My Comment

We are in budget season. Every department in the county is coming before various committees looking for approval for their 2025-26 budgets. The biggest piece is the school district, which accounts for approximately 74% of the total county budget. The total 2024-25 budget which ends on June 30th, is $853,207,687 and the school district portion is of $575,295,935 which is made up of three budgets: General operations, Cafeteria and Extended School. The school budget starts on page 66.

But that is not all. Part of the total budget is debt service on our bonds taken out to fund capital expenses. As of June 30, 2024, according the annual debt review, we had a total debt of $1,097,740,000 and the school district accounted for $640,765,000 which represented 58.4% of the total debt. The service on the total county debt was listed at $93,490,214, and $55,043,345 of that was for the schools (see page 63 of the 2024-25 budget). Add this to the $575,295,935, and you get a total cost for the schools of $630,339,280 which is 73.88%. of the total county budget.

To get a better visual for budget year 2024-25:

Total county budget = $853,207,687 School budget = $575,295,935 Total county debt service = $93,490,214, School portion of the debt service = $55,043,345 Total school cost = $630,339,280 Schools = 73.88%* of total budget

*To be clear, as mentioned above, the county budget lists the cafeteria budget $19,688,699 and the extended school budget $7,010,239 both of which are part of the $575,295,935 total. They are both self funded, so the county does not have to fund them. If you take them out, then the amount funded by the county is the school general budget $548,617,027 and debt service $55,043,345, that equals $603,660,372 which is 70.8% of the county budget. Regardless of how you look at it, the school district gets the lion's share of our money.

What is TISA and why does Williamson County get so little?

There is an issue with funding our schools that needs to be addressed and that has to do with the money we get from the state. Go here to see the full spread sheet but I have highlighted Williamson County for you below. The spreadsheet was created by Commissioner Paul Webb.

Notice that Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District are two of the highest in regard to local funding. We are at 64.73% local funding. For comparison, Rutherford County, which has a similar budget to ours, only spends 33.45% local but gets 55.05% from the state.

So what gives? Well, according to Article XI, Section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution declares that the state of Tennessee recognizes the inherent value of education and encourages its support. The constitution mandates that the General Assembly provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools. I am not a constitutional scholar, but it seems to me that the state is on the hook for public education.

There is a program from the state called Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) that distributes money to all the school districts across the state. They use a very complicated formula for distributing funds, like TCAP scores, economic disadvantage, size of county, etc. The part that affects Williamson County is fiscal capacity, which basically means that we really don't need state funds because we have all the resources we need to fund ourselves.

The base TISA payment per student is $7,295 which is what the majority of the school districts get. In our case, because of fiscal capacity, we only get $4,400 per student. Our current enrollment is 41,079 so we get $180,747,600. If we got the full $7,295, we would get $299,671,305.

The proposed school budget for 2025-26 has a funding gap of $12,085,001 plus three capital expense requests which are typically paid via debt: $14,135,800 for maintaining the infrastructure of equipment and buildings, $13,815,425 for security upgrades, and $12,153,000 for asphalt, roofs and HVAC. See resolutions here

If we got an additional $1,500 dollars per student from TISA, that would equate to $61,618,500 and we could pay for our gap and capital expenses without taking out more debt.

One last statistic. Currently, Williamson County schools represents 4.7% of the total state student enrollment, and yet we pay as if we were 6.4%. We are, in essence, subsidizing the rest of the state.

Upcoming events worth checking out.

Tiffany Boyd of Free Your Children will be speaking at a Turning Point USA event next Thursday. She has a wealth if information and you are bound to learn something about the issues surrounding school choice. Register here

There is a Mom's For Liberty event CSE101: Comprehensive Sexuality Education on May 7th. For more information, go here

This past week the following committees/commissions met:

Monday

• Williamson County Education Committee

Tuesday

• Williamson County Budget Committee

Thursday

• Williamson County Public Health Committee

AI Disclaimer:

The AI program I use is pretty accurate, but it does make mistakes from time to time and I don't always catch them. I provide agendas and videos/audios when I have them available and recommend that you watch the video and follow along with the summary to get the most accurate report.

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Williamson County School District

There were no meetings this week.

Next Week:

The Policy Committee will meet on Monday May 5th at 6:00 pm  in the Training Center on the 1st Floor at the Williamson County Administrative Building located on the first floor at 1320 West Main Street, Franklin. Agenda Audio click on audio at 6:00 pm Monday or anytime after that.

These are all public meetings and anyone can attend.

Williamson County Commission

Williamson County Commission committees

Monday April 28th

The Education Committee met to vote on a capital expenditures for the 2025-26 fiscal year. I recorded the meeting with my iPhone and, for some reason, I am unable to post the recording. Minutes Packet

AI Summary:

Action Items

• [ ] Participant 2 - Check with county administration about school security funding Double check with county administration whether security needs for Hillsboro and Grassland schools could be funded through the renovation budget rather than from a separate funding source, and report back if there would be any advantage to this approach.

