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Ottawa Citizen
28-05-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
OCDSB 'almost didn't make payroll' as it struggles with budget deficits
Article content The chief financial officer at Ottawa's largest school board has warned trustees that its financial situation is so dire, the board almost didn't make payroll. Article content 'We're overspending over $14 million on special education, and we have a lot of programs where we're overspending,' Randy Gerrior warned trustees at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board on May 27. Article content Article content Trustees have suggested cutting more from administration, and the board has been doing that, said Gerrior. Article content Article content While he didn't provide details, Gerrior's comments came as trustees debated a motion from Trustee Donna Blackburn to rescind a 2016 motion to continue the 17-day Summer Learning Program (SLP) for about 200 students with developmental delays 'until such a time as a community partner can be found' to provide the program at no cost to parents or guardians. Such a partner has not come forward. The program costs $610,000 to run, with money coming from other programs offered during the rest of the school year, said Kate Stoudt, the superintendent who oversees special education. Article content Blackburn said she didn't want to bring the motion forward, but it's not sustainable to run some programs. Article content Article content 'I don't know about what conversations my colleagues have with their constituents, but it breaks my heart every time I have to tell a parent, 'I'm very sorry your child can't go to school all day, every day,' which is their right from September to June, because we simply don't have enough supports,' said Blackburn. 'If we keep running this program, those conversations will continue to happen.' Article content Article content Some trustees defended the SLP, arguing that it is a crucial support for vulnerable students. Article content 'If it were the will of the board, I would suggest that we could, as a group, pen a letter to the Minister of Education asserting that this is something that should be funded, just as we provide summer school funding for other students.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$1B for roads, $579M for schools and no tax breaks: What's in Lee's $58.4B budget pitch
With $1 billion in one-time funding for roads, funding for 100 more state troopers, and no tax breaks, it's a no-nonsense year for the state budget. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's budget proposal, unveiled Monday, totals $58.4 billion, a decrease from last year's $60.5 billion spending bill, which the legislature approved above his initial $52.6 billion proposal. Lee's budget priorities include $1 billion in new road funding, $72.6 million toward nuclear energy initiatives, $124.5 million in conservation efforts around the Duck River, $45 million for agriculture development initiatives, and new funding for commercial and general aviation. Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson said Monday the governor's budget "recognizes slow revenue growth," as state tax revenues have flattened since 2023. Accordingly, Lee's plan seeks to stabilize the state's finances, focusing on basics like infrastructure, education, and public safety. Despite a no-frills budget proposal, Lee pitched his annual state budget to state lawmakers on Monday evening, framing it as his vision to make Tennessee the 'nation's capital of innovation.' 'Somebody is going to determine what the future looks like. That should be Tennessee,' Lee said in excerpts released of his annual State of the State address. 'Just like a business innovates to better serve their customer, or as science innovates to save lives, or as an athlete innovates to change the game, this is a time for us to innovate to create a brighter future for Tennesseans.' Here's more on what's in Lee's poposal. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has identified more than $30 billion in outstanding road funding needs. Following a $3 billion investment made in 2023, which funded 47 of the state's 93 road projects, Lee this year is proposing another $1 billion in one-time funding to fund new projects and expedite existing ones. Lee is also behind a bill seeking to redirect taxes from tire sales ― a projected $80 million annually ― from the state's general fund to the road fund, creating a new dedicated funding stream for roads. Bryson said he expects the legislation to pass this year. Lee's budget proposes a $244 million funding increase for the state's K-12 funding structure, known as the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement. That includes $80 million in funding rolled from last year, and $164 million in new TISA spending. The TISA formula includes scheduled pay raises for public school teachers. Also included in Lee's education budget are: $27.3M Summer Learning Program $25M Fast Growth Fund $5M Facilities fund $198.4M in teacher bonuses approved during special session $62.7M in facilities funding from sports wagering approved during special session $17M for Grade A School Grants After coming close to victory last year, Lee is trying again with his proposal to establish a $25 million state Farmland Conservation Fund to help farmers recoup income lost from choosing not to sell their farmland. He's also proposing $15 million in new spending for the state's Agriculture Enterprise Fund, and $5 million new money for the Agriculture Enhancement Fund – which assists farmers starting or expanding new agricultural, food, and forestry businesses, and develop new income streams. More: Tennessee farmers continue struggling to keep land intact: 'Can we keep doing this?' While in past years, Lee has backed temporary grocery sales tax holidays – and the Republican-majority legislature has approved them – there's no funding in Lee's proposal for such a plan this year. 