Wages in the Hamilton County school district were stagnant over the past year as the workforce shrunk, according to a Chattanooga Times Free Press analysis.
Under Tennessee public records laws, the school district provided data snapshots of wages in March 2025 and January 2026, representing different fiscal and school years.
When the Hamilton County school board approved its 2026 budget in May, it was contending with balancing a $16.2 million deficit due to lower-than-expected local tax revenue and rising costs, primarily health care.
Board members opted to eliminate dozens of positions in the central office. They also directed every principal across 71 schools to demote, reassign or share personnel at their discretion to cut at least $40,000 in staffing costs from site budgets to save the district over $2.8 million.