Maury County board adopts amended budget after heated debate over teacher pay and revenue

At its May meeting, the Maury County Board of Education approved revised fiscal-year budgets after a contentious debate over teacher pay, revenue assumptions and a remaining shortfall.

The board voted to amend its proposed budget by increasing the property-tax revenue line by $4,642,795 and reducing the sales-tax revenue line by the same amount — a change board members said would balance the spending plan without increasing the county's maintenance-of-effort figure. The amendment passed before the board approved the budget measures the board had been debating.

The change was proposed as a way to avoid presenting a deficit budget to the county commission after staff and board members said earlier versions showed a gap as large as roughly $16 million. Finance staff and board members described a stepped series of revisions that reduced that gap to about $4.64 million before the amendment.

"We're asking for dignity," said Leanne Zimmerman, a district teacher who spoke during public delegations. "We are not asking for luxury. We're asking for dignity."…