Knox County school board approves budget with teacher raises

Knox County Schools staffers will get an 8% raise and teachers a 4% raise after the school board approved a $591.5 million budget for fiscal year 2023. 

Administrators prioritized increasing teacher pay and retaining good teachers based on feedback from a community survey, Superintendent Bob Thomas said.

Board members voted unanimously to approve the general purpose budget on Wednesday night.

The budget, boosted by a surplus in tax revenue, also increases the number social workers and mental health counselors in schools.

The district’s budget is made up of funds from local sales and property taxes. It also includes funding from Tennessee’s state education fund, the Basic Education Program. 

This year’s budget increased by $49.5 million over last year. The board also passed its separate $48.1 million capital budget and nutrition budget.