Hamilton City board authorizes staff to draft deficit-reduction plan after budget shortfall referenced

The Hamilton City Board of Education voted unanimously to authorize Superintendent Andrea Blevins and the district treasurer to develop a deficit-reduction plan for the 2026–27 school year.

The resolution, introduced by Superintendent Andrea Blevins, directs the superintendent and treasurer to prepare a plan to reduce spending and return to the board in January for review, potential revision and adoption. "The first item on the agenda that you'll see is the resolution to authorize Jeremy and myself to create a deficit reduction plan to reduce spending in the 2627 school year," Blevins said.

Board members described the work as difficult but necessary. One member referenced a figure of approximately $9,000,000 in potential cuts tied to the district’s budget pressures. "The one thing, today we're gonna have that resolution for the 9,000,000 plus in cuts," a board member said, and another cautioned that the resolution does not impose immediate reductions: "This resolution we're adopting today doesn't say that there's gonna be immediate cuts ... it means we are authorizing Missus Blevins and Mister Frazier to come up with a plan to present to the board in January, for us to review, tweak and adopt or not adopt," the member said.

The motion to authorize the plan was made, seconded and carried by roll call; each board member present voted "Yes." The board did not adopt specific cuts at the meeting; the vote merely authorized staff to draft options and bring them back for deliberation.

Next steps: Superintendent Blevins and the treasurer will draft the reduction plan and present it to the board at a January meeting for possible revision and formal action. The board scheduled its next meeting for Jan. 8, 2026.