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With other system employees getting pay increases in the upcoming budget, the Franklin County School Board has agreed to extend the action to contracted bus drivers.

The board approved on May 8 to give bus contractors a 10 percent increase above their base pay, plus a 5 percent increase on mileage reimbursements and 5 percent on the compensation they receive for the number of bus seats they have to transport students.

School Board members have been adamant that employees need additional compensation — first, to meet the rising cost of inflation and second, to retain quality teachers who tend to move on to other school systems that offer better pay.

They also agreed that bus drivers don’t need to be left out of the picture.

With the School Board’s approval, the budget will be forwarded to the County Commission which will include it as part of the county’s overall budget.

Last year, the Franklin County Commission approved the county’s overall budget that included a bus-driver increase after they refused to run their routes until they were given additional compensation.

Last year’s budget included $350,000 for bus drivers which was $10,000 per each of the system’s 35 routes.

The board agreed inflation has continued, and the bus drivers deserve additional compensation this year.

The School System’s budget totals $54.1 million in total expenditures. The county’s overall budget, which hasn’t been set, totaled $90.8 million last year.

The budget includes the 10 percent cost-of-living increase for certified and support staff and includes a 5 percent health-insurance increase to go into effect in January 2024.

The School Board and the County Commission’s Finance Committee have received input from teachers and association representatives about why additional compensation is needed.

Dwayne Thames, the Franklin County Education Association president, told the School Committee on April 11 that other school systems pay more than Franklin County.

He added that even if the County Commission were to approve a budget with an 8.75 percent pay increase to match what the Social Security Administration has set for benefit recipients, the other systems will probably be doing the same.

Thames said that, as a result, Franklin County will continually be playing catchup while simultaneously losing top-quality educators to other school systems.

“We have really fallen behind,” Thames said, referring to the county’s teacher pay scale compared to other school systems.

He provided the county’s School Committee with figures that show Franklin County’s teachers are paid between 3.6 percent and 7.3 percent less annually than other surrounding school systems.

Thames said that if the neighboring school systems give an 8.75 percent pay increase and Franklin County does the same, Franklin County will still continue to lose teachers.

“The point is we’re losing teachers. That is the issue,” he said, adding later: “We’re asking for a 10 percent raise. It gets us closer, but it won’t match what the others are doing.”

Commissioner Johnny Hand, a School Committee member, asked how much new Director of Schools Dr. Cary Holman will be making, which School Board members agreed will be $150,000 annually.

Hand said that is about 18 percent more than what’s being paid for the position now. He asked how the difference could be justified.

Thames said the School System has to be competitive in its salary range to draw in better candidates.

“I think you have to attract talent. You have to attract qualified people,” he said, emphasizing that proper compensation is paramount to that objective. “If not, they’re here today and gone tomorrow.”

Commissioner Bruce McMillan, a School Committee member, said that if Coffee County were to grant its teachers a 10 percent pay increase and Franklin County were to do the same, “we’re still behind.”

“I want us to do the best we can with our revenue,” he said. “I’d hate to see us give with one hand and take it away with a tax increase. Every department wants 10 percent.”

McMillan said that although Franklin County is losing teachers to better-paying school systems, the Sheriff’s Office is also losing deputies.

“We’ve got a bigger picture to deal with,” he said, combing the scope of what the County Commission is dealing with.

Commissioner William Anderson, who chairs the School Committee, asked if providing the 10 percent pay increase would slow down the rate of teachers moving to other systems.

Thames replied that Franklin County ranks 117^th out of 141 school systems in Tennessee in pay scale.

Anderson asked if a 10 percent increase this year would alleviate some of the burden in subsequent years.

“What I’m worried about is we’ve got 10 percent this year, what about 10 percent next year?” he said.

Thames replied he doubts that the teachers would be expecting annual pay increases of 10 percent.

“I don’t think teachers think that way,” he said.

The committee also discussed pay increases in addition to step raises teachers receive for having gained more experience at their positions.

Anderson said that an average increase with those getting the step raises would be 12 percent.

Thames said that even with the 10 percent increase, Franklin County would still be behind the other school systems.

Franklin County Mayor Chris Guess said that the county can’t continue delaying taking care of the problem. He added that if Franklin County only partially addresses the pay issue, it will gain nothing in being competitive with the other school systems.

“You can do something this year and nothing next year, and in four or five years, we’ll be right back where we started,” he said.