The Hamilton County school board scheduled a special meeting on June 2, and the board chairman said the board likely will approve its budget.
It also approved sending its plan to spend its share of the $500 million in federal Race to the Top money to the state Education Department for approval. The money was awarded to the state to improve education.
Before Thursday’s meeting, board members received an update about the proposed budget, according to schools spokeswoman Danielle Clark.
“I do think we’ll be ready to vote,” school board Chairman Kenny Smith said.
Deputy Superintendent Rick Smith, who has been part of the negotiations with the Hamilton County Education Association about benefits that have been responsible for holding up the budget, said there will be a meeting next week to discuss benefits including the costs of health insurance.
“We hope that will generate a deeper discussion and agreement,” Rick Smith said.
The school board’s lack of progress kept the board from presenting its proposed budget during the county’s budget hearings last week. The school board budget — which this year stands at $359 million — is more than half of the county budget.
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, who attended Thursday’s meeting, said if the board could get its budget passed June 2, it would be “timely.”
The county could pass a new budget by the June 30 deadline but also could pass a continuation budget if the school board isn’t ready by then or if the county decides a delay could give it a more accurate picture of what revenues would be.
“That’s another step that moves us closer (to passing a budget),” Mr. Ramsey said.
According to Ms. Clark, the county’s share of the Race to the Top money is $10.9 million. It can only be spent on improving standards and student assessments, teacher training, use of data to help the school system better teach students and turning around low performing schools. Howard High School is one 13 schools statewide identified as failing that will operate next year under greater state oversight, a step included in Tennessee’s successful Race to the Top application. The 13 schools will be part of Tennessee’s new Achievement School District, and superintendents were given four options for their schools: Close them, turn them into charter schools, or replace staff and principal through transformation or turnaround.
Dr. Scales didn’t like the transformation or turnaround models because they included removing the principal, Paul Smith. He said Thursday the state has informed him he would not have to remove Dr. Smith.
“We fully expect (the state) will come back and ask us to do edits to the plan,” Dr. Scales said.
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