Washington County TN BOE reinstates pay raise in budget

The Washington County, Tennessee Board of Education approved its Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget on Tuesday, with an amendment that reinstates a previously-canceled employee pay raise. The increase was initially taken out of the budget as the BOE was working to combat a $4 million deficit.  Scheduled step pay increases were left in, but proposed raises were removed. That vote will raise the starting teacher salary to nearly $48,000. The state mandated teacher salaries must be at least $50,000 by next year. Superintendent for Washington County Schools Jerry Boyd said after the meeting that hard choices to keep the budget as balanced as possible aren’t over yet, and will continue throughout the year as officials monitor the budget.