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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Knox County Schools (KCS) seeks to increase their annual operating budget by almost $20 million, bringing spending up to $12,083 per student in fiscal year 2026.
With a total budget proposal of $700.5 million, a 3.1 percent overall increase from 2025, most of the increase, $19.7 million, is earmarked for salaries and benefits for staff. Almost 85 percent of the budget goes to paying staff, which includes payroll taxes, salaries, wages and employee benefits.
This is the second year that salary increases are accounted for in the budget, bringing the county closer to compliance with state law which requires that teachers are paid at least $50 thousand a year.
In order to account for these teacher raises, the district was forced to eliminate 23.5 positions in the district’s office. The Night Alternative Program, a program providing classroom instruction for KCS students serving long-term suspensions, has also been cut and will be replaced by virtual lessons.
While the budget is increasing, the student population in Knox County is predicted to decrease by approximately 500, bringing the estimated total of school students to 57,972.
The budget increase is larger than the 2.8 percent increase of fiscal year 2025, but much less than in recent years. In 2022, the budget increased by 6.7 percent, and continued to rise the following year to 9.1 percent, and the year after to 11.7 percent.
KCS says that reading proficiency for students in 3rd through 5th grade has risen over the last three years by 9 percent, with math scores increasing 6 percent over the same timeframe. The district’s graduation rates have also improved, going from 89.7 percent three years ago, to 93 percent.
KCS Board of Education will vote on the budget at their upcoming meeting on April 29th, 2025. The County Commission will then vote on it either in May or June.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
