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The Champion, Thursday, December 10 -16,2015 EDUCATION
Some county schools employees to receive raises
by Ashley Oglesby
ashley@dekalbchamp.com
On Dec. 7 DeKalb Coun
ty Board of Education voted
to approve Superintendent
Stephen Green’s proposal to
increase salaries for teachers,
principals and other certified
school-based personnel such
as media specialists, coun
selors, psychologists, lead
teachers for special educa
tion, social workers, academ
ic coaches and instructional
specialists.
According to human
resources monthly reports,
for the last three years more
than 2,000 teachers have left
the district; many to support
their economic livelihoods.
In accordance with state
regulations which require 65
percent of the district’s bud
get to be spent on classroom
instruction, Greens recom
mendation aims to support
the districts effort to drive
resources directly to the
classroom.
School board officials
approved an appropriation
of $10.8 million for the 2016
fiscal year, $21.5 million on
an annualized basis, for the
pay raises.
“Our primary focus is
improving the academic per
formance of students,” Green
said. “With these salary ad
justments we are making an
investment in the quality of
teaching and learning in our
schools.”
Teachers with seven to
17 years of completed expe
rience will receive a salary
increase that will make their
income comparable to other
metro Atlanta school dis
tricts. All other teachers will
receive a two percent pay
raise.
More than 8,700 DeKalb
County employees, including
6,000 teachers will be affect
ed by this change. Employees
can expect to the pay raises
on their Jan. 15 paycheck.
Principals will receive
pay raises based on their
divisions. High school prin
cipals will receive a five
percent raise; principals in
middle schools a three per
cent raise; elementary school
principals and all assistant
principals will receive a two
percent raise.
Salaries for certified
pre-K teachers will be added
to the District teacher salary
schedule and adjusted based
on levels of experience and
certification. DeKalb certi
fied pre-K teachers will be
come the only certified pre-
K teachers in metro Atlanta
on the same salary schedule
as other teachers.
According to district of
ficials, “It is very difficult to
recruit talented principals
because of salary differences
with other metro Atlanta
school districts. These ad
justments will allow DeKalb
County to keep and attract
quality principals.”
Increases for non-teacher
positions such as bus drivers,
nutrition workers, security
personnel and other school
support staff will not be
included in the Jan. 15 pay
out. There will be a separate
budget proposal included in
the 2017 fiscal year proposal,
which will be presented June
2016.
Metro Atlanta school
districts of Cobb, Fulton,
Gwinnett, Clayton and Hen
ry counties pay teachers an
average of $2,000 to $14,000
higher than DeKalb County
Schools.
Agnes Scott senior awarded Marshall Scholarship
Agnes Scott College
student Emaline Laney has
been awarded a Marshall
Scholarship, one of the most
competitive and prestigious
academic scholarships in the
world available to U.S. col
lege students. Up to 40 are
awarded annually out of a
pool of approximately 1,000
applicants. Recipients are
provided with fully funded
graduate study for two years
at any university in the Unit
ed Kingdom.
Laney is Agnes Scott’s
second Marshall Scholar in
six years, after Meg Beyer,
class of 2010. In the last
decade, only six liberal arts
colleges had more than one
Marshall Scholar.
A public health and
chemistry double major,
Laney plans to pursue a
masters in epidemiology
Laney
and a masters in control of
infectious diseases at the
London School of Hygiene &
Tropical Medicine. Her stud
ies will lay the foundation
for a career as a physician-
researcher in global public
health and medicine.
“Were all thrilled with
Emaline Laney’s selection
as a Marshall Scholar. She
truly exemplifies Agnes
Scott’s commitment to global
learning and leadership de
velopment, and she has the
intellectual curiosity, moral
vision and leadership abil
ity to make a difference in
improving healthcare for
the world’s poor and under
served,” Agnes Scott Presi
dent Elizabeth Kiss said. “It’s
a special joy to see someone
as humble and authentic as
Emaline earn this extraor
dinary honor. We’re proud
she will represent the United
States and Agnes Scott at the
London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine and
beyond.
“The Marshall Scholar
ship is the British govern
ment’s most prestigious
award for young Americans.”
A Pennsylvania native,
Laney developed an interest
in global public health after a
visit to a prison in Cameroon
where she observed inmates
digging their own latrines
in a communal courtyard
because their toilets had
overflowed and a cholera
outbreak had reached their
area. She was struck by the
realization that even within
the poorest communities of
the world, there were health
inequalities.
Laney deepened her
knowledge of global health
science and policy through
internships and field experi
ences, conducting research
on cholera and polio vac
cines at Harvard Medical
School and the Task Force
for Global Health and vol
unteering at medical clinics
in Burkina Faso, Gabon, and
Nepal.
“I’m excited to receive
this wonderful opportu
nity to continue on my
path in global health. I’m
very grateful to be at Agnes
Scott, where I have been
supported and guided by so
many remarkable individuals
throughout my undergradu
ate experience,” Laney said.
“Agnes Scott has given me
a wide variety of opportu
nities—from interning at
Partners In Health to study
ing public health abroad at
Duke Kunshan University in
China—opportunities I be
lieve that have given me the
knowledge base and motiva
tion to succeed in my next
steps.”
THE VOICE OF DEKALB