The Hamilton County school board approved a $663 million revised budget Thursday after the county commission delayed its budget vote by a week due to a disagreement about the amount of funding provided to the school district.
The $663 million budget approved in an 8-0 vote Thursday night gives employees a $1,750 raise, funds increases based on years of service and brings the starting salary for teachers up to $50,000.
It incorporates the one-time spend of $5 million designed to bring minimum starting teacher pay up to $50,000 next year, which the Hamilton County Commission approved Wednesday. Those funds also include $550,000 for school nursing and other health care-related services.
"When we went this year with a $22 million ask, and they had told us five million, I see that as a win, as making progress," said Board Chair Joe Smith, R-Hixson.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Commission delays budget vote to July 3)
Board members also voted 7-1 to give all full-time school system employees a $1,750 flat raise, rather than a 3% raise. School board member Faye Robinson, R-Ooltewah, voted no. School board members Ben Connor, D-Chattanooga; Marco Perez, independent of Signal Mountain; and Rhonda Thurman, R-Hixson, were absent.
School board member Larry Grohn, R-East Ridge, advocated for the flat raise because he said it would help the district's lowest-paid employees more. For someone making $25,000, the flat raise is a 7% pay increase while with the percentage raise, that employee would get $750, he said.
"If we want to help the individuals that are mostly involved in the day-to-day interactions with students, we would go with Option B," he said.
Board members had to revisit the budget after members of the county commission said the $674 million funding request the board made June 20 would require a tax increase. That budget would have given all employees a $2,800 salary raise, ensured all teachers made at least $50,000, boosted compensation for classified employees like electricians and educational assistants, provided additional money to school staffing and funded pay step increases based on years of service.
(READ MORE: 'A very frustrating outcome': Mayor Weston Wamp blasts Hamilton County Schools budget)
During the budget process, county leaders have criticized the district for creating more than 500 new positions — including behavior specialists, counselors and social workers that educators say are necessary to ensure they can focus on teaching — with the windfall of additional funding it received last year, rather than prioritizing raises.
Almost 45% of the positions added last year are focused on student well-being and were created to address concerns around student behavior and mental health, said school board member Jill Black, D-Lookout Mountain.
"The investment that we made in the extra positions, it had a purpose," she said. "It was targeted. It had a reason, and I have actually been thanked by teachers who are in the classroom because they felt more supported by having more adults in the building. I just wanted to be very clear that even though we did add positions, it was a good investment for our students and for our staff."
The Hamilton County Commission will vote on the consolidated general government and schools budget Wednesday. The county's next fiscal year begins Monday.
Staff Writer David Floyd contributed to this report.
Contact Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.