Hamilton County Schools approves revised budget with $50K starting salary for teachers

The Hamilton County Schools Board of Education voted 8-0 to approve a $663 million revised budget during Thursday’s special called meeting.

According to the revised budget, employees in the district will get a $1,750 raise and pay increases based on years of service with the district. The new budget also includes $5 million that will bring teachers’ starting salary to $50,000 a year, approved by the Hamilton County Commission on Wednesday, as well as about $550,000 for student health services.

The vote came after the board was forced to revisit the budget when the Hamilton County Commission said the original $674 million funding request made on June 20 would require tax increases. That budget would’ve given staff a $2,800 salary raise, as well as pay step increases based on teachers’ years of service. The Hamilton County Commission will vote on its consolidated government and schools’ budget on July 3. Hamilton County’s next fiscal year begins July 1.

According to a report from Chattanooga Times Free Press, Hamilton County leaders have criticized the school district in recent weeks for creating more than 500 positions such as behavioral specialists and counselors that district leaders say were needed to address student mental health concerns rather than prioritizing the raises.

However, board member Jill Black noted that about 45 percent of those positions added last year were designed to support students' mental well-being, which has been a major concern for school districts across the country since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over and over again and in the community when we were coming back from COVID, I heard how overwhelmed teachers were dealing with behaviors and issues beyond regular classroom management, and how worried people were about student mental health,” she said. “We are continuing to fund our positions that actually address a problem that was happening in the community, and I'm never going to apologize for addressing a problem, for staffing a school properly, for giving kids the support that they need and for helping relieve some of the pressure on classroom teachers.”