Hamilton County commissioners and education leaders are split over the causes of the school district’s looming multimillion dollar funding crunch.
Hamilton County is unlikely to address a shortfall facing its school system through a tax increase, according to some county officials. Hamilton County Commission Chair Jeff Eversole, R-Ooltewah, said during a public meeting Wednesday that he wouldn’t support a property tax hike for the school system. Eversole echoed County Mayor Weston Wamp, who weeks ago said in a statement that he did not expect to recommend any tax increase in the upcoming budget, though local property values have spiked.
Hamilton County Schools staff have identified a shortfall between $16.5 million and $18.5 million for the schools’ next budget, and some on the school board have recently proposed going to local governments to request more funding to address the budget squeeze.
Eversole on Wednesday placed the blame for the shortfall on the schools’ spending decisions.
The school system’s analysis of local revenue collection shows the school is set to receive less revenue than projected.