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." Zimmerman and two other speakers urged the board to raise teacher pay to retain and recruit staff.

Board members spent more than an hour debating how to close the gap. "I don't like a deficit budget. I think it's bad accounting," said Mr. Moore, a board member, as he urged colleagues to back the amended revenue plan that avoids a deficit on paper. Several other members, including Mr. Plagman and Ms. Scholl, said they were uncomfortable voting on numbers they had first seen only days earlier.

District finance staff (identified in the meeting as "Doug") told the board that earlier versions of the budget projected revenue near $148.3 million against initial spending proposals near $160'million, producing a shortfall that staff and the board reduced through cuts and by selecting a pay-scale option. Staff said the amended revenue line would leave the budget within state compliance rules tied to fund balance and the 3% test cited by staff.

Board members also voted on multiple related appropriations and budget amendments during the meeting: - The board approved a previously tabled "143" proposed budget after adopting the property-tax amendment. - The board approved the "141" operating budget as amended, which included a $3,800 across-the-board pay increase plus step increases in the pay scale in the column labeled "superintendent request with cuts." Speakers said that version set the total budget at roughly $160,935,331. - A capital refunding for the Battle Creek project and a budget amendment to allocate $700,000 for the North Columbia Elementary design fee passed. Board members debated the North Columbia allocation, with some saying the design work may be premature until the commission approves the project. - Late-arriving state summer-learning funds were added to the budget so materials and transportation could be provided for programs beginning June 1; the board approved those amendments. - A proposed resolution to allow the Tennessee Department of Education to approve certain federal ("142/ ePlan") budget amendments without board approval was discussed and deferred for further review.

Board members and staff repeatedly said the county commission's revenue allocation and the timeline established in the district's private act shaped the options available. "We're past the original deadline of May 1," finance staff told the board, and several members said the commission has provided a fixed funding number in recent years, limiting the board's flexibility.

Several board members urged the county commission to consider additional local funding going forward. "This is not a ridiculous ask," Mr. Carter said, urging county officials to consider shifting revenue shares that have lagged behind rising costs.

The board concluded the meeting with the amended budgets to take to the county commission for its review. Board members and staff said they remain available to answer follow-up questions and may reconvene for additional work sessions if the commission returns the budgets for revision.

The board also recognized district staff and students earlier in the meeting and heard public delegations from teachers on compensation and cost-of-living concerns.