CHESAPEAKE, Va. — In a Monday night school board meeting, Chesapeake Public Schools approved a new budget for the 2021-2022 school year that included teacher raises, full-day Kindergarten options and computer science programs for middle school students.
The money for these new benefits came in part from a state and sales tax increase, and a federal waiver to provide meals to students at no cost.
Here are some of the features coming in the new, $634 million budget:
- A "learning loss supplement" that could be used to extend the school year, provide counseling, summer school, tutoring or remediation
- The budget for 25 more "student support" positions like nurses, social workers, psychologists and behavioral specialists
- Funding for an additional year of high school for special education students
- 50 new buses
- Access to a 5% salary increase for SOQ positions
- Higher raises per year for support staff and administrators
Teachers' starting salaries will now be $47,150 instead of $46,752. That means teachers could reach the top of their pay scale, $85,266, one year early.
