School Board · Meeting · Apr 13, 2026
Mon, Apr 13, 2026
Hickman County Board of Education meetings, including regular sessions and special called meetings.
Outline
Disclaimer:
This outline was created using AI based on an automatically generated transcript. The transcript and this outline is likely to contain errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Always refer to the original audio recording if you need to verify any details or for official purposes.
Call to Order
- Meeting opened for the April 13 board meeting.
- Board observed a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance.
- A new board member was welcomed at their first official meeting.
Agenda and Minutes
- Board added the HCHS Apex Bank agreement to the agenda and approved the amended agenda.
- Board approved prior meeting minutes, including regular and special-called meetings from March.
Special Recognition
- Employee of the Month recognition was presented to John West for service as bus driver and substitute teacher.
- Certificates were presented to student delegates who attended the TSBA/SCOPE conference.
Consent Agenda
- Consent agenda items were approved by motion.
Student Trips and Activities
Tennessee Strong Youth Summit Request
- HCHS TNR Club requested approval for an overnight trip to Chattanooga (July 19-21).
- Trip purpose included tobacco/vaping prevention leadership training and student advocacy.
- Funding was reported as Tennessee Department of Health support (no school board funds).
- Board approved the trip request.
East Hickman Cheer Camp Request
- East Hickman High School requested permission to attend UCA cheer camp at Vanderbilt (June 1-3).
- Board approved the travel request.
Operational and Membership Items
2026-27 Attendance Zones
- Board reviewed and approved proposed attendance zones for the upcoming school year.
TSBA Membership Dues
- Board discussed annual TSBA membership value (policy, legal, and legislative support).
- Roll call vote approved dues.
Hickman County Chamber of Commerce Dues
- Board discussed increase in dues and asked for clearer return-on-investment details.
- Discussion included tourism, shop local efforts, sales tax impact, and business-education partnerships.
- Motion to continue membership passed, with one abstention noted due to conflict.
Budget Committee Appointments
- Board appointed all board members to the budget committee.
Action Items and Bids
Intercom Maintenance and Repair Bid
- Board reviewed system-wide intercom maintenance needs after multiple issues and rising costs.
- One responsive bidder was received; contract intended to cover maintenance through next school year.
- Roll call vote approved the agreement.
Automotive Class Training Equipment (HCHS)
- Board reviewed two bids for automotive trainers funded through an Innovative School Models grant.
- Lower bid (Georgia Education Solutions/ConsuLab) was selected and approved by roll call vote.
- Discussion confirmed equipment is industry-standard and supports hands-on troubleshooting skills.
E-Rate Category 1 Broadband Bid
- Prior consortium agreement had expired, requiring local mini-bid process.
- Board reviewed three vendor responses; ENA was recommended and selected.
- District reported estimated annual savings of about $47,000 versus previous cost.
- Roll call vote approved the broadband contract.
Internal Connections Licensing Bid
- Board reviewed renewal licensing for wireless access points and network switches.
- One response was received and approved by roll call vote.
Managed Internet Broadband Services (Network Access Controller)
- Board reviewed multi-year licensing/service costs for network access control and security.
- Motion passed by roll call vote.
Budget Amendments 30, 31, and 32
- Amendment 30: added insurance recovery funds and TCAT dual enrollment related funding.
- Amendment 31: included cleanup items and increased travel costs tied to new student information system training.
- Amendment 32: grant-related adjustments (including Perkins spending alignment near year-end).
- Board approved all three amendments by roll call vote.
OPEB Discussion and Action
- Board reviewed OPEB fund status, eligibility, projected costs, and scenarios for expanding benefits to non-certified staff.
- Discussion covered longevity of funds, participation assumptions, and risk of earlier fund depletion under higher usage scenarios.
- Motion passed to table final OPEB action for a later meeting/work session.
Policy Actions
- Board approved policy
1.8(nepotism) on second reading. - Board approved first reading of multiple TSBA-updated policies, including employee separation-related language revised with legal counsel input.
- Board approved additional policies listed as reviewed.
HCHS Apex Bank Agreement
- Board discussed moving HCHS banking relationship to Apex Bank after multiple meetings and draft revisions.
- Discussion included sponsorship terms, expected support for athletics, and transition logistics between accounts.
- Motion passed to accept the agreement.
