The Jefferson County school district approved a nearly $24 million spending plan which includes teacher salary increases, building maintenance funding, and no additional tax burden on the community.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Jeffe rson County schools approve nearly $24 million budget with teacher raises and no new taxesThe Jefferson County school board voted 5-0 to approve the spending plan, which goes into effect immediately. One board member was out of town during the vote.The budget includes salary increases for teachers with 10 or more years of experience. It also funds preventive maintenance to protect district buildings.Superintendent Jackie Pons also says the budget includes zero additional tax increases for the community. "I'm very proud of the budget we've got. We feel like it can meet the needs of our students and do what we need to do to continue being a 'B' district here in Jefferson County," Pons said.Pons says the district is working to keep more Jefferson County students in local schools amid declining enrollment."We're very excited about the support we got from our school board. We had a 5 to 0 vote. All of our school board members were in support of the budget for that...During these difficult times, we have what's called a required local effort which is set by the state which is levied in the community, but we did not levy any of the increase," Pons said.Pons said the goal is to keep moving the district forward.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less