County School Board member David Testerman said budgeting for the county schools is "a broken process. It has been like that for far too long."
He said the school board "can't make a plan to build buildings" if it does not know if it is getting any extra money from the county.
Mr. Testerman said trying to budget without knowing the county's intention "is just a waste of time. I think the commission knows that too."
He said, "We should be given the information at the first of the year. Tell us ahead of time."
Tiffanie Robinson, who heads the finance committee, is recommending moving to a three-year budgeting plan.
But some other board members said the uncertainty of county allocations makes any kind of planning a frustration.
Joe Galloway said, "Until somebody tells us something, how are we going to plan?"
Joe Smith, a new board member, said, "We've got to have more money. It's pretty simple."
But he said he did not know "if the public has enough confidence in us to sell it to the commission, but more importantly to the public."
Chairman Steve Highlander said he got the impression from a Tuesday night meeting with the commission and County Mayor Jim Coppinger that a tax increase is not in the offing.
The county schools are expected to get about $7.1 million in "growth money" from the property tax.
However, Finance Director Christie Jordan said there are over $32 million in needs, including several items that have already been put into place.
On another topic, board member Rhonda Thurman asked if there is anything in the upcoming budget to spruce up the central office.
She said she learned after the budget was approved that it funded new flooring and carpeting in the school headquarters.
Ms. Thurman said, "With all the needs out in the schools, that really left a bad taste in my mouth."
School officials said there is $100,000 for flooring system-wide, but not in the central office.
Dan Liner, president of the Hamilton County Education Association, urged the board to consider higher pay for county teachers. He said their starting pay is $5,000 less than for teachers in Nashville. He said Bradley County teachers make more than those in Hamilton County.
He said new talks with the teacher union start April 5 when a 14-member committee meeting in the collaborative bargaining.
Topics on the table are salary, insurance and benefits.
The current memorandum of understanding is 43 pages long.