EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first part of a two-part investigative series on upcoming school payments and how they may affect Rhea County's budget.

The first part outlines upcoming school payments, while the second part, which will appear in the Sunday, Jan. 13, edition of The Herald-News, will examine county officials' possible solutions to guard against a budget shortfall in the coming years.

Rhea County school payments are set to triple from the 2011-12 to the 2012-13 fiscal year, according to records obtained by The Herald-News from the county finance office.

For further details, see the Sunday edition of The Herald-News.