The County Schools are proposing a balanced $434.3 million budget that will include teacher pay increases.
The schools are also continuing to utilize a total of $142 million in three phases of federal COVID-19 stimulus funding.
Officials noted the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) cannot be used to bolster the fund balance and should not be for items that will require ongoing spending, but can be used for technology, capital items and other areas.
The proposal includes maintaining the step increase and one percent raise for all staff that was approved in February 2021. In addition, the school system is proposing an additional one percent and step for FY 22. These two step increases and a total of a two percent raise will amount to $12 million in recurring investments in compensation.
Also, the proposed budget increases starting pay for classified staff to $13 per hour and removes the 15-year cap on experience credit for veteran teachers joining the district, as well as those currently working for HCS.
Officials said the outlay for charter schools will rise by about 20 percent with the opening of a new Montessori school and with the Chattanooga Preparatory School adding a ninth grade.
Stormwater fees charged the county schools amount to $475,000.
Supt. Bryan Johnson said enrollment is down about 900 students with most of the decline in kindergarten. Some of the drop is also in the senior class, though overall high school enrollment is up.
He said school systems across the country are down on student numbers, and he said the Legislature may pass a bill that directs that school systems not be penalized under the BEP funding for lower student numbers.
Click here to view the budget.