'There are no tax breaks in this plan,' Bryson confirmed to reporters ahead of governor's speech. Republicans and Democrats in the legislature have each proposed a plan to eliminate the state's 4% sales tax on groceries this year, but there's no funding included in the budget for the measure. 'It's a General Assembly issue right now, and the General Assembly is responsible for passing a budget,' Bryson said. Lee's budget includes $34.3 million in new funding for commercial airports, and $1 million in new state funding to compliment federal spending that supports the 77 general aviation airports in Tennessee. He's also proposing $3.5 million in one-time funding to establish direct international flights at Tennessee airports. Lee has cast a vision for Tennessee to lead the nation on nuclear energy initiatives. On Monday, Lee declared that the nation is "staring down the barrel of an energy crisis with an electrical grid that is on the fragile verge of being completely overwhelmed." In 2023, Tennessee established a Nuclear Energy Advisory Council and funded a $50 million Nuclear Energy Fund to support 'nuclear power-related businesses and education/training programs across Tennessee.' Of that $50 million, the state has approved $13.5 million in actual grants, primarily to state universities. 'Tennessee's ambition to lead in nuclear innovation is much bigger than just competing with other states,' Lee said. 'This is about securing the future of America.' This year, Lee is proposing a $50 million state grant to the Tennessee Valley Authority to support building a small modular reactor. He's also proposing $10 million in grants for nuclear industry initiatives, and $10 million in funding for vocational education programs to develop a nuclear energy workforce. Lee is also proposing $2.6 million to hire state staff to establish a state regulatory framework for nuclear fusion. Lee's budget includes a $24.5 million effort to develop a comprehensive water resource management plan for the Duck River region, including conservation, water use, and habitat preservation efforts. It also includes another $100 million for regionalization projects around the Duck River. Since 2022, Lee has proposed increasing the number of state troopers in Tennessee by about 45%, adding 372 new state trooper positions over the last five years. This year, he's proposing another 100 new positions, bringing the state trooper population to 1,044, costing $37.9 million. He's also proposing $3.5 million to fund 22 new positions at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, adding to the 235 new spots added in the last seven years. Lee's budget includes $3 million to support a pilot program to test for traces of illegal drugs in wastewater from colleges, high schools and areas of high concern in an effort to prevent overdose deaths. The wastewater testing program would need authorization from the legislature. Funding would come from the state's opioid settlement fund. Another $5 million is included to add alternative schools to the Department of Safety's existing school resource officer grant program. Lee's budget includes one-time funding for several state building projects, including renovations of the old State Library and Archives building, and upgrades to the Department of Children's Services' Woodland Hills and Wilder Secure Facilities. $81.1M for DCS Woodland Hills and Wilder Secure Facilities $275M Tennessee Emergency Management Agency new EOC and Administration building $139.5M for renovations at the Old Library and Archives / Supreme Court $53.4M for ETSU Brown Hall Renovation $119M for MTSU Murphy Center Renovation $20M for TCAT Memphis Aviation Campus Replacement $45M for TCAT Sumner County Replacement $27.2M for Tennessee Tech Engineering Building cost overrun $75M for research modernization at the University of Memphis $199M for chemistry building at UT Knoxville $61.2M for College of Business and Global Affairs at UT Martin $196.9M for maintenance projects at existing buildings Under Lee's watch, the state's rainy day fund has doubled since the Haslam administration. This year, Lee is proposing to add another $35 million, ballooning the total from $875 million to $2.186 billion during his time in office. It's unclear what exactly could constitute a need dire enough for the state to use this reserve. Despite tornadoes, floods, the Nashville bombing and the COVID-19 pandemic, state leaders have resisted using any of the funds since Lee took office. While President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to eliminate the federal Department of Education, there are no large-scale financial contingencies for replacing federal funding for education programs – or federal programs of any type – should they be eliminated by the new Trump administration. Bryson said state officials are 'in contact with the Trump administration every day,' and expects to be able to respond quickly should the need arise. 'We expect some of the federal funding to decrease, and we've built that into the budget,' Bryson said. Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposes $58.4B state budget
