The Knox County Board of Education on Monday approved Superintendent
Jim McIntyre's school system budget for the upcoming fiscal year, making
one major change: Suggesting that the county foot the bill to pay for
up to $30 million to build a school for the Gibbs community.
Whether
that leads to a new facility remains to be seen, but it will definitely
create more discussion in the coming weeks by the county mayor's office
and Knox County Commission, which controls the purse strings. Already,
McIntyre's proposed budget needs another $5.5 million above and beyond
revenue projects to fully support it.
Now,
the school board wants the county, and not the school system - to issue
and pay for – debt to cover an 800-student capacity school that could
end up costing $60 million over the next 20 years.
Overall, the board
in a 7-2 vote signed off on a $441.5 million general purpose budget,
which is a 3.9 percent increase, or about a $16.5 million jump, from the
current school system spending plan. BOE members Amber Rountree and
Patti Bounds cast the dissenting votes.
In an 8-1 vote, the board
also approved McIntyre's proposed $19.15 million capital improvement
budget – and the additional $30 million for Gibbs – with Gloria
Deathridge casting the dissenting votes.
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