A recently passed rule best known by school officials as the state’s "flexibility proviso" said school districts could skip paying teachers their annual "step increase" this year, which is equal to about a 2 percent salary boost for teachers who have taught fewer than 22 years.

The School District of Newberry County said "yes" this spring to not paying teachers’ step option and saved $300,000. The decision to cut the step came after board members weighed the option against saving money though multiple day-long layoffs.

But then the "teacher salary schedule" from the state recently rolls in, giving guidelines for paying teachers. And tucked right inside the guidelines is that "optional" step-increase for teachers.

"The more I’ve thought about it since we’ve discussed it, I would like to see us write a letter to the state department and our delegation to ask that question: ‘Why a conflicting proviso?’" said Jody Hamm, a school board member at Monday’s meeting. "The proviso, I thought, spelled it out pretty clearly that it’s optional."

Defining an ‘optional’ step

Susan Dowd, the district’s chief financial officer, said that the choice to pay or not pay teachers’ step increase is still optional, but that it will have to be paid at some point unless the state changes the law.

If the district keeps its decision to hold off paying teachers’ roughly 2 percent step increase, next year—unless the law changes—the district will have to make up for not paying it in the future. And then it will have to pay the step scheduled for next year too for a total two-year cost of about $600,000.

Or if the Newberry district postpones step payment for three years, the weight expands to a one-time $900,000 cost.

"Well, it’s our understanding now…" said board member Ike Bledsoe, "we can either fund it now or fund it later."

"Yes," said Dowd.

"We have the option—not to fund it—but to fund it now or fund it later," said Bledsoe.

Board members then agreed with Superintendent Bennie Bennett’s recommendation as he put it, to "go ahead and fund that now to try to relieve some of the pressure" that will come with that future salary step increases.

"…(It’s) about the only prudent thing to do right now," said Bledsoe. "So I would make that motion to accept the (administration’s) recommendation to put it back in."

The decision thereby slices $300,000 from the school district’s contingency padding fattened with $418,155 in this year’s budget.

"It really cuts into what we could have for mid-year (budget) cuts," said Dowd.

Teachers can now expect to get their salary step increase this year, she said.