Smith County board forwards $38.1 million FY26 budget to county budget committee

The Smith County School Board voted to forward a $38,100,000 fiscal‑year 2026 budget to the county budget committee after lengthy discussion about spending levels and reserves. The board’s action sends the proposed budget to the county finance committee and, if approved there, to the county commission for final consideration.

Board members debated whether to submit the same total as last year or lower the proposal. One board member summarized the majority view as “we’ve not asked them to do that…18 years without asking for anything,” arguing against asking the county for additional funds and urging the board to keep the budget close to prior totals. Another member noted that putting a sum in the proposed budget “doesn’t mean we’re going to spend it” and said the board had previously cut roughly $2 million from the earlier proposal. The board also discussed the mechanics: the finance committee will review the submission and may either approve it or return it for revision.

The discussion included questions about timing of expenditures (several large items were identified as hitting in June) and whether to include percentage increases for staff. After an initial roll call resulted in a tie and no action, a subsequent roll call approved forwarding the $38.1 million figure to the county committee. The motion was recorded as passing and will next be reviewed by the county finance committee and then the county commission.

The board’s next formal step is the finance committee review; if the county committee or commission requests changes, the board may be asked to revise the proposal and return it for further consideration.