[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6570274,"mediaKeyId","3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161","parentId",3218303,"title","Board to consider unified middle-school swim coach and two stipends for Central, Sullivan Heights and Sullivan East participants","audioSeconds",336,"startMs",2326000,"endMs",2662000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161&start=2326&end=2662","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161/thumbnail_2326000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6570274/Tennessee/Board-to-consider-unified-middle-school-swim-coach-and-two-stipends-for-Central-Sullivan-Heights-and-Sullivan-East-participants","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570274-c7524918bca7d7cc42601bfabfd9e4c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163610&Signature=WJbfz-C3Kodo~Swn16ZWN10T6Sgp~5Z6v8xG0PFsOiLdHRgIZ9tu6i82FNaVfaSOjtIvwGUZ1JpG6rKG6~tUZcfNclS89X5YzG71h9fcaELKbrxVSKqauTVR1wPezlk0PTz2qcdftk2vk9y~3cEickHOBL4WWMb7l9zld2ZPtmqj~qR41S8sWlQ9boIYzlAGN5j7Xwt7aHeC7pSfx871PXt~7fWVYHYdj-h0yxRZXnpHeJSQTur5rVhTn0IFDohOGOqFwr0zFinii8PxX0~oQCBLxZyE0EgxvwDdqVOhrUiEnjUJxacfyZ8IHD17FxAte7OiV7XoXNvG64wERkizZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Sullivan County Schools","date","2025-05-08T10:17:25Z","article","Board members discussed a proposal to create a middle-school swim-coach position that would primarily serve Central Middle and Sullivan Heights Middle and invite Sullivan East Middle students to participate.

The proposal presented at the work session asked the board to approve two stipends to support the new middle-school swim program. \"That would be, servicing Central Middle and Sullivan Heights Middle,\" a board member said, adding that Sullivan East Middle students would be invited to participate. The district noted logistical items to address—pool access and coordination with TSCA (the local swim facility/association referenced) and potential waivers for combined teams—as the district explores a unified middle-school program model.

Board members discussed compensation and precedent: the middle-school stipend was proposed to mirror the high-school supplement scale used for other activities. Presenters said the high-school supplement range for comparable coaches starts at $1,266 and rises to $2,533 depending on experience; board members discussed offering two stipends for the combined program.

Staff said if the board approved the position but no candidate accepted it, the district would still have the position available going forward. The work session did not record a formal vote; the item was placed on the regular agenda for immediate consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5-7-25: SCDE Board of Education Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Board members discussed creating a middle-school swim program that would serve Central Middle and Sullivan Heights Middle, with Sullivan East students invited; the proposal asks to create a middle-school swim-coach position paid by two stipends, and the item was placed on the regular agenda for a vote.","taxTitle","Sullivan County, School Districts, Tennessee","taxId",70101,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6570279,"Board to decide whether to keep or return deteriorating district property after county-attorney guidance",192,2151000,2343000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161&start=2151&end=2343","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161/thumbnail_2151000.jpg","/articles/6570279/Tennessee/Board-to-decide-whether-to-keep-or-return-deteriorating-district-property-after-county-attorney-guidance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570279-6a8ece765ed510ba90b2b5292174e764/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163611&Signature=bjez4rSA8F3s7~-QWQrDaV44p1J5GKAgmn48cLEoFG~r-UUVqgnJWJpEo6-NNmjg5AQUkgYae3CGVhQGIccPHZO0IyEiPPbmg3-nxd0HBWg3jlZ8dzgK0aN-wpcGR1nDyGw0DDobuk4uV599bYnHKuPx1~NgHZCCiKKAWlCXbbH22Ci0jJWo63DLDRO-N~C9~PoBlOti82E8C3VqPGt8bNMv1KZXBd8BdRrhGVw7dU8w5Qkib-jgKfJV1L9DuMIelLLS2hLmBsLokeqC1XvhD3NVSWXmiPPt6a9pBlvHWE4Z2TIaABpGMuzyHmLNyWnr8xmCHQ3~k4GKBSmN3d~40A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Board members discussed a district-owned property with a failing roof and a reversionary history during a work session, and reported they had asked the county attorney for guidance on next steps.

The board member who briefed the group said County Attorney Dan Street told them there are two paths: keep the property and create a plan to repair the roof (to address insurance and liability risk), or transfer the property back to the county, which would then contact the original owners and allow the deed to revert to them per the original conditions. \"Either a, the school board's gonna decide to keep this property ... and if you do that, you've gotta have a plan to fix that roof,\" the board member said, recounting the attorney's guidance.

The board member said the matter was on the regular agenda as a voting item that evening: either to keep the building and undertake repairs or to return the parcel to county control so county officials could pursue the documented reversion to the original owner family. Board members discussed logistics such as storage and moving district materials should the property be turned over; one member asked whether the county would have space to accept items currently stored at the site.

