May 18, 2013
A Local 8 Weather Alert has been issued for today. Because of the threat of rain, thunder and even hail, outdoor activities may be disrupted or inconvenienced. What's going on? An upper-level low will be moving across East Tennessee today, creating a more unstable atmosphere.
Nashville (WVLT) - Governor Phil Bredesen's proposed cigarette tax increase is drawing criticism.
The plan would provide Tennessee schools with more than $119 million in new state money from the 40-cents-per pack-increase, but each school system would get the money on the basis of the number of "at-risk" students in each district.
Senator Tim Burchett says we need to work on fixing the basic education program formula, rather than relying on a quick fix.
"It's very short-sided on our part to look at this quick little bump we're gonna get from the cigarette tax and the reality is, of course, that when you put a tax on something like cigarettes, the use obviously goes down and you'll receive less money in the future," says State Senator Tim Burchett.
Senate Democrats disagree. Democratic Leader Senator Jim Kyle said, "Any senator that doesn’t want to back the cigarette tax needs to explain to the people of Tennessee why we don’t need this education initiative."
"You can’t pay for this education initiative without the tobacco tax," Kyle continued.
Knox County would get roughly $3.3 million dollars of the new money, Anderson County $1.1million, Blount County would get more than $1.5 million, Hamblen County would receive $1.77 million and Sevier County Schools would get $2.47 million.
School Systems | At-Risk | Growth | Total BEP Improvemnent |
McMinn | $774,000 | $349,000 | $1,123,000 |
-Athens City | $249,000 | $6,000 | $255,000 |
-Etowah City | $53,000 |
| $53,000 |
Meigs | $374,000 |
| $374,000 |
Knox | $3,345,000 |
| $3,345,000 |
Cumberland | $1,097,000 | $3,000 | $1,100,000 |
Blount | $1,013,000 | $558,000 | $1,571,000 |
-Alcoa City | $154,000 | $77,000 | $231,000 |
-Maryville City | $223,000 | $239,000 | $462,000 |
Sevier | $1,557,000 | $915,000 | $2,472,000 |
Campbell | $1,292,000 |
| $1,292,000 |
Fentress | $464,000 | $28,000 | $492,000 |
Morgan | $629,000 | $396,000 | $1,025,000 |
Rhea | $696,000 | $314,000 | $1,010,000 |
-Dayton City | $121,000 | $11,000 | $132,000 |
Roane | $959,000 |
| $959,000 |
Scott | $705,000 |
| $705,000 |
-Oneida SSD | $240,000 | $53,000 | $293,000 |
Anderson | $764,000 | $357,000 | $1,121,000 |
-Clinton City | $97,000 |
| $97,000 |
-Oak Ridge City | $301,000 | $167,000 | $468,000 |
Loudon | $570,000 | $249,000 | $819,000 |
-Lenoir City | $303,000 | $233,000 | $536,000 |
Monroe | $951,000 | $160,000 | $1,111,000 |
-Sweetwater City | $298,000 | $68,000 | $366,000 |
Cocke | $1,052,000 |
| $1,052,000 |
-Newport City | $98,000 | $7,000 | $105,000 |
Hamblen | $1,247,000 | $528,000 | $1,775,000 |
Claiborne | $978,000 | $347,000 | $1,325,000 |
Grainger | $616,000 | 270,000 | $886,000 |
Hancock | $280,000 |
| $280,000 |
Hawkins | $1,252,000 | $189,000 | $1,441,000 |
-Rogersville City | $75,000 | $29,000 | $104,000 |
Jefferson | $1,073,000 | $242,000 | $1,315,000 |
Union | $615,000 |
| $615,000 |
