It's budget season for Hamilton County Schools, and the financial decisions made in the coming months will impact students for the next year and beyond.
The Hamilton County Board of Education held its first of several budget workshops Thursday evening. Board members weighed in on where they believed the district should allocate funds and debated how much funding should be allocated to student wellness supports.
Last year's budget totaled roughly $450 million, but under a new state funding formula, officials expect a $45 million bump for the 2023-24 school year.
While final allocations are still being determined, officials predict 65% of the district's operating expenditures will go toward school-based staffing.
Approximately $25 million will be allocated to wellness support staff, which includes social, emotional and academic development coaches to address ongoing behavior issues in schools.
Board member Rhonda Thurman, R-Hixson, told administrators Thursday that her priority was facilities, not coaches for social, emotional and academic development or SEAD.
"I would like to see us put a janitor at each school that is a Hamilton County employee that is responsible for that school there," Thurman said. "I think that our school buildings, getting our school buildings where they need to be, getting the supplies we need in our restrooms, will affect children a whole lot more than some of these positions that we're hiring."
Thurman added she thought a wellness support staff member wasn't necessary for every school.
"All of these counselors and all of these SEAD coaches and all of these people: Not every student in Hamilton County has a social-emotional need. They just don't. And by continuing to shove this down their throats, we make all these kids think, 'Well, maybe we are supposed to have something wrong with us.'"
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Schools' new strategic plan prioritizes student well-being)
Superintendent Justin Robertson said today's children have different needs than children in past generations.
"The requirements of the job, just like the requirements of being a teacher, are very different today than they were 20 years ago," Robertson said. " They're very different than in 2006, the first year that I became a school-based administrator. The needs are not the same."
Robertson said the budget and how it will be spent is a choice for the board to make.
"We have choices to make here, that's part of this process is that you as a board have choices to make," Robertson said. "If you don't want SEAD coaches, that's about a 1.5 percent pay increase (for teachers). Or you could hire a person to be over the custodial group and every building. We're showing you what we think, and what we've heard from communities is a priority."
Board member Joe Smith, R-Hixson, agreed with Thurman that social, emotional and academic development coaches may not be needed in all schools and that the board should consider hiring more janitorial staff.
Board member Jill Black, D-Lookout Mountain, said based on the feedback she's received from teachers, they are in support of the coaches.
"Teachers are really excited to have help," Black said. "People in the building specifically focused on some of the more challenging behaviors that they have to deal with."
The board is set to vote on a final budget in April. Two additional budget workshops will be held March 28 and April 10.
Contact Carmen Nesbitt at cnesbitt@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.