Hamilton County Schools received over $142 million in federal relief funding in response to the pandemic. Though these funds were meant to combat the pandemic and learning loss, they came with few strings attached. Hamilton County Schools has budgeted $25 million dollars for a new building, reasoning that it will allow for “appropriate social distancing.” HCS also budgeted nearly $200,000 to remodel a cafeteria for “appropriate social distancing.” New buildings and renovations can be legitimate school expenditures, but when dollars were intended to combat the pandemic and learning loss, students and academics should be the priority, not new buildings.
