The County School Board on Thursday night voted to direct Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson to propose a balanced budget for board discussion for fiscal year 2026. Finance committee Chairman Ben Daugherty said the County Commission indicated that it would likely approve a balanced budget this year, after tough haggling over big requests last year.
“I could bring us a proposal to get us to a balanced budget tomorrow,” Dr. Robertson said, but that the board may not like more cuts.
“We’ve cut plenty… We’re cutting muscle and we’re cutting bones,” he said.
“As a community, what do we want from a public school system and what are we willing to pay for that public school system?” Dr. Robertson asked.
Board members Jill Black, Ben Connor and Karitsa Jones voted against the directive.
Mr. Connor said he believed the County Commission would approve the “proper” budget, one that keeps student-facing teachers and staff and makes up for funds missing under maintenance of effort laws: $6 million from 2024 and $5 million from 2025, he said.
“We are already working from an $11 million hole,” Mr. Connor said.
“I want to vote for the best budget, not just a balanced budget,” said Ms. Black.
But board member Felice Hadden pointed out that the FY2026 budget is $635 million, compared with $456 million in 2021.
“We’re coming to them for more money and our budget has ballooned,” she said, “close to $200 million in recent years.” Ms. Hadden argued that the county designates 43 percent of its budget to schools, a percentage that’s significantly higher than other Tennessee counties of similar size.
“The County Commission is saying that they’re doing their part,” Ms. Hadden said. “We have to be reasonable.”
“The sky’s not the limit,” she said.
Dr. Robertson pointed to $142 million in pandemic-era Elementary and Secondary School Relief funding and said he could trace which ESSR-funded positions were cut as funds expired and which were rolled in to the general purpose fund. Dr. Robertson also pointed to $67 million that Hamilton County gets from the state’s new funding formula, enacted in 2022, which corrected discrimination and underfunding of large districts, he said. He said those other districts may get money from city municipalities as well.
Beyond asking the county for more money, the board has discussed finding money in a higher property tax millage rate, a tax referendum or asking municipalities within Hamilton County for funding.
A proposal to scrutinize the deputy superintendent position’s power yet lack of board oversight took two paths as some connected it to lack of trust in Dr. Robertson, while others saw it as a budget cut, whether wise or ill-conceived.
“I’m not the first school board member in the state to have this conversation this year,” said policy committee Chair Jodi Schaffer, who introduced the topic. “It is the most powerful position with no oversight from the board,” Ms. Schaffer said. “I have to take a step back… How do we remedy that?”
“At some point we’ve got to have the trust,” said Dr. Robertson, and others said he is the school board’s only “employee.”
“I have more respect and trust for (Dr. Sonia Stewart) in this position than anyone I’ve ever worked with,” Dr. Robertson said.
Board discussion turned to adding the deputy superintendent position plus five community superintendent positions to the cut list, and what life would be like for Dr. Robertson without these to help him communicate with 80 schools.
“Step on that anthill,” Ms. Jones challenged. She’s seen more than one superintendent leave over less, she said.
Though Dr. Robertson said he has cut $3 million and 7.5 percent of positions from Central Office for this budget already, board member Hadden advocated even greater cuts there to save student-facing positions. She said she is disappointed in existing cuts to exceptional education assistants, magnet school transportation and now at Washington Alternative Learning Center, whose student population is shrinking, Dr. Robertson said.
“This is not where we need to be making cuts,” Ms. Hadden said.
The board also adopted a resolution opposing state legislation that would allow school systems to refuse to allow undocumented students to attend school or charge them tuition. The resolution asks legislators to vote no on the bill. It has been approved in the state Senate.
School board member and resolution author Black said a petition won about 500 signatures.
“Thank you to the community members for showing up in support of this resolution,” she said.
“Children from all backgrounds can succeed when given the opportunities they deserve,” the resolution reads.
“Will we be a barrier to their future that they must overcome?” asked Ms. Black. “I honestly cannot believe we are having this conversation tonight,” she said.
School board member Larry Grohn said sponsor Senator Bo Watson’s “motivation” is to revisit the 1982 Plyler decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, but “don’t ask me to do it,” he said.
“Let this be fought out at the federal level,” Mr. Grohn said, and that he won’t “encourage fear” in schools.
Board member Gary Kuehn said the bill was uncharacteristic of Senator Watson.
“Just remember, he does look out for Hamilton County, Tennessee,” Mr. Kuehn said. “He might have missed the mark on this one.”