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Staff Photo by Matt Fields-Johnson Amy Sherman, teacher at Roan Street Elementary School in Dalton Ga., reads to third-graders, from right, Jonathan Bradley, Licci Ponce, Carmen Narvaez and Jose Martinez during a literacy block period. In previos years, the school has used its Title I money to strengthen its literacy program.
Hamilton County schools face a $12.5 million shortfall next year, but also need to spend more than $150 million for new or replacement schools, administrators said Saturday.
"We are growing faster than our revenues," Tommy Kranz, chief financial officer for Hamilton County Schools, told Hamilton County Board of Education members at their annual board retreat.
Administrators briefed board members on a number of issues at the retreat, ranging from a bleak budget outlook in 2011 to the system's lagging graduation rate and scores on standardized tests to an acute need for new facilities.
They presented a preliminary plan that includes construction of six new schools, two of which would be in northeastern Hamilton County to accommodate the expected influx of families moving there to be close to Volkswagen and its suppliers.
The German automaker is building a $1 billion auto assembly plant at Enterprise South. Production is expected to begin in 2011.
"When funding is available we need to start turning dirt," said Rick Smith, Hamilton County Schools' deputy superintendent. "We are really concerned about this (east county) cluster. It's like a cup, and we're full. We just don't have room."
Still, the chairman of the Hamilton County Commission was skeptical about the school system's ability to support so many new projects.
"It would cost a big, big tax increase," said Curtis Adams. "I admire them for thinking progressive, but there will not be any additional money for schools."
Hamilton County provides about half of the school district's $359 million budget through property taxes (about $119 million) and sales taxes ($56 million). The rest comes from the state and federal government.
BUDGET CRUNCH -- AGAIN
Mr. Kranz outlined the budget outlook next year with a familiar refrain: There will be a double-digit shortfall.
Revenues are expected to be relatively flat with tax revenue growth of just $1.3 million next year. Expenses, such as salaries, benefits and utilities, are expected to grow by $13.8 million, according to budget documents. That leaves a deficit of about $12.5 million. Deferred maintenance projects boosts the shortfall to $26.3 million.
The district's bleak revenue outlook is compounded by the state's budget woes. Gov. Phil Bredesen asked department heads to cut their budgets from 6 percent to 9 percent in the wake of worse-than-expected revenue collections.
School board members were warned that some money from the state could be in jeopardy next year.
Administrators noted the school district must have enough money to meet new state academic standards and maintain teacher-student ratios.
Last year's $20 million budget deficit triggered a few school closings, including Howard Middle and 21st Century Academy. At the time, Mr. Kranz and members of a communitywide task force charged with helping the school system gain solid financial footing cautioned that budget troubles would persist without a hard look at how many schools the district operates. There are about 75 school buildings in the school system serving 40,000 students this year. Many of those buildings are under capacity, according to facility reviews.
NEW SCHOOL NEEDS
The district's preliminary facilities plan calls for the consolidation of seven elementary schools that would reduce the total number of schools by three. Combining schools may require some students to be rezoned, administrators said.
Mr. Smith said a new school is needed south of Apison Pike and west of Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to replace Ooltewah Elementary School.
The system also needs to build a school north of Lee Highway in Ooltewah to relieve overcrowding at Wallace Smith and Snow Hill elementary schools, he said.
Officials said they are looking into purchasing the former David Brainerd Christian School, which could house about 350 students. The school is on Igou Gap Road. Those buildings, however, were not built to school system standards, officials said. Classroom sizes may be too small to meet the system's needs, Mr. Smith said.
Nearly all the 220 students from David Brainerd have enrolled in Hamilton County schools since the private Christian school closed its doors. Many now attend the new East Hamilton School, a middle-high school, which is already overcrowded.
"(East Brainerd) is a strategic area," school board member Chester Bankston said. "This will be a growth area."
Still, many older and smaller schools should be combined, according to the facilities plan.
Falling Water Elementary and Ganns Middle Valley Elementary would be consolidated; Alpine Crest Elementary, DuPont Elementary and Rivermont Elementary would be consolidated; and Harrison Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary and the attendance zone of Lakeside Academy would be combined, documents state.
"Falling Water has needed to be replaced for some time," Mr. Smith said. "We laugh cause you can't walk down its beautiful oak floors without them creaking so much you can't hear."
Lakeside Academy would continue to operate as a dedicated magnet school, officials said.
PDF: Hamilton County School Board Retreat Budget Discussion
School closings since 1999
* Bachman Elementary -- 1999
* Mountain Oaks Elementary -- 1999
* Signal Mountain Elementary -- 1999
* Garber Elementary -- 2003
* John P. Franklin Middle -- 2004
* White Oak Elementary -- 2005
* Howard Elementary -- 2005
* Chattanooga Middle -- 2008
* 21st Century Academy -- 2009
* Howard Middle -- 2009
New and replacement schools since 1999
* East Lake Academy -- 2000
* Red Bank Elementary -- 2000
* Nolan Elementary -- 2000
* Westview Elementary -- 2001
* East Side Elementary -- 2001
* East Lake Elementary -- 2001
* Hardy Elementary -- 2002
* Apison Elementary -- 2002
* Brown Academy -- 2003
* Battle Academy -- 2003
* Allen Elementary -- 2003
* Signal Mountain Middle High -- 2008
* Soddy Elementary -- 2008
* Orchard Knob Elementary -- 2008
* Hixson Middle -- 2009
* East Hamilton Middle High -- 2009
* East Ridge/McBrien Elementary -- 2010
* Red Bank Middle -- 2010
Source: Hamilton County Board of Education
NEW FACILITIES
* Build a new school to replace Ooltewah Elementary
* Build a new school north of Lee Highway in Ooltewah
* Consolidate Falling Water Elementary and Ganns Valley Elementary and build a new school
* Consolidate Alpine Crest Elementary, DuPont Elementary and Rivermont Elementary and build a new school
* Consolidate Harrison Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary and the attendance zone of Lakeside Academy and build a new school; make Lakeside Academy a dedicated magnet school
* Replace Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts a new k-12 school
Source: Hamilton County Board of Education
Joan Garrett has been a staff writer for the Times Free Press since August 2007. Before becoming a general assignment writer for the paper, she wrote about business, higher education and the court systems. She grew up the oldest of five sisters near Birmingham, Ala., and graduated with a master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama. Before landing her first full-time job as a reporter at the Times Free Press, she ...
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