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Hamilton County unveils FY27 draft budget with $14M for pay raises, strategic reallocations total $12M
Summary
Hamilton County Schools presented a version-one FY27 budget that holds base student-teacher ratios steady, proposes a $14 million compensation pool and flags about $9 million in school-level and $3 million in central-office reallocations; staff said a version two and ROI materials will follow before a May vote.
Mary Ellen, presenting the district’s version-one FY27 budget, told the board the district is projecting modest revenue growth and is managing cost pressures in health care, transportation and maintenance. She said staff had identified roughly $16 million available for investment in the draft: $14 million proposed for compensation and $2 million for other priorities.
On compensation, Mary Ellen described the $14 million as a pooled figure placed in the salary-and-wages line pending distribution and estimated it would translate to an average 3.5% increase for certified employees and roughly 2.25% for general employees. She said the district’s decision-making approach aimed to “make the $14 million have the biggest impact for the most people.”
Staff explained revenue sensitivity is driven in part by enrollment and by TISA-related state wage pressures. The presentation used a working figure of a roughly 1,500-student projection shortfall and attributed a revenue impact of about $5.5 million to that gap. Mary Ellen said the district staffed on projections and that enrollment-driven staffing adjustments are reflected in school-by-school staffing models.
On reallocations, staff outlined roughly $9 million in reductions at the school-staffing level and about $3 million in central-office reductions; the proposal increases strategic flexibility for principals while protecting base student-teacher ratios in the model. Mary Ellen told trustees the district did not change base student-teacher ratios in the budget and that the K–3 state maximum is 1:25 while the district staffs toward an average of 1:20. She noted the 20th school day is the checkpoint for adjustments when specific classrooms exceed the state cap.
The board asked for more comparative and outcome data. Mrs. Black requested a before-and-after ROI snapshot showing how prior staffing investments affected achievement and growth metrics; Mary Ellen and Dr. Robertson agreed to provide metrics tied to the district’s strategic plan. Trustees also asked staff to identify which schools flexed positions when roles were moved out of the base.
Mary Ellen said staff will produce a version two budget with an updated org chart and additional memos and that the administration expects to present a final budget for board vote in May. The board did not vote on the draft at this meeting.
