County commissioner offers 'ingenious' education funding plan

Commissioner Joe Graham speaks during a Hamilton County Commission meeting at the courthouse to vote on school construction proposals.
Commissioner Joe Graham speaks during a Hamilton County Commission meeting at the courthouse to vote on school construction proposals.

Hamilton County Commissioner Joe Graham wants to develop a new way for school officials to fund educational programs that will "free up money" for projects such as the proposed early childhood development center at Calvin Donaldson Elementary School.

State and federal regulations place restrictions on how the school system can spend money.

For example, the school system can't spend money on programs for children who are younger than pre-kindergarten-aged.

But the county commission has much more leeway.

On Wednesday, Graham proposed a resolution that would let the county cover costs for school projects that fall outside regulations, and let the school system replenish the general fund with property tax growth money from the next year.

Each year, the school system automatically receives growth revenue from the county coffers. This budget year, that amounted to nearly $6 million.

"It gives them an opportunity to have the money at their disposal now. And they are still getting 100 percent of the growth money. There's no decrease. They could just get it earlier," Graham said.

Earlier reports indicated Graham was seeking to keep the growth money in the county's general fund as a set aside for education projects instead of automatically turning it over to schools.

That concept drew the ire of School Board Member Donna Horn and Superintendent Rick Smith.

But Graham said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon he had not be clear at the morning meeting.

"I'm not looking to withhold anything. They would still get all their growth money," Graham said.

At the morning meeting, Commissioner Warren Mackey called the plan "ingenious."

The finance committee, which includes Graham, Mackey, Tim Boyd and Sabrena Smedley as an alternate, will present a resolution to the full commission for a vote next week.

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