DD2 to host several budget workshop meetings over next 3 months

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - As Lowcountry students prepare for their final exams in the next few months, one local school district will also be preparing its upcoming budget and any changes that come with it.

Dorchester School District Two will be holding several meetings over the next few months as they look to finalize their budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Board Member Justin Farnsworth said district officials are in preliminary talks regarding their around $290 million budget. He said officials are looking at teacher salaries, safety and security and the condition of the district’s facilities as their top priorities.

Farnsworth said Dorchester County is the only county in the state with a 15% cap on their general fund, meaning they have to put away up to 15% of that money for safekeeping.

“That just limits when it comes to budgeting, it does, I would say, hamper the district,” Farnsworth said. “It puts some significant strain on how we create our budget.”

Farnsworth said recent discussions in the statehouse regarding teacher raises could be split by both the state and local districts.

District leaders said they want to hear from as many people as possible before the budget is final.

“Are there safety and security concerns? Are there curriculum concerns? Are there maybe programs or initiatives that somebody in the community is aware of that we need to focus our dollars on and just make sure that they’re heard and do as much as we can as much as possible for that,” Farnsworth said.

Uniquely, both the district and Dorchester School District Four must present their budgets to Dorchester County Council before they are officially approved.

These school districts cannot raise property taxes by themselves, while school districts in Charleston and Berkeley counties can.

Farnsworth said the first budget meeting will be held Wednesday at 4 p.m. The new fiscal year starts on July 1.

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