No final action was recorded in the work session discussion; the board planned to take a formal vote on the disposition as part of the regular agenda.","Board members discussed a district-owned property with a deteriorating roof and a reversion clause; county attorney advised either keep the property and fix the roof or return it to the county to enable reversion to original owners. The item was placed on the regular agenda for a vote.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6570284,"Sullivan County schools present worst-case $9.7 million budget gap; board urged to plan long-range capital needs",2434,2691000,5125000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161&start=2691&end=5125","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161/thumbnail_2691000.jpg","/articles/6570284/Tennessee/Sullivan-County-schools-present-worst-case-97-million-budget-gap-board-urged-to-plan-long-range-capital-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570284-379f19f487351540f2031bd0ff053faf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163611&Signature=SxQADHkzL5DXh~MHGqjooaXmflulixjgBRFv28Br-CfQ8McBzri8QzLdy1ga-TfuewGaXR5X4jrT-MYQ9Oz0jWmc30VOu-fzaCrJGq9V5OawPRVqXCfNyDzeqb7NeV6XFQ2Tx4X3A7ivti2FNFB6Yb8atoMdbUan-YsGat89b97IEJSvjmzSfYoVXwSnLJAAW66nPU4FaOwrkxYqaT3lb41MP9gPIzwg1YwmGs8I0pP71rOdIYLKelFQ1MxyF~V8sfaM5q43Rj8n1XMS2MOV3dHufDvsJ4kTpXnqXvk-l7u4DC2CseMDAfJj8Y2Z2PYDRVH-9nbY49lXPHYKYTx9OA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sullivan County school officials presented a draft general-purpose school (GPS) budget at a work session that, in a conservative \"worst-case\" projection, would require using about $9.7 million from the district's undesignated fund balance to balance next year’s budget.

Finance staff who presented the plan told the board that the district received a new TISA estimate in late April that increased its projected allocation, but that much of the revenue is restricted for specific uses. The presenter said the April estimate raises the district’s top-line TISA number, but the district’s actual allocation after state/local splits remains more limited.

The session also reviewed state-mandated and contract-driven expenditures that the district cannot avoid. The district must increase spending on educator salaries by about $988,000 to comply with the state requirement tied to the TISA allocation. Presenters recommended a combined approach—using step increases and a 1.5 percent across-the-board increase for employees—to meet the requirement while offering support staff similar percentage increases.

School finance staff described a series of mandatory cost pressures and optional-but-recommended investments listed in the draft budget:

- Mandatory: $988,000 required increase for educator salaries; approximately $700,000 in step increases already budgeted; anticipated health insurance increases (presenter used a 7 percent estimate). The presenter said the 7 percent health-insurance number came from fiscal staff but emphasized the final insurance rate was not yet certain.

- Recommended (included in the draft but not mandatory): $500,000 for transportation tracking equipment (an RFID/badge or iPad-based student-on/off tracking system for buses), $150,000 proposed for intercom upgrades, and $1 million put into a capital-improvements reserve to respond to emergencies more quickly.

The presenter said the capital-improvement reserve was created from proceeds of a prior property sale (Colonial Heights Middle School), and that about $2.3 million remained in that account before the current allocations; the budget proposal draws on part of that reserve. The presentation also described the district's textbook reserve and a small debt reserve that had been set aside for prior obligations.

School nutrition programs face their own pressure: presenters projected revenues could be down by about $650,000 and estimated a worst-case food-service shortfall of about $1.4 million; the nutrition fund has a built-up balance that could be used if needed. The district also plans to expand the online school from its current size to a 200-seat program as an enrollment-and-revenue strategy.

District staff emphasized this is a conservative presentation. \"If you total up all of our revenues and all of our expenditures, we're about $11,200,000 out,\" the presenter said, adding that after using reserves and required set-asides the draft leaves a $9.7 million gap that the district would plan to cover from undesignated fund balance in a worst-case projection. The presenter also warned that the state requires the district to maintain a 3 percent operating fund balance and that the state could reject a budget that tapped too deeply into reserves.

Board members and staff discussed potential next steps: drawing the GPS budget as a worst-case for presentation to the county budget committee, continuing to refine cost and enrollment estimates, and pursuing options to limit the draw on fund balance. The presenter said the board would be asked later the same evening to vote on a balanced budget to send to the county; final adoption will depend on county and state processes.

