A 2.5% cost-of-living pay increase for all employees is included in the Hardin County Schools tentative budget of $170.3 million approved Thursaday during its monthly board meeting.
The pay increase is an impactful budget element since wages account for roughly 80% of the spending, Board Chairman Charlie Wise said.
“It’s not something we can take lightly. We need top-notch employees and need to pay them for their work,” Wise said during the board meeting.
On Friday, HCS Chief Operations Officer John Stith said they “want to be able to attract quality candidates from our community to work with our kids.”
