Williamson Schools Go 'Lean' With Budget

FRANKLIN, TN -- The Williamson County Board of Education approved the district's 2018-19 budget Monday, urging the county commission to fully fund the "exceedingly lean" spending plan.

District officials told the school board all new funding requests except those needed for classroom instruction were denied and only the most critical new teaching jobs were added.

"We felt like we needed to cut the budget, and we cut it again just so we could say, 'This is as tight as we could get it,'" district chief financial officer Lisa Holman said, according to The Tennessean.

Still, there is a $10 million gap that will need to be filled. A sales tax approved in a February referendum goes into effect April 1, but that money is earmarked for capital needs. County officials hoped that the sales tax increase would stave off a property tax increase as the school district faces skyrocketing enrollment.

The county commission will review the school budget proposal next month.

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