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Bradley County Schools present $95.9 million FY2026 budget with raises, bonuses and capital projects
Summary
Ellen Smith, finance director for Bradley County Schools, presented a proposed FY2025-26 budget totaling $95,908,064.12 that includes staff raises and bonuses, new positions, $2 million in capital outlay and planned uses of fund balance; the Bradley County Commission will consider the budget at its May 19 voting session.
Ellen Smith, finance director for Bradley County Schools, on May 12 presented the district's proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget to the Bradley County Commission work session. The slides provided a proposed total budget of $95,908,064.12 and listed the state funding portion as $75,573,177.53; the presentation is recorded as an attachment to the work session minutes.
The budget reflects an updated TISA base of $7,295 per student (a $220 increase), with an illustrative March TISA projection of $2,077,551 in additional state revenue before adjustments for county fiscal capacity and multisystem calculations. The presentation noted a small FY25 decline in average daily attendance (ADA) of 0.0058, a change the slides estimated reduced state funding by $251,282 and affected FY26 projections.
Personnel costs are the largest portion of the proposed spending. The slides show salaries and benefits make up roughly 80.5% of expenditures. Budget highlights include step raises estimated at $816,874 and a proposed 4% across‑the‑board raise costing about $2,906,909 (combined estimated cost of $3,723,783). The district also outlined use of state outcomes-based funds and a state teacher bonus program: slides cite a $2,000 state bonus (plus benefits) for eligible teachers, with an estimated 776 teachers qualifying based on preliminary data and a projected state bonus cost of approximately $1.79 million.
The presentation lists proposed new positions (including a dean of students for Oak Grove, two English‑as‑a‑second‑language teachers and special‑education staff) and capital/outlay items. Capital highlights on the slides include $2 million for building improvements and safety upgrades, a technology refresh (year 3) budgeted at $800,000, a new janitorial contract estimated at $2,265,408.27 and a district‑wide copier contract at $200,000.
As of the amended FY25 budget, the slides report an undesignated fund balance of $8,047,769 (about 6.81% of the amended budget) and a projected FY26 undesignated balance of $8,186,104 (7.08% of the projected budget). Planned uses of fund balance in FY26 listed on the slides include bonuses ($875,281), capital outlay and specific project needs such as Park View Elementary and playground relocations.
Smith framed the presentation as informational; no formal vote on the school budget occurred during the work session. The Bradley County Commission is scheduled to address voting items at its May 19 voting session, where the commission may take further action on the budget or related items.
