would provide pay increases and fund investments in students. The budget also includes funds to add 150 instruction positions throughout the school division to reduce class sizes in core classes for grades 8, 10, 11 and 12.

Salaries for teachers would increase by an average of 2.8 percent with the one-step pay increase.

The school division will also be increasing support staff in FY17.

Irene Cromer, Communication Relations for Prince William County Schools, said the board has budgeted for new autism professionals, behavioral specialists, diagnosticians, sign language interpreters, teachers of the visually  and hearing impaired, social workers and speech teachers.

Other budgeted items, according to Cromer, include a $1 million investment for economically disadvantaged students; expansion of pre-K offerings including classrooms and transportation; increased staffing for English language learners; overdue technological improvement; funds for special education services; enhanced funding for compliances with the Americans with Disabilities Act; and restoring money to the gifted program.

As always, PWCS is continuing to build new schools and renovate their existing schools.

Cromer said $7 million in state funds are helping to fund a robust budget this year.

However, the funding plan still assumes the Board of County Supervisors will fund the average tax bill at an increase of an average of 3.88 percent. Only half the board supports this measure,and it was only advertised to this amount as a default after the board could not agree on a number.

Cromer reminds residents that the School Board has no taxing authority, which falls to the supervisors.

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