Overview

• Committee approved $10,119,750 for coach reclassifications due to new state requirements
• Approved $4 million for letter grade bonuses with Senator Johnson working to mitigate costs
• Approved $2,080,927.52 for Central Cafeteria Fund to reduce excess fund balance per federal requirements
• Approved security technology funding request of $13,815,425
• Approved $12,112,163 for major asphalt and HVAC maintenance needs
• Approved $6,600,000 with first draw of $3,000,000 for Hillsborough K-8 renovation (built in 1981)
• Approved $7 million with first draw of $1 million for Grassland Middle School renovation (built in 1986)
• Operational budget remains unchanged with approximately $12 million gap

Intercategory adjustment for coach reclassifications

• Committee approved $10,119,750 for coach reclassifications for the 2024-25 budget year
• This is not a revenue or expense item but moving funds to appropriate category based on new state requirements
• Coaches are not included in the $2,000 state bonus for teachers

General Purpose School Fund amendment for letter grade bonuses

• Committee approved $4 million amendment to the 2024-25 General Purpose School Fund budget for letter grade bonuses
• Superintendent Golden noted the board had discussed this with their legislative delegation
• Superintendent Golden reported Senator Johnson committed to work on finding ways to mitigate these costs

Central Cafeteria Fund amendment for excess fund balance

• Committee approved $2,080,927.52 amendment to the 2024-25 Central Cafeteria Fund budget
• Superintendent Golden explained federal rules prohibit food service department from carrying more than three-month fund balance
• Superintendent Golden noted funds will be used for rehabilitation work

Security technology funding request

• Committee approved $13,815,425 for 2024-25 security technology needs
• Participant 2 explained this is part of their annual intensive funds for maintenance and safety from the five-year capital plan
• Participant 2 clarified this request covers access control for the next set of 15 schools
• Participant 3 questioned if security needs for Hillsboro and Grassland could be handled with their renovations
• Participant 2 agreed to check with county administration about potential funding advantages

Asphalt and HVAC funding request

• Committee approved $12,112,163 for 2024-25 major asphalt and HVAC needs
• Participant 2 explained these are annual HVAC and asphalt paving projects for maintenance
• Participant 2 noted they have about 50 campuses requiring annual maintenance

Hillsboro K-8 renovation funding

• Committee approved intent to fund up to $6,600,000 with first draw of $3,000,000 for Hillsboro K-8 renovation
• Participant 2 noted Hillsboro School was built in 1981 and is 44 years old
• Participant 2 explained renovation includes redoing the entrance for security and fundamental rehabilitation
• Participant 2 confirmed this is a two-year project

Grassland Middle School renovation funding

• Committee approved intent to fund up to $7 million with first draw of $1 million for Grassland Middle School renovation
• Participant 2 noted Grassland was built in 1986
• Participant 2 reported Grassland is currently at approximately 70% capacity with projected enrollment of 708 students
• Participant 2 explained the core of the building needs maintenance

Operational budget status review

• Participant 2 reported no changes since last meeting with approximately $12 million gap
• Participant 2 noted they're still waiting for state department of education information in May
• Participant 2 explained budget includes funding for teacher role based on experience scales and classified role increases every five years
• Participant 2 clarified there's no funding for pay for classified role increases commensurate with the county.

Tuesday April 29th

The Budget Committee met. video Packet

AI Summary

Action Items

• [ ] Participant 5 - Provide information on school legal cases Compile and provide information on the number of special education due process cases and other legal matters involving the school system for the current year.
• [ ] Participant 8 - Look for cost savings in capital projects budget Review the approved $14 million capital projects budget to identify potential cost savings opportunities, particularly for vehicle purchases and other equipment.
• [ ] Participant 5 - Provide school enrollment projections for capital projects Compile and provide data on student enrollment projections for each school where a capital project is being done to help evaluate if projects could be tied to growth for potential impact fee funding.
• [ ] Phoebe - Investigate using educational impact fees for capital costs Work with Diane and Mayor Anderson to determine if educational impact fees could legally be used toward school capital costs, particularly by connecting projects to growth at specific schools.

Overview

• Budget committee approved a vehicle transfer from Sheriff's department to public safety for use at Arrington Volunteer Fire department
• School system faces a $12 million budget gap after receiving $4 million in additional state funding
• School budget includes 34.6 position reductions due to 0.44% projected decrease in student population
• Committee approved cafeteria fund budget of $20,827,302 and extended school program fund budget of $8,077,174
• Committee approved capital projects budget of $14,135,800 for school maintenance and equipment
• Participants highlighted state funding formula inequities with Williamson County paying 64% of education costs locally while other counties pay significantly less

Vehicle transfer to public safety

• Participant 2 requested transfer of a utility vehicle from Sheriff's department to public safety department
• Vehicle will be used at the Arrington Volunteer Fire department
• Committee approved transfer with a 4-0 vote

Education budget gap and staffing reductions

• Participant 5 reported a $12 million budget gap, down from $16 million after receiving $4 million from the state
• School system projecting a 0.44% decrease in total student population
• Budget includes reduction of 34.6 positions based on detailed analysis of staffing needs
• Participant 5 explained they went through every school and position to ensure proper position control

