At roughly $705 million, Hamilton County Schools’ proposed 2026-27 budget would increase staff pay and reduce positions.
District officials presented the first version of the district’s budget at the Hamilton County school board’s finance committee meeting Monday. The budget is expected to change before the school board votes on the final version May 21.
Increasing compensation has been a priority for board members this year because the district’s 2025-26 budget did not include an across-the-board raise or increases based on years of service, and next year’s budget sets aside $14 million for that purpose.
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The district looked at how to use that pot of funding to have the biggest impact on the most people, Superintendent Justin Robertson said. The proposal includes a combination of switching to a new pay structure, a 1% raise and a longevity increase.
First version of Hamilton County Schools budget raises pay, cuts positions
On average, certified staff, such as teachers and school counselors, will see a 3.5% pay increase, according to budget documents, while general staff, like educational assistants and administrators, will get a 2.25% pay increase.
To make those compensation increases possible, the proposed budget also includes several reductions, including cutting positions at both the district and school levels.
The proposed budget reduces central office staff by 12 and school employees by 128.5, reflecting a 5% reduction in the central office and a 2% reduction in school-based staffing, according to Monday’s budget presentation. The district employs more than 6,000 people.
At the school level, the staffing reductions are due to changes in enrollment and increases in the teacher-to-student ratios for English as a new language and career and technical education teachers. The staffing ratio for other classroom teachers remains the same.
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That means the typical school will have one fewer career and technical education teacher and one fewer other type of teacher, as well as a reduced English as a new language staff, according to the budget presentation.
The proposed budget also shifts around $12.4 million to strategic staffing, giving principals more funding to tailor their schools’ staff to meet student needs.
“When I’ve talked to principals about this, we’ve talked kind of about the stick and the carrot,” Robertson said. “Yes, there is a stick, of like, we have reduced resources. The carrot is allowing more flexibility. I’ve been really impressed and thankful for our principals and the way they’ve worked through this to make sure that it fits their needs.”
After accounting for the investment in raises, budget reductions and increased costs, the school board has $2 million left to direct toward other priorities. The district’s budget documents proposed several ways to use those funds, including investing more in school staffing, athletics and the arts, or maintaining facilities
Robertson said he intends to present an updated organizational chart at April’s school board meeting. The chart will later be incorporated into a second version of the budget. Once the board approves the final budget, it will head to the Hamilton County Commission, which serves as the funding body for the district, for a vote.
Contact education reporter Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.