More nurses, counselors, teachers: Look inside Horry County Schools’ proposed budget
Horry County Schools could see an increase in key personnel next school year if the board green lights a proposed budget.
District administrators presented a preliminary spending plan to board members Monday that asks for an increase in employees in areas hit especially hard by complicated pandemic circumstances.
If approved, there could be more school nurses, behavioral health counselors, technology professionals, teachers specializing in English as a second language and building services staff across the district.
Chief Financial Officer John Gardner presented the potential changes to the $20 million general fund portion of the budget, including increases to the employer’s contribution to health insurance. It also allows for “step increases” to employee salaries. Those two shifts account for around $6 million of the general fund.
The changes that would most affect students, however, are the extra staff positions.
Gardner, Chief Academic Officer Boone Myrick and head of student services Velna Allen made the case for adding employee positions ranging from part- to full-time.
District leaders pointed out areas where HCS is behind other large South Carolina districts both in salary and number of employees in each department.
More nurses, counselors and teachers in Horry County
Hoping to reach the state-recommended ratio of one teacher per 60 students, Myrick asked the board for 6.5 more teachers specializing in English as a second language. That would cost around $567,000 of the budget.
The district could also add five behavioral health specialists to meet the “growing social and emotional needs of our students,” Allen said.
The county’s booming population, coupled with an increased demand for mental health services during the pandemic, created a need for more mental health staff, she said. Around $366,000 would be needed for those positions.
Pandemic-related duties such as contact tracing and other protocols have fallen largely on school nurses over the past two years.
Additionally, more students need individualized care, Allen said, so more nurses are necessary in the district. She asked the board to fund five new nurse positions at a cost of around $352,000.
In the technology area, the district hopes to add nine positions to meet the evolving technological landscape.
Since remote learning began, the district’s help desk shifted from largely taking calls from staff to handling calls from students and parents.
Board Vice Chair Neil James asked that the district offer competitive salaries in the tech arena. He said some district tech workers have left for jobs that pay significantly more.
Under the proposal, around $884,000 would be spent on the nine new technology positions.
A number of Horry County schools have ongoing maintenance and repair issues. The building services department is requesting six part-time and two full-time positions to meet that growing demand.
The budget plan sets aside around $200,000 for those positions.
