More Money For Gwinnett Public Schools Employees & More Students

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All eligible employees of Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) will receive a longevity step increase. In addition, teachers will receive a raise of $3,000, which includes a $2,500 increase as part of Governor Brian Kemp’s budget for fiscal year 2025. Furthermore, district employees who are not compensated based on the teacher salary scale will receive a 4% cost-of-living adjustment.

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is seeking approval to increase its class sizes through 2030. The district is requesting 29 waivers this spring to provide students with the necessary resources for success. If granted, these waivers would offer GCPS more flexibility in adhering to certain state laws, rules, and guidelines, in return for heightened accountability.

Dr. Al Taylor, GCPS Chief of Schools, explained, “We have a variety of waivers. Our system is committed to being responsible stewards. Being granted flexibility around some Title 20 laws doesn’t automatically mean we’ll use it.”

One key waiver would allow GCPS to set its own class size limits until 2030. Taylor noted that this waiver has been beneficial since its initial approval in 2009, stating, “State law requires opening a new section for even one student above the class size limit. This would mean hiring additional teachers and finding classroom space, which is challenging due to the constant influx of students in Gwinnett and would place a significant financial burden on our district.”

Instead, the district uses the savings to employ instructional coaches, specialists, and literary specialists.

However, some, like Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, express concerns about the impact of class size waivers. “Smaller class sizes are known to improve student achievement,” she said. “More students in a classroom mean less individual attention.”

Morgan pointed out that 128 of the 130 districts categorized as “Strategic Waivers School Systems” have class size waivers and will need to reapply this year, similar to Gwinnett County. “They started in 2016 and were originally set to be renewed in 2022, but the pandemic disrupted that timeline,” she added. “We believe that the data from this period should not be used to justify the continuation of these waivers.”