By Tom Davis
Correspondent
DAYTON, Tenn. — Rhea County school board members last week expressed the desire to control their own finances independent of the County Commission but tabled a motion to provide a path to that end.
The commission “can direct money in so many ways — to a jail, the courthouse, the fair,” board member Bill Davault pointed out Thursday. “But if we control our own money, we only have one thing to spend it on. This gives you responsibility for your own money.”
The resolution, recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association, would ask the General Assembly to allow school systems to create special districts with authority to set property tax rates.
The Rhea schools budget is funded mostly by federal and state funds, sales taxes and property taxes.
Davault said the schools pay nearly 80 percent of the administrative costs for the county’s centralized maintenance division — which handles all county buildings such as schools, courthouse and jail.
He said he believes the school system could provide the same service for less money if it operated independently.
Board member Bimbo McCawley asked Superintendent Jerry Levengood to check with area counties to see how their maintenance costs compare to Rhea County’s.
If the board wants to withdraw from centralized maintenance, “You can’t expect to go to the commission and ask for more money (for equipment),” he said. “We’re fooling ourselves if we think we can go back to the commission.”
Levengood noted that having taxing authority means the school system will have to spend a lot of money.
“You need to understand, if we go that route, we’re talking about buying equipment, trucks, tools and all that,” he said.
Board member John Mincey recommended that the board’s maintenance committee compile a list of grievances to discuss with the County Commission’s finance committee “and see if we can work things out. If we can’t, then we’ll have to think about the next step.”
Tom Davis lives in Dayton. Contact him at tsdavis@volstate.net.