The district cautioned that many figures—especially insurance rates, food costs and some TISA components—remain estimates and could change as state numbers and market costs are finalized.","District staff presented a conservative general-purpose school budget that would require up to $9.7 million from the undesignated fund balance in a worst-case scenario, alongside mandated educator-salary increases and proposed investments in transportation tracking, intercoms and a $1 million capital reserve.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6570289,"Engineering report warns aging switchgear at Sullivan County schools could cause long outages",1136,992000,2128000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161&start=992&end=2128","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3218303-3d03eb69854e560f67bdc85b31993161/thumbnail_992000.jpg","/articles/6570289/Tennessee/Engineering-report-warns-aging-switchgear-at-Sullivan-County-schools-could-cause-long-outages","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570289-cc4dbc5337eba856ee56901487f581c0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163611&Signature=miQTw8eHC8kdTCANp3AdU6c-D~toJcVttQISrGZZCcIwFSDTxg3m74KlvpSAjfkGDJU6LlRlGWDaOVHqMmHJgWn~v0RPJppNxdnrCcVWasTItYeGu58nbmEaHtvoH08KTBzENA~I0uPa8wcdNVJmUvMpm79SOgsYyGKiyNaYLwcgmtkyu9wctZsTWc9BnsAb3dHJAGXD6p4mb4CIBPGm4QKPt40MdyNVdKkT1djkS~dddRvKmhJy5LkFYrWfraX9gAl3fxlzhCtdx9rqdpLIEStwZXdpMhDlSEj~Y6REJFmHRZbFe7aU6PHUzFGQ264Tb0A4I-cQJKX~sVyGbx5mEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Holston Engineering presented the findings of an electrical assessment of older Sullivan County school buildings during a school board work session, saying several schools have aging or obsolete incoming power equipment that could cause extended outages and pose safety concerns.

The firm examined incoming service, switchgear and panel boards at 11 older schools and grouped them into three priority levels: priority 1 schools with immediate concerns and potential safety issues, priority 2 with aging devices that should be considered for replacement in coming years, and priority 3 schools that are in generally good condition. \"Priority level 1 ... are schools which have immediate concerns, safety issues potentially,\" engineer Peyton Milhorn told the board.

The report singled out Central Heights and Holston for Federal Pacific switchgear—which the presenters described as widely documented, obsolete equipment with scarce replacement parts—and noted original fuse boxes remain in buildings such as Mary Hughes and some equipment dating to the late 1960s at East. Milhorn said that when older gear trips it may not be possible to reset or repair it quickly, and a failure could leave a building without power until replacement equipment arrives.

\"If this trips ... you probably aren't gonna get them back on,\" Milhorn said, stressing the difference between modern breakers and older main switchgear.

Engineers gave examples from system work: at Sullivan Heights the team removed utility fuses to allow an HVAC/chiller project to proceed and later returned them; the building came back online with no issues, demonstrating how functioning switchgear simplifies recovery. But presenters cautioned that some gear shows substantial rust or corrosion at schools where mains are located in boiler rooms or exterior enclosures, and that those conditions increase the chance of unexpected failures.

Holston Engineering and board members also discussed lead times and contingency planning. The presenters said lead times for large switchgear can stretch many months: smaller panels (200 A) may be off-the-shelf, 400 A units may take weeks, and larger (600 A and above) could take months. \"If you had a failure tomorrow ... I've got a year possibly to get it equipment,\" one presenter said, describing procurement and installation timelines that can exceed a full school year when factoring ordering, delivery and installation.

Milhorn urged the board and staff to budget contingencies because hidden issues often appear only after equipment is removed. \"When you start pulling that stuff back, you're gonna find things,\" he said, describing corroded feeders, damaged insulation and rusted conduit found in past replacement projects. He warned that replacement projects should be planned to start immediately after school is out so contractors have the summer window; even so, unknowns can expand scope and schedule.

Board members pressed for practical next steps. Presenters called the report a budgeting guideline, not a firm bid: cost estimates in the report are intended to help prioritize projects and plan for contingencies rather than be treated as exact prices. The board discussed the importance of including the electrical priorities in a multi-year facilities plan and of coordinating major replacements in summer schedules so student displacement is minimized.

The presentation concluded with engineers urging the district to prioritize the most vulnerable sites and to build contingency funds and timelines into any replacement plan. The district did not take a formal vote during the work session; Holston Engineering's assessment will inform future budget and capital-planning discussions.

The board's packet and the engineering slides include photos and more detailed inventories of the affected equipment at each campus and recommended priority levels.","Holston Engineering told the Sullivan County Board of Education at a work session that several older schools have obsolete or damaged electrical switchgear that could produce long outages, long lead times for replacement and safety risks; engineers urged contingency planning and prioritized replacements.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board to consider unified middle-school swim coach and two stipends for Central, Sullivan Heights and Sullivan East participants

Board to decide whether to keep or return deteriorating district property after county-attorney guidance

Sullivan County schools present worst-case $9.7 million budget gap; board urged to plan long-range capital needs

Engineering report warns aging switchgear at Sullivan County schools could cause long outages