Discussion Items
Internal School Funds Audit
- Board reviewed annual internal school funds audit findings.
- Two findings were highlighted: sales tax handling on resale items/fundraisers and fundraiser authorization documentation at one school.
- Administration presented a corrective action plan and discussed additional training for schools/bookkeepers.
FY Budget Development and Funding Outlook
- Administration requested additional work-session time to finalize budget development with consultant involvement.
- Preliminary funding notes included updated TISA estimate, property tax reappraisal estimate, and projected year-end fund balance impact.
- Discussion emphasized long-term structural funding pressure, salary mandate impacts, competitiveness, and avoiding one-year-only budget thinking.
- Board scheduled a special budget work session for April 29 at 6:30 PM.
Transportation Seat Belt Safety
- Board discussed bus seat belt usage, enforcement challenges, driver distraction concerns, and student behavior.
- Transportation staff presented safety context, training requirements, inspection standards, and national statistics.
- Discussion noted buses are generally very safe, with particular risk during loading/unloading periods.
Announcements
- Next regular board meeting: May 4 at Hickman County High School (recognition and awards).
- Legislative update included end-of-session topics such as vouchers, sports participation policy questions, and virtual school accountability.
- Additional board member updates included local school event notes.
Adjournment
- Board approved motion to adjourn.
Financial Tables
| Category | Amount / % | What it refers to | My read / detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber of Commerce dues | $775 | Current Chamber dues invoice | Annual dues being considered by the board | |
| Chamber dues increase | $25 | Increase from prior year | They note the dues went up enough to catch attention when signing checks | |
| Historical Chamber fee | $50 | Older per-school fee model | A speaker says years ago it was assessed to each school as a $50 fee | |
| Local option sales tax share | 50% | Share of local option sales tax tied to the school system | This is the clearest tax-revenue percentage stated in the meeting; they say the Chamber’s “shop local” campaign matters because of 50% of the local option sales tax | |
| Tourism / sales tax connection | No exact dollar amount | Sales-tax-related revenue driver | They repeatedly say tourism helps drive sales tax dollars, which in turn matters to school funding | |
| Intercom spending threshold | $25,000 | Purchasing limit / finance threshold | They say intercom work was approaching the annual limit that triggers a formal bid process | |
| Intercom work already spent | about $18,000 | Current year intercom repair spending | Approximate number already spent before the new bid | |
| Intercom work still expected | about $4,000 | Additional cost to finish current intercom issue | Approximate remaining amount mentioned | |
| Automotive training equipment bid 1 | $80,680 | First vendor bid | One of two bids for auto training equipment | |
| Automotive training equipment bid 2 | $75,625 | Lower vendor bid | Lower bid appears to be the recommended/approved one | |
| CAT 1 broadband total annual contract | $229,200 per year | Broadband contract total | One of the larger recurring cost items discussed | |
| District share of broadband cost | 20% | School district responsibility share | They explain that under E-Rate-style purchasing the district owes 20% of cost | |
| District broadband share in dollars | $45,840 | District’s 20% of broadband contract | Explicit dollar figure tied to the 20% share | |
| Broadband savings | about $47,000 per year | Estimated annual savings vs prior arrangement | They attribute the savings to more competition in the market | |
| Internal connections total | $78,630 | 5-year renewal license for wireless APs and switches | Another tech infrastructure item | |
| Internal connections district share | 20% | School district responsibility share | Same cost-share framework as other tech items | |
| Internal connections district amount | $15,726 | District’s 20% of internal connections | Explicit amount stated in meeting | |
| Network access controller first-year total | $24,000 | First-year cost for network access controller | Includes 5-year controller license and first-year service | |
| Network access controller district share | 20% | School district first-year share | Same 20% district match framework | |
| Network access controller first-year district amount | $4,800 | District 20% share of first-year NAC cost | Explicit amount stated | |
| Network access controller later annual total | $9,000 per year | Years 2–5 service cost | Service-only pricing after year 1 | |
| Network access controller later district share | 20% | District share in years 2–5 | Same cost-share structure | |
| Network access controller later district amount | $1,800 per year | District’s years 2–5 share | Explicit amount stated | |
| Perkins closeout example | $0.01 | Example of money returned to grantor | Speaker says they have had to send back a check for one cent to get spending “to the penny” | |
