DALTON, Ga. — With an increase in the amount of money provided by the state and with raises to all school system employees, the Whitfield County Board of Education approved the largest budget in the history of the system Monday night.

The general spending package totals $121 million, which includes the second 2 percent raise for teachers and staff in the last two years. The increase in salaries comes on top of the state fully funding schools for the first time since then-Gov. Sonny Perdue initiated a series of “austerity cuts” in 2002.

Whitfield County Schools began its austerity cuts and the cutting of days and of staff through attrition in 2009.

“This is a restoration of funding which had been cut over much of the last decade,” Chief Financial Officer Kelly Coon said. “In FY 17 (fiscal year 2017) we were able to restore salary schedules and restoring days in a two-year phase-in. In FY 18 (fiscal year 2018) we gave a 2 percent raise across the board in the district, and another 2 percent in this budget which just passed (fiscal year 2019, which begins July 1).”

With the addition of spending by the system from special revenue such as federal assistance and with capital budgeting for construction of the new Valley Point Middle School this year, the overall spending of the district checks in at $171.6 million. Currently, the system has a projected fund balance of $20.3 million, and that will dip in fiscal year 2019 to roughly $19.6 million.

The general spending for the fiscal year 2019 budget is an increase from the current year of 5.24 percent, up from $115 million. Salary and benefits to staff, teachers and administration represent 87 percent of the general fund budget. The system will create seven positions and one position to be filled by a “49 percenter” — a recent retiree who can work up to 49 percent of a regular schedule and still be eligible for retirement and benefits.

The new budget also calls for the hiring of five additional deputies from the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office to serve as school resource officers at the five middle schools. That proposal is contingent on approval by the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners, who have been asked to shoulder some of the costs of the law enforcement officers on campus.

The vote to approve the budget came after a second public hearing on it, and no one from the public voiced any objections or asked questions at either hearing. Board member Rodney Lock was not present at the meeting, but the other four members of the board unanimously approved the budget.