Hickman County Board of Education officials told the board at its April meeting that the district expects to draw down reserves next year to meet a state-mandated $50,000 starting salary for certified teachers and to raise pay for support staff and substitutes.

District staff presented updated revenue and expenditure projections and asked the board to schedule a budget-only work session to nail down specifics before the board must submit a proposed budget to the county legislative body. The board set a budget work session for Wednesday, April 30, 5:30 p.m., at the board office.

Administrators said recent events and state policy increases have pushed projected expenditures higher. The district reported projected expenditures of about $34.2 million and projected revenues roughly $600,000 above previous estimates; the result is a planned use of about $1.5 million from reserves next year. Officials said that is an improvement from a previously modeled $2.5 million drawdown but still means the district will begin the next fiscal year with a lower fund balance.

The presentation explained some of the major drivers of increased cost: two consecutive 4.5% raises for certified teachers were modeled as the board’s preferred route to reach the $50,000 starting salary required by state law; the cost of those raises for certificated staff was estimated at about $1.2 million. Board materials and staff remarks said raising support employees via a flat-rate supplement would add roughly $235,000–$275,000 depending on the flat amount chosen, and boosting substitute pay (examples given: $90/day for uncertified substitutes and $125/day for certified substitutes) would add about $40,000.

Staff also flagged one-time capital and unexpected costs that affect next year’s budget, including $75,000 in storm-related roof and gym-floor repairs at Hickman County Middle School (see separate story). Administrators said the district is pursuing insurance recoveries and an appeal to the state education department for use of federal ESSER funds to cover some spring-break work that had prior approval.

Officials said they expect some additional revenue this year: a monthly Tennessee funding update (TISA) indicated nearly $970,000 in additional state funding in the latest report, though that number is fluid. Board members and staff urged the county legislative body to maintain current property-tax funding for schools (cited as 58¢ of property tax in the presentation) and said local sales tax growth as businesses open could help stabilize revenues.

The superintendent and finance staff said they will return to the board at the April 30 work session with a more detailed plan, including definitive cost figures for proposed raises and the effect on the district’s fund balance. They also said they will discuss whether to accept or decline a state “one-time $2,000 bonus” tied to a separate state program (the Education Freedom Act) and the implications for equity among employees if the board were to endorse a state resolution to secure that payment for full-time classroom teachers only.

Board members asked that the staff also present options that would include all district employees where possible and to quantify the total cost if the district were to extend an equivalent bonus to every employee; staff said early estimates for an all-staff bonus were in the “several hundred thousand dollars” range and that they would present more precise numbers at the April work session.

Ending: The board scheduled the budget work session for April 30 at 5:30 p.m. and asked staff to return with refined projections and explicit options for teacher raises, support-staff supplements, and substitute pay. The materials presented at the meeting and followup documents will be used to prepare the May budget presentation to the county legislative body.