| OPEB quarterly decline | about $80,000 | Amount OPEB fund had decreased in that quarter | Mentioned during benefit discussion | |
| OPEB fund available | about $3.3 million | Current OPEB fund size | One speaker says it is “right at 3.3 million” | |
| OPEB fund available, alternate mention | $3.4 million | Another mention of OPEB value | Later discussion references OPEB at 3.4 million in connection with fund balance reporting | |
| OPEB initial funding | two $500,000 contributions | Original funding setup | Implies an original contribution base of about $1,000,000 total | |
| State retiree supplement reference | about $5,000 | Approximate state supplement for certified retirees | Used to explain why certified and non-certified costs differ | |
| Certified retiree max cost | $5,233.80 | Maximum cost in today’s dollars for certified personnel | Explicit amount stated | |
| Non-certified retiree max cost | $9,516 | Maximum cost in today’s dollars for non-certified personnel | Explicit amount stated | |
| Current annual OPEB spending | a little under $50,000 | Approximate annual cost of current program | Speaker says current spending is just under 50k | |
| Alternate current annual OPEB figure | about $46,000 | Another estimate of current annual OPEB cost | Slightly different number mentioned later in the same discussion | |
| Rough OPEB cost per participant | about $2,000 per person | Back-of-the-envelope participant average | Derived aloud from about $50k for about 25 people | |
| Possible OPEB annual outlay in heavier years | $400,000 to $500,000 or more | Worst-case future annual cost scenario | Not current spending — this is a modeled / worst-case projection | |
| Insurance growth assumption | 6% per year | Assumption used in OPEB scenario modeling | Not a cost itself, but a major financial assumption | |
| OPEB scenario participation | 75% | Assumed participation in one projection | Used in estimating how long the fund would last | |
| OPEB scenario payout level | 75% of max cost | Assumption in one certified-only projection | Used in their modeled depletion timeline | |
| Possible future unused OPEB balance | $10 million to $15 million | Hypothetical future leftover if the fund outlives eligible participants | Scenario only, not a current balance | |
| Teacher salary floor | $50,000 | New teacher minimum salary level discussed | Mentioned as a budget driver because it ripples through multiple salary lines | |
| Estimated cost impact of salary changes | about $400,000 to $500,000 | Estimated budget effect of salary adjustments | Another major future financial pressure item | |
| Fund balance previously presented | about $2.1 million | Prior fund-balance figure mentioned in later budget discussion | Appears to refer to operating fund balance impact discussion | |
| Projected fund balance hit | about $1.9 million | End-of-year projected hit to fund balance | Discussed as a budget concern | |
| Beginning unassigned/operating fund balance | about $8.297 million | Beginning-of-year operating fund balance | They distinguish this from OPEB money that cannot be used for operations | |
| Projected next-year starting fund balance | about $6.4 million | Projected balance after hit | Part of broader fund-balance warning | |
| Fund balance best-practice range | 3 to 4 months of expenditures | Best-practice reserve target | Not a tax stream, but an important budget benchmark | |
| Required minimum fund balance | 3% of budget | Legal / policy minimum reserve requirement | Explicit percentage requirement mentioned | |
| Required minimum reserve in dollars | about $1.2 million to $1.4 million | Dollar equivalent of the 3% minimum | Stated as the minimum available fund balance target | |
| Property tax percentages | Not spoken numerically in excerpt | Comparative school/county property tax percentages from 2008 to 2025 | Speaker says a breakout exists in the board materials, but the actual percentages are not read aloud in the searchable transcript | |
| Sales tax breakout | Not spoken numerically in excerpt | Comparative sales tax data in board materials | Again referenced as existing in a comparison sheet, but exact percentages are not spoken in the transcript portion I could search | |
| Apex bank agreement value reference | $100 | Estimated value attached to an interest-bearing checking account line in the agreement | This is the only explicit dollar figure I could reliably tie to the Apex agreement from searchable transcript text |
| Percentage | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | The school system’s connection to 50% of the local option sales tax is why the Chamber’s shop-local efforts were described as financially important | |
| 20% | The school district’s required share of several technology contracts, including broadband, internal connections, and network access control | |
| 75% | Participation / payout assumptions used in OPEB modeling scenarios | |
| 6% | Annual insurance premium growth assumption used in OPEB projections | |
| 3% | Minimum required fund balance as a percent of budget |