School Dist. 5 Approves $166.2M Budget

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson School District Five the Board of Trustees has approved the district’s $166.2 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2026-2027. The new budget gives teachers and staff a modest raise, expands student supports, and does so without increasing millage for the third year in a row.

With close to 12,000 students and more than 1,700 employees, the district is the largest in Anderson County.

The central gesture is a familiar one in public education and a hard one to carry off in practice: spend more on people without asking more of the community. The budget includes a $2,000 increase to all salary schedules, step increases for eligible employees, and additional instructional services and resources. Superintendent Brenda Kelley said this move exhibits what matters most to Anderson Five, students and the adults who work with them every day.

The details suggest a district trying to solve some small problems before they become larger ones, adding two multilingual specialists, five elementary math interventionists, and additional student support personnel at Robert Anderson Middle School.

It also reduces out-of-district tuition to $3,000, a change that hints at the practical pressures schools face when families and student needs cross district lines.

The budget now goes to the Anderson County Board of Education for final approval on June 15.