Hamilton County Department of Education’s longstanding budget woes came to a head this week when Chief Financial Officer, Tommy Kranz, proposed, among a host of sweeping changes, closing two middle schools, cutting 105 instructional positions and 25 assistant principals in order to close the $20 million budget gap. Administrators will likely begin axing non-tenured teachers followed by theater, music and art positions. In other words, if you are one of two art teachers at a small school, and you are not tenured… well, you do the math (hint: Georgia’s right down the road). Fact is, these are real concerns for real people, and the Department’s recommendations are “only a band aid” for what is a chronic problem for HCDE’s budget balancers. And if cutting approximately 105 teachers is only a “band aid,” what sort of long-term changes should we expect?
State funding promises to be of little help. 2008 BEP (Basic Education Program) funding is a complex formula based, in part, on student/teacher ratios and a school district’s tax base, not its actual tax revenues. As county sales tax revenues fall, state funding does not compensate, causing further budget loss for the school system. Whether cutting over 100 teachers will help kick some state funds our way remains to be seen. With Hamilton County’s strong tax base coupled with statewide weakening tax revenue and increased operational costs, it is likely that HCDE will face even larger budget problems in the foreseeable future. Hence Mr. Kranz’s term “band aid.” Perhaps the bigger problem with calling these changes a “band aid” is Kranz’s proposal to close two middle schools. The two schools recommended for closing are Howard Middle and 21st Century Academy, a magnet school whose 500 students will next year attend the schools within their zones (among those schools are Howard, Dalewood and Orchard Knob). The 250 Howard students will be moved to Dalewood, Orchard Knob or East Lake, schools that will also absorb some of the 21st Century students. Superintendent Dr. Scales suggests this move will be beneficial for Howard students and parents, as “Many of those students will be closer to the school than they are now, attending Howard.” Nobody may want to ask it, but the real question is what school officials will do to prepare Dalewood Middle, East Lake Middle and Orchard Knob for an influx of 100 + adolescents a piece. Each school currently has a decent teacher/student ratio. However many of the 21st Century students in addition to the Howard students, divvied up accordingly, will likely raise that ratio by 3 or more students per teacher at those schools—a worrisome number if you are trying to decrease class size in struggling schools. Any personnel cuts in those schools will only worsen the ratio. Pupil/teacher ratio, as stated in an HCDE letter to Howard Middle School parents this year, is one of the strategies to raise student achievement that the Title 1 school has worked very hard to achieve. Regardless, HCDE is proposing that the band aid budget fix is to shuffle Howard Middle and 21st Century students into unfamiliar buildings, with new classmates, new teachers, and an unfamiliar school culture. Perhaps students could care less, but chances are, they won’t act like it, and school officials shouldn’t count on it.
Aaron Collier
terran on Feb. 20, 2009
so sad that arts is the first thing to go in a city that is trying to encourage the arts.
David Morton on Feb. 20, 2009
Great article, AC. Both the Times editorial and you allude to some funding disparities in regards to BEP. I'm curious as to how smaller school systems (presumably with a lower tax base) sometimes receive more state funding per student and/or classroom? Any light you could shed would be appreciated.
mwillingham on Feb. 20, 2009
Hey Terran, what would rather them cut math first?
terran on Feb. 20, 2009
I hated math, so that might be the wrong question- but, with initiatives in place to move artists of all types to Chattanooga, why would we discourage raising our own?
Somebody call Save the Music!
AC on Feb. 21, 2009
To address David’s question, a loaded one at that, I should say that it would be best for someone who really understands BEP funding to weigh in. The problem with that, I assume, is that there are not many people who enjoy tackling what has been a very flawed and inequitable system. I would love for someone to prove me wrong.
My understanding is perhaps too superficial, but I believe that the logic behind BEP funding is to distribute state funds on the basis of how much money local governments are able to raise on their own. Considering our tax base, the BEP system assumes Hamilton County can raise funds without the help of state government. Whether or not it can is a subject for our politicians to tackle.
That said, Hamilton County is one of the largest districts in Tennessee, it has areas of economic growth, but it is too economically diverse for the BEP system to fund fairly—that is with its variety of rural, suburban and urban communities. In other words, all because we have economic growth in some areas, does not mean we should raise taxes in other areas—like 20 miles away.
However, Governor Bredeson has made a priority of fixing the BEP system, but reform was supposed to be gradual. Hamilton County is supposed to receive more funding from the state, but the recession has, if I am not mistaken, jeopardized that possibility. Perhaps stimulus funding will help, but it might not because I think stimulus funds are aimed at buildings and operational costs—HCDE’s budget draws on local funding for most of those projects.
All of this is to say, I don’t know if BEP is the problem with our $20 million budget crisis.
Robert T. Nash on Feb. 24, 2009
CLOSED CIRCUIT TRANSMISSION TO AARON COLLIER:
DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!!!
RTN/XXX/OOO/666/365
AC on Feb. 24, 2009
RTN, I do not plan to quit any job any time soon. Meanwhile, any thoughts on what caused this mess, or whether school consolidations will help fix the problem or cause more problems later?