Teacher pay increases and state bonuses

• County government proposed 4% raise for county employees
• School system needs additional $12 million funding to provide comparable raises for teachers
• State approved $2,000 bonuses for qualifying teachers employed during 2024-25 school year
• Bonus payments will come directly from state in 2025-26 fiscal year
• Approximately 3,404 teachers on preliminary list for bonuses, though many won't qualify
• Participant 4 clarified state will cover employer portion of taxes on bonuses (FICA, retirement)

State funding formula inequities

• Participant 5 explained Williamson County has 4.2-4.3% of total public school students in state but is treated as having more
• Participant 6 noted Williamson County pays 64% of education costs locally compared to 39% in Rutherford County
• Participant 1 highlighted disparity between state voucher funding ($7,295 per student) versus public school funding ($4,400 per student)
• Participant 7 expressed frustration that state formula doesn't account for cost of living differences

School fees terminology change

• Participant 5 explained school board voted to change terminology from "fees" to "donations" for classroom materials
• Current revenue from these voluntary contributions is approximately $1.2 million annually
• Change may allow parents to claim tax deductions for contributions
• School system will still request same contributions but with different terminology

Textbook and Chromebook purchases

• Elementary and middle school textbooks cost approximately $3.8-3.9 million
• High school textbooks still pending, with total textbook budget of $5 million
• Participant 7 questioned $6 million Chromebook purchase
• Participant 5 clarified this year's purchase is for grades 3-5 only
• School system not assigning Chromebooks to grades K-2
• Committee forming to study student screen time and usage policies

Capital projects budget

• Committee approved $14,135,800 for capital projects budget
• Budget includes maintenance projects, vehicles, and equipment
• Vehicle purchases include maintenance vehicles, box truck, and mini excavator
• Participant 5 noted original capital requests totaled $50 million before being reduced
• Additional $12,153,000 in five-year capital for asphalt, roofing, and HVAC in separate resolution
• Another $13,155,596 million for five-year capital for technology security in separate resolution

Cafeteria fund approval

• Committee approved cafeteria fund budget of $20,827,302
• Fund is self-funded and doesn't require tax revenue
• Approved with 4-0 vote

Extended school program fund approval

• Committee approved extended school program fund budget of $8,077,174
• Fund is self-funded and doesn't require tax revenue
• Approved with 4-0 vote

Thursday April 30th

Public Health Committee met minutes Opioid abatement resolutions I have no further information on this meeting.

Next Week

Monday May 5th

Williamson county budget committee agenda minutes 4/21 minutes 4/22 minutes 4/29 Joint Budget/Education minutes 3/24 meets on Monday at 4:30 pm in Williamson County Administrative Complex Executive Conference Room 1320 West Main Street Franklin and will be voting on the following:

Association of city mayors dues capital requests resolutions Tn county survey transfers school proposed budget sheriff's dept compensation study

As you can see, this meeting is loaded. If you can't make it, you can watch a replay by typing in Williamson County budget committee 5/5/25 in your browser on the 7th or there after.

Tuesday May 6th

Parks and Recreation minutes meets at 5:30 pm in Williamson County Administrative Complex Executive Conference Room 1320 West Main Street Franklin resolutions

Wednesday May 7th

The Highway Commission agenda meets at 8:30 am at the Williamson County Highway Facility 302 Beasley Drive, Franklin

Thursday May 8th

The Williamson County Planning Commission agenda/packet meets at  at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Auditorium of the Williamson County Administrative Complex 1320 W. Main, Franklin

Williamson County Commission Committees

These are all public meetings and anyone can attend.

Board of Mayor and Aldermen

For all the meetings this week and next week, go here

These are all public meetings and anyone can attend.

Election Commission

There were no meetings this week and none next week.

If not me, who?

If not now, when?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)

“We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer gently.” (1^st Corinthians 4:12-13)

Blessings,

Bill

pettyandassociates@gmail.com

Community resources

If you like Friday Recap, check out these other grassroots conservative projects!

• Williamson County Citizens Provides free tools and information to help grassroots conservatives exercise their citizenship here in Williamson County.
• TruthWire News covers a broad spectrum of political and governmental issues, from the actions of your local school board and county commissioners to the machinations of city councils and state government officials.
• Tennessee Voters for Election Integrity is helping restore confidence in Tennessee Elections.
• Williamson County Republican Party is one of the most active parties in the state and captures the conservative heart of Tennessee.
• Mom's For Liberty Williamson County is dedicated to fighting for the American family by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.
• Tennessee Stands produces video media, podcasts, and live events, and provides social commentary on relevant issues in our state.
• M4LU is a new site developed by the national Mom's for Liberty but generated right here in Williamson County. The mission of M4LU is to to inform, equip, and empower parents with knowledge, understanding and practical tools.
• WCSB Substack. This site reports on the Williamson County School Board meetings. It provides accurate summaries of all WCSB meetings.

Help educate citizens of Williamson County

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