The Hamilton County school board voted 6-3 Thursday night to delay approving the administration’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget, but several board members seemed unsure why.
Board member Steve Highlander of District 9 made the initial motion to table the vote – which had been discussed during Monday night’s budget work session – out of concerns about the economic implications of the current coronavirus pandemic.
The proposed $420 million budget presented by Superintendent Bryan Johnson to the board on March 30 focuses on maintaining current staffing levels in the district’s schools and continues to push the district’s literacy efforts, and it does not include an additional teacher pay raise as district officials promised it might earlier this spring.
The budget counts on about $10 million in anticipated growth money from property tax revenue and increased state funding under the Basic Education Program formula.
Highlander suggested that he is concerned about the potential for funding cuts at the state or local level.