Teachers and staff at Marietta City Schools may have a pay increase in their near future.

The expected pay increase comes with no tax hike for Marietta residents, according to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“The average increase for certified teachers would be 4.2 percent for teachers and 3.7 percent for other certified,” according to the article. “Classified positions would receive an average increase of 3.7 percent, including transportation, paraprofessional, clerical and lunchroom.”

School nurses would also receive a pay increase to $44 an hour. Marietta school nurses are supplied by Cobb Douglas Public Health.

According to the article, the millage rate is proposed to stay at 17.97 – the same as it has been for the last two years.

“Local funding should be $48 million or 53 percent of the total revenue; $41 million from the state or 45 percent of the total; and $2.2 million from other sources for a total expected revenue of $91.4 million,” the article reads. “The difference of around $3.8 million between the $91.4 million revenue and $95.2 million expenditures would be paid by the fund balance.”

A public hearing is slated for June 21 and final adoption of the 2017 general fund budget is expected.

An opinion column on www.macon.com addresses Gov. Nathan Deal’s State of the State speech this year, where he proposed a 3-percent raise for teachers.

“Over the past five years, members of this General Assembly and I have shown our appreciation for our teachers by making public education a priority, and we will do so again this year by appropriating an additional $300 million for K-12 education, which is more than is required to give teachers a 3-percent pay raise,” Gov. Deal said in his speech.

The author argues that while the state has increased education funding … more than $6 billion was sucked out of the education budget.

“School systems across the state are wrestling with their budgets this time of year, and funding is still an issue,” the article reads.

A survey of more than 53,000 teachers from across the state revealed that more than 44 percent of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years, and 16 percent fewer students are entering the state’s teacher preparation programs.