Pay Raise for Teachers, Staff Included In Proposed Prince William County Schools Budget

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — School employees across Prince William County may see a pay raise in the future. Superintendent LaTanya McDade proposed a budget for the 2023 fiscal year that would increase pay for school employees by an average of 7 percent.

McDade's budget would invest $61 million to provide teachers and other school staff with a 4.2 percent cost of living adjustment and a step increase.

"We began our budget development process this year with a commitment to align our investments with the priorities and outcomes outlined in the PWCS Vision 2025, Launching Thriving Futures Strategic Plan," McDade said in a news release. "As a result, I am excited to share that the Fiscal Year 2023 Superintendent’s Budget includes significant investments focused on supporting our classrooms and students."

The budget would also allocate $20 million to increase pay scales for new employees.

"These increases will be targeted primarily at early and mid career steps on our scale where we are seeing the least parity with other School Divisions with whom we compete for talent," McDade said during her presentation on Wednesday.

The proposed budget for the 2023 fiscal year is about $173 million larger than the current budget. The increase is about a 14 percent change.

The increased operating cost would be covered by increased state funding. The school system is slated to receive more than $731 million in funds from the state government, an increase of 19.9 percent.

County funding for the school system is also expected to increase. McDade's proposed budget expects a 9 percent increase in funds from the county government, which would account for an additional $50.6 million compared to 2022.

Some highlights from the proposal include $10 million in funds for special education resources, funds for 88 new full-time kindergarten assistant positions, and five additional school social workers. The budget would also allow for the hiring of 29 new security specialists and 14 nurses.

Full details about the budget are available on the Prince William County Schools website. The budget was presented to the Prince William County School Board on Wednesday.

"This budget is exceptionally strong," McDade told the school board on Wednesday. "We have an opportunity to advance the necessary work of supporting our students by investing in our classrooms, our schools, and our staff. This is a budget that both the school board and the community can be proud of."

In the coming weeks, the school board will host multiple events to allow for public comment. There will be a public meeting of the school board on Monday, Feb. 7, a public hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 16, and two other work sessions. The school board is scheduled to consider approval of the budget on March 16. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will then consider the budget before May 1.

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