Superintendent Presents Proposed FY 2024 Budget

Investing in Students, Staff and Schools 

The FY 2024 Superintendent’s Proposed Budget totals $803.3 million – a 7.14% increase over the FY 2023 Approved Budget. This budget proposes adding $21.99 million and 114 staff positions that directly provide support to students and schools.

“This budget reflects our commitment to supporting continued success for every APS student through investments in both academic and mental health support,” said Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán. “We are also continuing our focus on compensation for our teachers and staff to ensure we remain a highly competitive employer at a vital time for public schools, while further strengthening division-wide safety and security measures.”

Budget Priorities and Highlights
The proposed budget focuses on three key areas based on the School Board’s priorities: 

Priority 1: Student well-being and academic progress with a focus on innovation, equity, and evidence-based practices
An investment of $14.5 million in student mental health and academic support, including: Mental Health and Social Emotional Learning (SEL):

• Intervention school counselors for middle and high schools
• Deans of Students to provide additional support with addressing student behaviors and restorative practices for comprehensive high schools
• Additional substance abuse counselors to assist with education and prevention efforts
• School health supervisor
• Stipends for designated SEL leads at every school

Academic Support and Enrollment:

• Funding for changing student enrollment needs
• Targeted instructional resources for all schools to support student achievement and address achievement gaps
• Increased resources and supports for special education students and English learners, as well other students needing extra assistance
• K-8 math interventionists and math coaches at the elementary level, the Career Center and H-B Woodlawn
• Additional summer school resources and funding to provide free summer school meals for all elementary students
• Additional translators to assist with translating documents for Limited English Proficient (LEP) families
• A Career and Technical Education teacher specialist

Priority 2: Recruit, hire, retain, and invest in a high-quality workforce to ensure APS is the place where talented individuals choose to work. 

• An investment of $25.6 million to provide a compensation adjustment to all employees, including a step increase to eligible employees and a 3% cost of living adjustment for all employees.
  • For our teachers, the average pay increase will be 5.2%.
  • Administrators and professionals will receive an average pay increase of 5.13% next year.
  • The average pay increase next year for our support staff will be 6.18%.
  • Overall, our employees will receive an average pay increase of 5.26%.
• An investment of $2 million in Compensation Changes, including:
  • Summer School bonus for teachers and assistants
  • Increased substitute teacher pay rates and substitute coverage pay for teachers
  • Mentor teacher stipends to provide additional support for first-year teachers

Priority 3: Improve operational efficiency
An investment of $8.8 million in:

• Safety and security enhancements including a threat assessment specialist, additional school safety coordinators, security cameras and additional safety and security resources
• Network infrastructure and technology supports and upgrades
• System-wide operations improvements

View the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget presentation and the FY 2024 Proposed Budget-at-a-Glance pamphlet to learn more. The School Board is set to adopt the proposed budget on March 30 and act on the final budget on May 11. Additional details regarding community engagement opportunities and budget dates are available online.