Board Of Education Approves Cost Of Living Adjustments For Teachers

BALTIMORE COUNTY - On Tuesday, Baltimore County Public Schools teachers rallied outside a board of education meeting to call for raises and cost of living adjustments to be included in the 2024 budget.

The demonstration was organized by members of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO).

The board initially proposed regular step increases in pay and no cost-of-living adjustment. TABCO president Cindy Sexton led the charge in advocating for a compressed compensation scale, allowing teachers to reach higher wages sooner.

Sexton said paying teachers leads to higher quality schools, resulting in a healthier county.

"A healthy school system means a healthy county. People move to locations because they want their children in the schools there. Property values rise, money is brought into the county, and the rising tide raises all ships."

Clearly, TABCO's concerns were heard by the Board of Education.

During the board meeting, the budget was adjusted to include an additional $14 million to give employees a cost-of-living adjustment. After the adjustment, the budget was passed by the board.

Sexton told WBAL that this is a step in the right direction, but more still needs to be done.

"There is movement, for sure. The talk about compression and the scales is movement, and there is more money, yes. But I will still continue to say, in a $2 billion budget, we can find what we need to do for our people," Sexton said.

The district's budget now heads to the Baltimore County Council for approval.