Some Atlanta Public Schools (APS) employees will be getting a raise after the Atlanta Board of Education (ABOE) voted to increase the minimum wage for full-time employees to $15 per hour during its monthly meeting, Monday evening.

The Board voted to increase the minimum pay rate from $12.70 to $15 per hour. The increase covers the following positions:  clerks, custodians, food assistants, in-school suspension (ISS) monitors, non-instructional aides, paraprofessionals, parent liaisons, school bus monitors and school bus drivers. Bus drivers and monitors will also see their base pay increase from a minimum of 4 hours per day to a minimum of 6 hours per day.

The District recommended the pay increase after reviewing the results of a survey of principals and teachers, local market compensation studies, and focus groups such as the APS Teacher Advisory Committee. The raise is effective August 3, 2020, and will be included in paychecks beginning August 31, 2020. 

“With Atlanta Public Schools’ focus on equity and ensuring that we retain high-quality staff, I am thrilled that this pay raise will benefit some of our lowest-paid workers and continue to support our ongoing recruitment efforts,” said Dr. Lisa Herring, Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. “As we move forward, I am hopeful that we will be able to implement the other strategies our Human Resources team developed in partnership with teachers and staff, including teacher pay raises, stipends for high needs schools and subject areas, and converting the remaining hourly special education paraprofessionals to full time with benefits.”