“Core Services” In Schools Funded With Non-recurring Money

Several times during a budget hearing Tuesday, Tennessee’s Education Commissioner came back to the point that one-time funds are paying for ongoing needs. The programs in question provide what he considers “core services.”

Commissioner Kevin Huffman says school health programs, contracts that pay teachers for after school work, and security officers at schools are some of the things paid for with money that the state can’t depend on getting every year.

“Those are ones I think that we hear from school districts about and they tend to reach out to us and say I really hope that these are going to be protected.”

They’re safe for this year. But Huffman didn’t suggest a solution. Just like the last couple of education budgets, the one he presented to the governor uses non-recurring funds to pay for those programs.

Overall, the 5-point-one billion dollar education budget proposal shaves off about 400 million from what is being spent this year. Some of the savings comes from cutting positions in the Department of Education. 106 full time and about 50 part time jobs would be trimmed. Most are positions that have been vacant for more than a year.