Budget discussions spark debate during Hamilton County School board meeting

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A discussion over the proposed budget for Hamilton County Schools became contentious during Thursday’s school board meeting.

The proposed $674 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year includes $32 million earmarked for pay raises for teachers and staff. These raises could be distributed either through a 5 percent salary increase or a flat $2,800 raise per employee. Additionally, the budget would allocate more funds to the district’s staffing model, including a 0 to 2.5 percent step increase for certified employees on the district's salary schedule.

This budget proposal also includes a request for the Hamilton County Commission to increase the school system’s funding through tax revenue.

Although the school board initially planned to vote on the budget earlier in the week, the executive committee, which includes Superintendent Justin Robertson and the board chair, removed it from the agenda to allow for further adjustments. Superintendent Robertson recommended delaying the vote until the board’s June 20 meeting.

Board member Ben Conner motioned to reinstate the budget vote during Thursday’s meeting.

“A vote to not vote on this tonight, a vote to keep this off of the agenda is a vote to not have your voice heard for your constituents,” Conner said.

However, the motion faced opposition from board member Larry Grohn.

“We have an excellent superintendent who we just gave a pay raise to who is recommending to this board to remove this item,” Grohn said. “And the board, some people on this board, is not listening to the individual who they praised and we all gave a raise to. And we’re not going to listen to the advice of our chairperson and our superintendent. I’m sorry, I don’t understand that.”

Board member Karista Jones emphasized the need for additional meetings to discuss the budget if the vote would be delayed and expressed frustration with the process.

“I want the public to understand, and I hope my peers on this board understand, that when you swore on the Bible, you swore to the people of Hamilton County, the state of Tennessee, and the district that elected you. So the loyalty goes both ways,” Jones said. “I’m not in the business of doing a dog and pony show with the county commission for a tenth year. I’m tired. I’m not a dog or a pony. I’m a human, and I’m tired.”

Board member Marco Perez echoed the need for further discussion and suggested holding a meeting on May 30.

Ultimately, the motion to add the budget back to the agenda failed by a 9-2 vote.