County Mayor Weston Wamp is lambasting the budget passed by the Hamilton County Board of Education, saying it contains pay increases that would require the county to raise taxes.
“We all believe in teachers, but there’s also a few hundred thousand hardworking people in our community who have to pay taxes out of their paychecks when you demand these sorts of large raises,” Wamp said in a phone call.
After initially delaying the vote by a month, the school board approved a $674 million budget Thursday. It would give employees a $2,800 flat pay increase, ensure all teachers make at least $50,000, boost compensation for classified employees like electricians and fund increases based on years of service. The vote was 7-4, with members Larry Grohn, R-East Ridge, Faye Robinson, R-Ooltewah, and Rhonda Thurman, R-Hixson, as well as board Chair Joe Smith, R-Hixson, voting no.
The Hamilty County Commission is now scheduled to take up the full county budget Wednesday. The next fiscal year starts July 1.
Superintendent Justin Robertson presented essentially the same version of the schools budget to county commissioners in May, asking for a $21 million bump in county funding to help cover the cost of those pay increases. That would be on top of a $7.5 million increase in local revenue county leaders already plan to provide to schools in the upcoming year thanks to growth in the sales and property tax base, Wamp said.