Horry County Schools finalizes 20-21 budget with no tax increase or staff raises
The Horry County Schools board finalized its 2020-21 budget without a tax increase and without any staff salary increases despite a recently-released study recommending it was needed to compete with other districts.
The comprehensive budget, approved during Monday’s virtual board meeting, encompasses nearly $712 million, including $460.6 million in the General Fund.
An increase of about $11.4 million in the General Fund includes increased staffing needed for an expected 841 additional students, funding for bands to receive new uniforms and travel to competitions, and more special education teachers.
Coronavirus significantly impacted the 2019-20 school year, with schools closed since March 16 to reduce spread, and several decisions for next year’s budget were also heavily shaped by the pandemic.
The district projects a reduction of about $4.7 million in education capital improvement sales tax revenue next year due to the virus, and annual STEP salary increases for school staff were frozen statewide until the S.C. General Assembly finalizes its 2020-21 budget.
The board also approved about $5.4 million to purchase additional iPads for students in grades K-4 so that all students have access to an electronic device, wanting to be prepared in case remote eLearning needs to continue.
Board members did not discuss including any staff salary increases in the budget despite a lengthy presentation last week about a comprehensive employee salary study.
The district contracted Management Advisory Group to study its compensation compared to similar districts and businesses to help improve employee retention and recruitment.
The study examined more than 6,000 positions and 200 job titles within the district, and how those same positions are compensated in other school districts including Greenville, Charleston and Georgetown, as well as other public agencies including Horry County, City of Myrtle Beach and Santee Cooper.
Russell Campbell, senior consultant for Management Advisory Group, explained that bringing staff salary levels up to industry standards will cost about $10-14 million, and he recommended splitting up the costs of implementing those salary increases during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 budgets.
Board members had previously discussed the importance of having this study’s results in time to implement recommendations in its 2020-21 budget, but Board Chairman Ken Richardson recently told The Sun News that he doesn’t see any way they can act on the study without clarity on the future of the district’s financial situation.
