News Summary

The Aiken County Board of Education has approved a $289.9 million budget for the upcoming school year, marking a 9.88% increase aimed at enhancing educator salaries. The budget includes a $2,500 raise for teachers and adjusts the millage rate for school operations. While homeowners won’t see a tax increase, property taxes will rise for rental and business properties. The community can engage in discussions about the budget during a public hearing later this month.

Aiken, South Carolina – The Aiken County Board of Education has officially passed a budget totaling $289.9 million for the 2025-2026 school year, reflecting a significant 9.88% increase from the previous year’s allocation of $263.8 million. This increase represents nearly $26.1 million of additional funding, primarily aimed at enhancing educator salaries.

A notable highlight of the approved budget is the plan to increase teacher salaries by $2,500, along with an annual step increase for educators. This move addresses recommendations made in a salary study conducted late last year, which aimed to improve compensation for teachers. While the budget implements 90% of the proposed salary hikes, fully funding these recommendations would have required an additional outlay of $12.2 million.

Accompanying the salary increases is an adjustment to the millage rate for school operations, which will rise by 20 mils, moving from 134.2 mils to 154.2 mils. This is the first increase in the millage rate since the 2013-2014 academic year. However, due to a state law enacted in 2006, this increase will not result in higher property taxes for primary residences in the district.

Tax Implications

While homeowners will not experience increased property taxes, other property owners will notice changes due to the millage hike. The tax on rental properties, business personal property, manufacturing property, utilities, private and corporate agriculture, personal vehicles, boats, and aircraft will see an uptick. The specific increases include:

$80 per $100,000 for property assessed at 4% (e.g., private agriculture)
$12 per $10,000 for property assessed at 6% (e.g., rental property)
$210 per $100,000 for business personal property, manufacturing property, and utilities assessed at 10.5%

Board Decisions

The budget was approved with a 7-1 vote, with Colen Lindell from District 4 being the sole dissenting vote. Board member Brian Silas from District 3 was absent during the vote. An accompanying proposal to transfer funds from intercession remediation classes to summer school classes did not receive support, as the motion was not seconded.

Future Evaluation and Staffing Needs

The district has also expressed plans to evaluate the effectiveness of intercession classes in Spring 2026, with the goal of better informing future budget decisions. Additional personnel strategies outlined in the budget include hiring a second assistant principal for elementary schools, recruiting more middle school math and English Language Arts teachers, adding eight multi-language learning teachers, and employing licensed social workers for six high schools.

Next Steps

The community will have further opportunities to engage with the school budget, as a public hearing is set for May 13. A final approval of the budget is anticipated on May 27.

This budget reflects the Aiken County Board of Education’s commitment to investing in its educators and addressing the staffing needs within the district, while also navigating changes in revenue generation for school operations.

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Aiken County Board Approves $289.9 Million Budget Increase