As Hamilton County Schools looks to reduce its budget, some school board members are pushing to ask local governments for more funding rather than making cuts to programs like magnet school busing and substitute nurses.
This school year, local revenues came in at an amount below what the board approved in the budget, Superintendent Justin Robertson said. That resulted in a gap the district is responsible for addressing. The district is also facing significant cost increases, including a $12.5 million rise in health care costs.
Those financial constraints mean the district needs to identify between $16.5 million and $18.5 million in budget reductions, Robertson said.
The district proposed potential areas for reduction Thursday. Two of the proposals that caused the most discussion among board members were cutting substitute nurses and transportation to magnet schools.
Marisa Moyers, the district’s manager of school health programs, said she does not believe cutting substitute nurses makes enough of an adjustment in the budget that it’s worth the risk to students.