County Mayor Jim Coppinger on Tuesday night cautiously indicated that some bond funds may be coming available for school construction needs.
He said the county plans to issue new bonds for over $55 million that will include paying off a $55 million line of credit used in some recent school additions, the construction of a new Middle Valley school, and other projects.
"There are some possibilities, but we have to be really careful," the county mayor said.
He also cited the need for a new county jail that may cost over $100 million. He said the county is awaiting requests for proposals from several firms in relation to a replacement of the problem-plagued facility on Walnut Street.
County Mayor Coppinger took part in a joint meeting of the County Commission and School Board at school headquarters.
Board member Rhonda Thurman noted that traditionally when the county paid off one bond that new money came available for more school construction.
County Mayor Coppinger said the county has been regularly paying off about $25 million in principal per year for school projects. He said there have been $138 million in new schools and additions on his watch.
The two groups appeared to agree that a high priority is taking care of over $5 million in dire roofing needs at the schools. Commissioner Greg Martin recommended that the County Commission put the $750,000 remaining in a $900,000 capital fund toward the roofs in concert with the schools using some $3.7 million expected from the sale of the East Brainerd School property.
There appeared to be little sentiment for building a $64 million K-12 replacement for Chattanooga School for the Liberals Arts, which is in a deteriorating building in East Brainerd.
There were several suggestions for moving "the phenomenal program" at the magnet school to an under-utilized school or to a large office building.
However, Ms. Thurman said, "I don't like the idea of taking somebody else's school and giving them their school. Taking a neighborhood school that's been there for generation after generation - that's total arrogance."
Saying that CSLA "is not even on my radar," she said with a funding shortage that CSLA students could go back to their zoned schools and close the old building.
Commissioner Sabrena Smedley, who also praised the school's program, said the property not far from I-75 should be prime real estate.
Commissioner Joe Graham said, "I can't see CSLA on the page (of building priorities)," saying the money projected for it could be put toward a number of school projects.
Commissioner Tim Boyd, a longtime CSLA supporter, said there may be only 482 students currently at the school, but he said there are 1,000 on the waiting list and it is projected to serve 1,600 students with a K-12 school.
School board member Joe Wingate said there was no guarantee that if CSLA reached 1,600 students that it would help with overcrowding in the high-growth Ooltewah, Apison, East Brainerd area. He said with students chosen by "blind draw" there was no way to know where they came from.
Mr. Wingate said Ooltewah/Apison/East Brainerd is projected to have 32 percent growth in the next decade - over double the second spot on the growth list (Hixson, Harrison).
Commissioner Smedley, a realtor, said the forecast is for 7,750 new homes and 5,780 new apartments at Ooltewah/Apison/East Brainerd.
Ms. Thurman said that is the area of real need, saying some kindergarten students are having to ride the bus an hour each way because of the classroom shortage.
Interim Supt. Kirk Kelly called for "revenue enhancements," and board member Karitsa Mosley Jones said the county had not raised taxes since 2005. She said, "We can't be a Charlotte when we have a Mayberry mentality. We're in the Jetsons age, but we're still living like the Flintstones."
She said the county ought to be pouring money into the schools to sway youths away from a life where they end up in jails and prisons. She said it costs $30,000 a year for a prisoner and $8,000 for a student.
Commissioner Graham said the county may not have raised taxes, but he said the school system has never had a budget cut and has enjoyed millions in "growth" money each year. He said the county had put over $600 million into school building projects since 1999.
Commissioner Boyd said part of the solution is to examine the county budget closely. He said he spent two hours studying it the previous night "and came up with $4 million in cuts."
County Mayor Coppinger said he was "a little taken aback and shocked" at the Boyd statement. He said the county "has cut and cut and there is nothing left to cut."
He said, "I don't like raising taxes," saying it is especially hard on small businesses and senior citizens.
He stated, "Can we pull another rabbit out of the hat this year and get by without cutting taxes again - probably."
Commissioner Graham said a big slice could be cut into $200 million in school repair needs by drawing down as much as $26 million of the $61 million fund balance. He said, "The money sitting in the bank - and not drawing much interest - is not helping our students."
Christie Jordan, school finance director, said a portion of that money has to be held back due to various requirements. She said the school system would like to get to a situation of having enough held back to cover several months of expenses in case of emergency. She said now it is just at five weeks.
She said the school system does not again want to get into the situation of having to borrow money from the county and pay the going interest rate to meet payroll until the property taxes come in.
She said, however, that the school system has drawn on the rainy day fund from time to time, including using $2 million for system-wide intercoms and $3 million to add to the maintenance budget.
County Mayor Coppinger said the county is at a $91 million-$92 million fund balance, but wants to keep a hefty savings to help maintain its high bond rating and to be able to better handle debt. He said the fund balance was much higher, but the county put $26 million from it into the Volkswagen investment.
Assistant Supt. Lee McDade said athletic facilities around the county schools are in dismal shape. He said with the track in shambles at Central High School that track team members sometimes run along dangerous Highway 58. He said, "We have got to take care of our athletic facilities."
Board member Tiffanie Robinson said she would like a discussion of the idea of open enrollment that might help with the budget picture.
She also said both groups need to work toward a joint strategic plan, saying, "We don't want to be sitting here three years from now having this same conversation."
School board member David Testerman painted a bleak picture. He said, "We've got a system that's not working. Nobody wants to raise taxes, but we can't do these things without money."
He said, "We heard the train whistle 30 years ago and now the train is upon us and about to overtake us. Our community is in a crisis. We have a disaster coming."
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Joint session