Jackson County Board approves budget amendment, $1.18 million Chromebook purchase and authorization for Blue Ridge access controls

The Jackson County Board of Education approved several spending and personnel items at its regular meeting, including an amendment to the 2025 budget, the purchase of 387 student Chromebooks for $1,175,839.18 and authorization for the superintendent to contract for access-control work at Blue Ridge School for up to $200,000.

Budget Amendment No. 7, described as including state public funds, federal grant funds and “other specific revenue funds,” was presented to the board and approved following a motion to adopt the amendment. Christy Walker presented the unaudited March financials and said the district is within the current budget resolution. Walker also said the federal grant allocations the district currently uses had been previously allocated and were not expected to be frozen, though she could not guarantee future federal action.

The board approved a purchase request to buy 387 Chromebooks, a purchase presented by Greg Stewart. Stewart said vendor and Lenovo pricing and inventory could change because of new tariffs, and the district was advised to act now to secure the devices. The price shown to the board was $1,175,839.18. Stewart explained the “white glove” service included unboxing devices, powering them on, running updates and pre-enrolling them into the district domain so students can immediately sign in. He said the devices are part of the district’s regular refresh cycle and will supply upper-grade students; the order is also part of a larger county purchase program.

Separately, the board authorized the superintendent to approve a contract not to exceed $200,000 to install access controls at Blue Ridge School. Jay (presenter) told the board the district learned late that it received $150,000 of a $500,000 grant the district had applied for through the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools; the center was moved administratively to the State Bureau of Investigation, which delayed award notifications. Jay told trustees the district plans to combine the newly awarded funds with previously awarded COPS grant funds to assemble the Blue Ridge funding package. He warned the grant money “goes dead” on June 30, and that the contractor must finish the project in mid‑June to meet county and state processing requirements.

The board also approved 10 field trips across the district, and the personnel action agenda after returning from closed session. No roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the open transcript for these motions (the board used voice calls of "all in favor").

Votes at a glance - Motion: Approve agenda / open session minutes — Outcome: approved (voice vote; tally not specified) - Motion: Approve Budget Amendment No. 7 (2025 budget resolution amendment) — Outcome: approved (voice vote; tally not specified). Notes: amendment includes state public funds, federal grant funds and other specific revenue funds. - Motion: Approve purchase of 387 student Chromebooks (vendor/Lenovo referenced) for $1,175,839.18 — Outcome: approved (voice vote; tally not specified). Notes: includes optional "white glove" setup service; devices will be pre-enrolled and issued as part of the standard refresh cycle; part of a countywide larger order. - Motion: Authorize superintendent to approve purchase/contract for access controls for Blue Ridge School not to exceed $200,000 — Outcome: approved (voice vote; tally not specified). Notes: district awarded $150,000 of a requested $500,000 state grant; district will combine these funds with prior COPS grant funds; project must meet mid‑June completion to satisfy grant/county deadlines. - Motion: Approve field trips (10 items) — Outcome: approved (voice vote; tally not specified). Notes: trips include multiple schools and destinations (Pigeon Forge, Oak Ridge program, aquariums, Chattanooga, Furman University, bodies exhibit in Gatlinburg); one Smoky Mountain High School trip limited to an instructor’s health science class. - Motion: Approve personnel action agenda following closed session — Outcome: approved (voice vote; tally not specified)

Implementation and next steps - Chromebooks: procurement proceeds under current vendor pricing; white‑glove setup expected to pre-enroll devices for immediate classroom use. - Access controls: district posted the request for qualifications/bids and will follow normal bidding steps; trustees approved up to $200,000 to enable timely award and meet the grant’s June 30 spending deadline.

The board recessed into closed session under statutes cited on the record; no action took place in closed session, and the personnel agenda was approved after reconvening into open session.