MONCKS CORNER — The Berkeley County School Board unanimously approved a new budget on June 29, amid concerns from teachers and parents about a staffing overhaul and elimination of several positions.

The district’s budget for fiscal year 2027 totals $517 million, a 16-percent increase from last year. Nearly $445 million — roughly 45 percent — will support salaries and benefits.

The budget adds 11 special education positions, including therapists, a psychologist and autism and behavior specialists, which will cost about $1.55 million.

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It also includes a step increase on the salary scale for eligible employees and a 2-percent salary increase for staff, which increases first-year educator pay to nearly $58,000. It maintains the district’s salary schedule — a compensation plan based on years of experience — at 31 years.

District officials said they were unable to increase the scale this year due to budget constraints, but hope to increase it to 35 years in the near future.

The budget does not include a tax increase. Instead, district officials executed a tax swap to increase funding for daily operations and decrease funding for long-term debts, such as capital improvement plans.

Marcie Abrahamson, chief finance officer, said the tax swap was possible due to the success of the Education Capital Improvement Sales and Use Tax, also known as the Penny Tax, that county voters passed in 2022.

Some community members questioned the district’s decision not to increase taxes to fund school operations. Amanda Hebel, a parent and former teacher, expressed concerns during the public comment about the impact the budget has had on a reassignment process by district administrators, who contended the move was to avoid layoffs and improve efficiency.

“Why aren’t we raising the millage instead of just leveling it out? If this had accommodated not redeploying all the positions, then why wouldn’t we do that?” Hebel asked.

The reassignments have caused backlash from teachers, parents and community members who fear schools now will have insufficient support to ensure student success as a result of staffing cuts to arts programs, school libraries and special education, among others.

Educators have described the process as convoluted and felt left in the dark and uncertain about their job security.

Superintendent Anthony Dixon said at the meeting that the repurposed positions will result in better classroom instruction and more funds to be spent directly on students.

“This is not new to Berkeley County, Charleston County, Dorchester Two, or Dorchester Four; this happens in every district,” Dixon said. “Positions may have been redeployed, but unlike certain other places and other districts across our state, they have not lost any jobs; we have maintained and ensured that everyone has a position.”

Dixon also disagreed with the suggestion to increase taxes to address the district’s financial challenges. He argued that by shifting existing millage rather than increasing the overall rate, the district can continue investing in students and staff while avoiding placing additional financial burden on families.

“This approach provides meaningful relief to working families at a time when many continue to experience the effects of inflation and rising cost of living. Importantly, because many of our employees also reside in Berkeley County,” Dixon said. “This strategy allows them to retain more of their hard-earned income, and in many ways, it serves as an additional investment in our workforce without requiring additional district expenditures.”

The district will enact its new budget on July 1, which marks the start of the 2027 fiscal year.