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Board member urges Hamilton County Schools to disclose school-level TISA bonus allocations
Summary
At the board meeting, a member asked administration for a school‑by‑school breakdown showing what each school 'earns' under TISA, how much of outcomes (bonus) funding is retained at the school level and how much is used for districtwide overhead; administration agreed to prepare a consolidated report.
During board matters, member Jody Schaefer urged the district to give the board — and the public — a school‑by‑school accounting of how TISA (Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement) dollars flow: base funding, strategic allocations and outcomes (bonus) funds earned through performance.
Schaefer said the request was about transparency and incentive alignment. She described the request succinctly: "Give us and I've asked Dr. Robertson this already today. Give us a list of every school. What is the breakdown? What are they earning in their base? What are they earning dollar for dollar in their bonus? and then tell us how much that they earn is actually being kept at the local school level." She cited the budget handout showing roughly $4.3 million in outcomes funding earned districtwide versus $3 million the district budgeted, and asked for a reconciliation.
Superintendent Dr. Robertson and finance staff responded that the district budgets conservatively for outcomes dollars and that some district services (transportation, custodial, programmatic supports) are funded centrally rather than sent dollar‑for‑dollar to individual schools. Robertson said the district had explained the approach in budget materials and that the staffing model shows what portions are managed centrally versus at school sites.
Finance staff (Shannon and others) agreed the detailed data exist in multiple reports and that pulling the figures into a consolidated, school‑by‑school spreadsheet will require staff time but is feasible. Board members and administration discussed the option of a December 'true‑up' if outcomes exceed the conservative budget allocation.
Action and next steps: administration agreed to prepare a consolidated report showing, by school, the base TISA allocations, strategic allocations, outcomes (bonus) earned, and the amounts retained at school level versus used for districtwide obligations. Staff committed to provide a time frame for delivery and indicated they would aim to have the report available prior to the next board meeting.
