Lexington County School District Three approved its first reading of its proposed general fund budget for the 2025-26 school year, totaling $31,243,338 — a $1.4 million increase from the 2024-25 budget of $29,842,807.

The proposed millage is set at 252.13 mills. A district administrator noted the district hasn’t increased its taxes in five years.

A significant portion of the budget will go to teachers and support staff, as the teacher salary schedule will increase by $2,000 per cell and eligible employees will receive a 2% increase to existing schedules along with a step increase. Additionally, the district will add two special education teachers, four instructional assistants, new safety resource officers, crossing guards, athletic insurance and funding for marketing and recruitment.

In the budget, there are some deductions such as the chief operations officer's salary and fringes and a reduction of 4.5 FTE positions. With these reductions, the district will save a total of $536,518. A district administrator explained that some employees are leaving; therefore, they are moving current employees to fill those roles.

The district is estimated to receive $776,733 in federal funds for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and preschool disabilities. This includes Title 1 funding, which is projected at $606,970 and $14,589 for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The general fund budget allocates $2,708,317 for special education and $327,182 for ESOL.

They also anticipate a $1 million increase in local revenue, $228,529 in state revenue and $35,691 in transfer revenue.

A presentation showed that attendance has decreased by 83 students over the past 10 years. During the 2024-25 school year, the district reported a total of 1,843 students.

Board members unanimously approved the first reading of the budget and will review the second reading at an upcoming meeting.

The next scheduled regular board meeting will be June 10 at 6 p.m. at the Lexington Three District Office located at 338 West Columbia Ave. in Batesburg-Leesville.