KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Leaders of Knox County Schools are figuring out their priorities for the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget. On Thursday, they met for a quarterly work session and discussed the budget's broad strokes, trying to get a sense of the big picture. No specific proposals were included during Thursday's meeting.
In the presentation, KCS said more than $660 million of its budget comes from taxpayer dollars. Because such a large portion of its budget comes from public funds, the school system said it wanted to approach budget drafts intentionally, with proposals aligned with specific priorities. It also said it wanted budget proposals to be transparent while keeping leaders accountable.
The meeting was part of a months-long process to draft a budget, leading up to the Board of Education and County Commission voting on a budget in May. During Thursday's meeting, leaders said their budget was "people-focused."
Funding from Tennessee comes from the "Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement" formula. The formula is relatively new and is based on the number of students in a school district, with additional funds offered for students with disabilities, students from low-income families, and other demographics.
KCS said before the 2024 fiscal year, the funding formula generated $7,951 regardless of any differences between them. After TISA was implemented, it said funding per student could range from $6,860 to nearly $10,000 depending on their needs.
The school district also said federal ESSER funds, made available through federal programs as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, were sunsetting too.
KCS said during the meeting on Thursday that it wanted to engage stakeholders as part of the process to draft a budget. Dave Gorman has taught in the school district for more than 20 years, and he said over the years he's seen several coworkers leave for higher pay in other areas.
"We're lower than other counties, and it doesn't have to be that way," he said.
He attended the meeting to ask for smaller classroom sizes, more support for special education programs and to ask for better pay.
"Folks understand the value of strong public schools, they want their kids to be in a good school," he said. "More counselors, more support services, TAs, guidance counselors, school counselors."
KCS also said it was in the process of studying how Knox County salaries compare to those in other areas. At the end of the study, it said leaders would make recommendations for the board to consider. Those recommendations are expected in February before a presentation in March.
As part of the survey, it collected 3,183 responses to a survey and conducted a focus group of 307 participants.
"We are proud of the teachers that choose to work with us," said Jennifer Hemmelgarn, KCS Assistant Superintendent.