Fort Mill officials propose 8.5‑mill increase to fund teacher pay, pre-K and intervention supports

Superintendent Young told the Fort Mill School District board that the administration’s recommended fiscal 2026–27 budget totals about $272.08 million and would require an 8.5‑mill increase to fund five priority categories, including teacher pay increases and staffing tied to enrollment growth.

The recommendation groups new spending into five categories. Category one covers inflationary and contract-driven costs such as teacher and staff pay, utilities and insurance. Categories two through five include additional programmatic requests and contingency funding for opening new schools and adding pre-K classrooms, elementary math coaches and middle‑school interventionists. Administrators said repurposing vacancies and local tax growth allowed them to identify funding for four new pre‑K classrooms (two regular‑ed and two special‑ed) and four of six needed classroom assistants without creating all new positions.

Why it matters: district leaders said the package was designed to prioritize classrooms while keeping central‑office growth minimal. The administration reported a favorable swing in state revenue projections — from a projected $605,000 loss to a $452,599 gain in the latest Senate version — improving the district’s near‑term revenue outlook by roughly $1.06 million versus earlier estimates. Local vehicle tax receipts also trended above prior projections, and a bond premium is expected to lower debt millage by about 1.5 mills in October.

Board members pressed administrators for details on metrics and reporting. Several trustees sought clearer public materials (graphs and narrative) that explain per‑pupil spending, the millage calculation and how new dollars will be tracked and reported. Superintendent Young said monthly financial reports and additional website materials would be used to show actual year‑to‑date spending and planned use of any additional millage.

Year‑end transfers and audit-driven amendment: Chief financial staff (Miss Lordo) recommended year‑end transfers of $4,589,470 to cover one‑time needs such as e‑book/media collections, small school capital purchases, furniture replacement, digital record‑scanning (phase two), a SchoolMint license for transfer/lottery management, pre‑K classroom setup and a $3.5 million contingency earmarked to support the opening of Flint Hill Middle School. Miss Lordo also described an auditor recommendation under a new GASB reporting pronouncement to formally amend the current fiscal budget to reduce year‑end variances; staff proposed aligning the board‑approved budget with projected transfers and the expected higher revenues for audit clarity.

What’s next: The board plans a public budget hearing on June 2, followed by a vote to adopt a final budget. Administrators said the millage recommendation assumes the Senate revenue projections hold and that conference‑committee action could still change state aid totals.

Speakers quoted

“Category one are things that I feel like I have to say to you we need to fund these things,” Superintendent Young said, describing contractual and inflationary obligations such as utility and insurance increases.

On the state revenue shift, Superintendent Young said, “we have now gained $452,599,” calling it “great news” relative to earlier projections that had shown a funding loss.

Ending

The district’s plan frames the request as a classroom‑first budget that relies on a mix of repurposed positions, modest local tax growth and a proposed millage increase to sustain pay and expand targeted supports. The board will hold a public hearing and is expected to vote on the budget at a subsequent meeting.