The Hamilton County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution to accept a state-provided $2,000 payment for employees the state designated, administrators and board members said.

Board member Ben Connor described the resolution as the procedural step the district must take to accept the first tranche of state funds tied to recent state legislation. Connor told the board that administrators had spent months awaiting clarity about which positions qualified for the state payment and that, without a board resolution to accept the funds, the affected employees might not receive the money.

“If we don't accept this resolution, the first round of teachers wouldn't get that money,” Connor said during the meeting. The motion to accept the funds was moved and seconded and passed on a roll call with all members present voting yes.

What the resolution does and next steps

- The resolution authorizes the district to accept the state-designated $2,000 payments for the list of positions the state identified.
- Administration said the resolution does not itself alter the district’s operating budget beyond recognizing acceptance of the state funds; supplementary local dollars for additional employees (a separate board discussion) are not altered by this resolution.
- After the board vote, staff indicated they would follow the state’s process to distribute the payments to eligible employees.

Why it matters

Administratively, the vote is a routine acceptance of state funds but one with practical consequences: without the board’s formal acceptance, the district could not receive and disburse the identified payments. Several board members framed the vote as necessary to avoid denying eligible employees the payment because of procedural delay.