By Gary Nelson / gnelson@crossville-chronicle.com
August 12, 2008 11:04 pm
—
Schools will remain closed in Cumberland County in spite of a lengthy meeting between the Cumberland County Board of Education and the county’s budget committee Tuesday evening.
After meeting with the Cumberland County Director of Schools, Aarona VanWinkle, for more than three hours in a standing-room-only capacity crowd at the courthouse, the Cumberland County Budget Committee adjourned its meeting without taking any action after hours of negotiating. The lack of action caused much frustration among the crowd.
“Please give me a dollar figure to go back to the Board of Education with. I have to get these kids back in school,” VanWinkle said.
Several property tax increase scenarios were discussed and offered, however none of them passed the committee and were strong enough to offer the BOE the confidence to open schools for the 2008-’09 school year.
In order to cover the $5 million shortfall the BOE maintains it has, the county commission determined it would take approximately a 38-cent property tax-increase. The BOE has offered to put $2 million of its fund balance into the budget leaving a $3 million shortfall that would require a 25-cent property tax increase.
Motions were made to raise the property tax rate by 18-cents, 12-cents and 25-cents and all of them failed.
For a complete story from the meeting please see Friday’s Crossville Chronicle.
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