The Aiken County School Board is expected to approve the final budget for 2015-16 at its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the District office at 1000 Brookhaven Drive.
To date, the Board has conducted three budget work study sessions and held a public input session and the budget hearing in preparation of the budget. Since the budget process began, the Board has addressed a number of priorities.
On June 9, the Board tentatively approved a $337,961 increase for the District's Technology Department to be used for online testing. The state has mandated that all testing should be online in two years.
The Board tentatively has approved a number of personnel positions for next year's budget, including:
- A new human resources coordinator position to oversee recruiting
- Full-time attendance aides at middle schools, regardless of size
- Staffing each elementary school, regardless of size, with a minimum of one full-time assistant principal
- Staffing each middle school, regardless of size, with a minimum of one full-time assistant principal
- Creation of a PowerSchool assistant position to track student data for the Technology Department
The Board also tentatively approved a step increase for all eligible employees and a one percent cost-of-living adjustment for all employees.
With the additions, the District's operating budget will be more than $176 million, and the overall budget will be more than $270 million.
In other business, the Board is expected to approve the 2016 graduation dates for the county's seven high schools:
- Wagener-Salley High - 2 p.m. June 2
- Silver Bluff High - 5 p.m. June 2
- Midland Valley High - 8 p.m. June 2
- North Augusta High - 9 a.m. June 3
- Aiken High - noon June 3
- Ridge Spring-Monetta High - 3 p.m. June 3
- South Aiken High - 6 p.m. June 3.
During executive session, the Board will continue its discussion of the search for a new superintendent. At a meeting Tuesday, the Board announced that it had identified four preliminary candidates for the position. According to its original timeline, the Board plans to name a new superintendent June 30.
Superintendent Dr. Beth Everitt will retire at the end of July.
An Aiken native, Larry Wood is a general assignment reporter. He started at the Aiken Standard in September 2014.