Budget Watch Blog 4.26.19: Proposed 2020 Budget for Hamilton County Schools (With Full Budget PDF)

Last night Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson shared his proposed budget for 2020 with the public.

This proposal is very different from previous budgets - both in its transparency and in its priorities. It also includes more community input than ever before. There are additional resources (about $8 per student, per hour) included to address a number of specific issues--including student wellness, career readiness, and teacher compensation.  Also included is a strategic plan to improve student achievement with the goal of becoming the fastest improving school district in Tennessee. 

In other words, this budget proposal represents a historic commitment to the public school students of Hamilton County.

​Here are just a few of the highlights from the proposal:

• Hiring of additional full-time college and career counselors and social workers.
• Increasing the number of special education teachers and assistants to support inclusion for our schools.
• Providing all students with access to earn five early post-secondary credits towards a certification, diploma, or degree.
• Increasing teacher pay by 5%  - a level that is competitive with other districts in our region. 
• Establishing of an office of social emotional learning to address non-academic needs of students and create an intentional focus on this work in the same we approach teaching learning.
• Allocating additional resources for transportation to make school choices more accessible to families across the district.

We have attached the budget below so that you can take a look into the details for yourself.

The next Hamilton County School Board meeting will be a Budget Work Session on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at 5pm in the board room at HCDE. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the FY20 Budget and hear directly from members of the school board about the proposal.

​Please plan to attend if you can. Otherwise, stay tuned for updates from us!

HCDE 2020 Proposed Budget