County School Board Chairman Joe Smith on Friday hit a plan by County Commission Chairman Jeff Eversole to hold a special hearing on the schools budget.
The schools earlier had held a number of meetings prior to turning over a balanced budget to the County Commission.
Chairman Eversole has set two budget hearings, including one on the schools budget.
The hearing for the schools budget is set for Wednesday, June 11.
Chairman Smith said, "To be clear I speak here for Joe Smith only, and my views may or may not reflect the opinion of any other board member.
Chairman Jeff Eversole’s decision to unilaterally schedule a so-called 'budget hearing' for Hamilton County Schools — without consulting the superintendent, the school board, or a single member of the team that actually developed the budget — isn’t just unnecessary, it’s disrespectful to the process and to the professionals who’ve done the hard work.
The County Commission does not determine how education dollars are spent within the school system. That authority belongs to the school board and the superintendent, and we’ve spent the past three months doing our jobs transparently, in open meetings, walking through every detail of this budget with the public. In my time on the Board, (nine years) this has been the most open and transparent budget process we’ve ever had.
The budget we adopted, which several commissioners (to include Chairman Eversole) praised just two weeks ago, protects classrooms, prioritizes students and includes real cuts to central office staffing and administrative overhead. It reflects tough but responsible choices.
And while we’ve held the line, the school system is receiving no increase in local funding this year. That means, under state law, the County Commission is obligated to meet what’s called 'maintenance of effort' — funding schools at least at last year’s level. That’s not a debate. It’s a legal requirement.
At a time when revenue growth is slow and many departments are being asked to tighten their budgets, the County Commission’s own discretionary budget is set to increase by more than 33 percent. That’s not just a budgetary choice — it’s a clear case of 'rules for thee, not for me.' And more importantly, it’s a reflection of priorities. All of this comes after Commissioner Eversole publicly shamed the school board a few weeks ago claiming the school board was gas lighting the public to complain to the county commission related to the lack of school funding.
I’m always ready for honest, constructive conversations about public education funding. But this last-minute performance, planned without input from anyone who actually knows the numbers, isn’t that. For that reason, I will be recommending that Dr. Robertson not attend. Again I am but one of 11.
I remain committed to transparency, responsible budgeting and doing what’s right for the students and families of Hamilton County. I believe my friends who are also county commissioners and the school's funding body want exactly the same thing. Chairman Eversole's treatment of the school board just does not reflect that."
School board member Steve Slater said, "I stand behind School Board Chairman Joe Smith in his response to the so-called budget hearing regarding the school system’s budget. As you all know, we as a board engaged in three months of intense dialogue, rigorous budget meetings, and community discussions—ultimately passing a balanced budget. This was not achieved on the first or second version, but on the third, which I view as a testament to our commitment not only to fiscal responsibility, but also to crafting a budget that best serves our community. We did all of this with openness and transparency.
"For the County Commission Chairman to call a meeting in response to our budget is a slap in the face, considering that we—as the School Board—are tasked with creating a budget that serves the best interests of the school system as a whole. To question that process is disingenuous.
"The bottom line is this: we passed a balanced budget without seeking a tax increase and made the necessary central office cuts to get us there."