A majority of Hamilton County commissioners said Tuesday they wouldn’t support a tax increase – which may or may not be requested by Mayor Jim Coppinger – for Hamilton County schools.
Putting the cart before the horse seemed a reasonable conclusion after the district’s budget presentation by interim Superintendent Dr. Kirk Kelly, who was unable to parry questions asked by commissioners about ineffective programs, a bloated fund balance and how low-performing schools might be turned around.
The interim schools chief told commissioners the district needs an additional $24 million to improve literacy, expand vocational programs and improve the low-performing schools, goals he said were reflective of what the community said it wanted.
Coppinger said he hadn’t decided whether to include Kelly’s request in his fiscal 2017 budget.
A year ago, then-Superintendent Rick Smith campaigned across the county for public support for a $34 million increase in the schools’ budget that would fund a number of things, including more art and foreign language classes in the schools.