Budget committee sends revenue guidance to schools, cites maintenance-of-effort duty under state law

The Sumner County Budget Committee voted to send a revenue estimate and formal guidance to the Sumner County Board of Education, directing the school board and director of schools to prepare a budget aligned with the committee's revenue determinations and maintenance-of-effort (MOE) expectations under state law.

The committee's decision came after staff outlined the county's revenue picture and reviewed relevant Tennessee Code Annotated language that assigns the county legislative body the duty to make revenue estimates and the school board the duty to prepare a budget according to those estimates. "The director of schools and the chairman of the board of education shall prepare a budget according to the revenue estimates and revenue determinations made by the county legislative body," a committee staff member read aloud from the packet.

Why it matters: The action…