The Hamilton County School Board voted Thursday to postpone the budget vote to its June 20 meeting.
Instead, the board will present an early budget outlined in April to the County Commission this Wednesday.
“I just feel like there’s still just a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of discussion that needs to be had,” said Chairman Joe Smith.
Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson said presenting an approved budget to the County Commission would work against a spirit of collaboration.
“I think that just puts, kind of right off the bat, us in a tough place with the County Commission,” Dr. Robertson told the board.
Dr. Robertson and board member Marco Perez said that lots of back-and-forth will fend off a repeat of last year’s surprise cut of $6 million for maintenance. The County Commission had promised to issue a bond with the money and turn it into $60 million for deferred maintenance and school facilities.
Dr. Robertson said that bond should be issued in June or July.
After the school board proposes the first-draft budget Wednesday, committee meetings will be held on both sides and Mayor Weston Wamp will present his budget proposal to the County Commission May 20. All parties will consider all the information and angles before the school board votes on its budget June 20, and the County Commission votes on its budget June 26.
Mr. Perez warned that any number assigned to maintenance would be snatched up by the County Commission this year, too.
“I would be afraid that we would lose that money in our negotiations,” Mr. Perez said.
Board members Jill Black and Ben Connor pushed for a schools budget vote May 9.
“I think it’s important that everyone know where our priorities are,” Ms. Black said. “If (the County Commission) want it to be collaborative and they want us to come to their committee meetings, then they can’t tell us we can’t talk when we show up.”
“That’s not collaboration. That’s not a conversation,” she said.
Mr. Connor said he had attended a County Commission education committee meeting ready for discussion.
“I was asked not to talk. I got scolded,” he said.
But Mr. Perez said though it feels slow and restrictive, a succession of committee meetings at the school board and the County Commission will hammer out a more synergetic budget without big surprises.
“El que paga la fiesta escoge la musica,” Mr. Perez said in Spanish. “The one who pays for the party chooses the music.”
“If I don’t like what they come back with, I’m still going to push them, either way,” he said.
Dr. Robertson had asked the County Commission in April to increase the school district’s piece of the property tax pie from 43 percent to 49 percent, or by about $31 million, but was met with resistance. County officials told him schools are already getting a new $130 million for school buildings, on top of the pending bond, plus $96 million a year from a new state school formula.
That $31 million is very close to the $32 million listed in the proposed school budget for salary increases.
For the budget vote June 20, board members will choose between flat and percentage raises for classified and certified employees. The $2,800 or 5 percent raises add up to $20 million. Another $12 million will provide $50,000 base salaries for teachers, step increases, a district-wide salary study and staffing model strategies for schools.
Board member Gary Kuehn said the maintenance budget is his second priority, behind teacher salaries. He suggested moving a few million from the fund balance, which has $50.6 million in unassigned equity.
“That is a reasonable request,” Dr. Robertson said.
The fund balance is about one month’s operating expenses, a huge safety net. Attorney Scott Bennett said best practice requires 3 percent of the operating budget, or $18 million.
Mr. Kuehn and board member Karitsa Jones said schools in their districts were without air conditioning during 80-degree temperatures in April.
“We’ve got to get more money in there,” Mr. Kuehn said. “It handcuffs our maintenance department.”
Mr. Kuehn said he will not vote to approve the budget if it leaves only $2 million for maintenance.