Madison County school board lowers property tax rate, approves construction plans, staffing and training purchases

The Madison County Board of Education voted to set a reduced real-estate tax rate and to approve a slate of construction plans, staffing changes and technology and training purchases at its meeting. The board also authorized the superintendent to approve use of charter buses for in-state athletic trips during the 2025–26 school year and declared several district buses surplus.

The actions affect school construction and maintenance, vocational training at Ignite South, staffing at multiple schools and day-to-day operations such as meal pricing and athletic transportation. Several motions were approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Board members approved a proposal from district finance staff to set the real-estate tax rate at 61.8 cents per $100 of assessed value and the personal-property tax rate at 63.2 cents per $100 of assessed value. "We have a proposal to set our real estate tax rate at 61.8¢ and our personal property tax rate at 63.4," said a district staff presenter; the personal-property rate was later corrected on the record to 63.2 cents. After the vote, board chair Lori Cobb said, "so folks, when you get those tax bills this fall, if they're up, it's not our fault," noting the board had lowered the rate from the prior year.

The board approved final plans for HVAC renovations at Foley Middle School and Madison Southern High School and authorized bidding on four masonry dugouts (two baseball, two softball) at Clarkmore Middle School. "It's gonna be 4 dugouts. There'll be masonry construction with concrete floor..." said Mr. Clark, describing the dugout design and the schedule: a pre-bid meeting on Sept. 4 and a bid opening on Sept. 16 if the board approved the plans.

Members approved procurement and personnel items tied to career and technical education. The board accepted a purchase order of $42,510 for technical training aids for industrial maintenance at Ignite South; district staff noted a prior community legacy gift of $100,000 from Bechtel Parsons was earmarked for automation, robotics and related pathways. "Bechtel Parsons gave us a community legacy gift of a $100,000 and that was earmarked to be spent on automation and robotics within industrial maintenance and welding pathways," a staff member said. The board discussed how the equipment prepares students for factory automation and local workforce needs and noted the district also offers courses through EKU workforce development that serve adult learners.

The board created and ratified several school staffing positions and stipends, specifying funding sources where noted: a Title I-funded paraeducator position at Glenn Marshall Elementary; a paraeducator position at Madison Kindergarten Academy paid from Section 7 funds; a bus aide position for special-needs transportation; and an additional middle-school athletic-director stipend at Clarkmore Middle School to be paid from that school's local funds.

Administrative and operational approvals included setting adult meal prices (adult breakfast $3.50; adult lunch $5.00), approving updated district policies on final reading (policies 3.1233, 3.2233, 9.11 and 9.2241) and approving a Microsoft licensing agreement for workstations and servers. The board also declared several CSEP buses located at Kingston and Waco surplus.

The board authorized the superintendent to approve, at his discretion, use of charter buses for in-state athletic competitions when district driver availability makes district buses infeasible; members discussed this primarily in the context of longer high-school football trips. The board then entered executive session under KRS 61.878 to discuss a specific public record exempt from disclosure; no action resulted from that session.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minutes, out-of-state field trips, revisions to procedures and chairperson approvals): approved (motion by Mr. Rutherford; second Ms. Brock). - Set tax rates (real estate 61.8¢ per $100; personal property 63.2¢ per $100; motion by Ms. Brock; second Ms. Burford): approved by voice vote. - Approve final HVAC plans for Foley Middle School and Madison Southern High School (motion by Mr. Rutherford; second Ms. Burford): approved by voice vote. - Approve Clarkmore Middle School dugout plans and bid timeline (pre-bid Sept. 4; bid opening Sept. 16): approved by voice vote. - Set adult meal prices (adult breakfast $3.50; adult lunch $5.00): approved by voice vote. - Approve final reading of policies 3.1233, 3.2233, 9.11 and 9.2241: approved by voice vote. - Approve Microsoft licensing agreement (workstations/servers): approved by voice vote. - Approve technical training aids purchase for Ignite South, $42,510 (motion by Mr. Rutherford; second Ms. Brock): approved by voice vote. - Create/ratify paraeducator position at Glenn Marshall (Title I funds): approved by voice vote. - Create/ratify paraeducator at Madison Kindergarten Academy (Section 7 funds): approved by voice vote. - Create/ratify bus aide position for special-needs transportation: approved by voice vote. - Create additional middle school athletic-director stipend at Clarkmore (paid from school funds): approved by voice vote. - Declare CSEP buses at Kingston and Waco surplus: approved by voice vote. - Authorize superintendent to approve charter bus use for in-state athletic competitions during the 2025–26 school year: approved by voice vote. - Enter executive session under KRS 61.878 to discuss an exempt public record: approved; no action taken upon return.

Board members who moved or seconded motions were identified on the record for many votes; results were recorded as voice votes with no recorded dissent. The meeting minutes cited the board's prior meeting (minutes of Aug. 14, 2025) as included on the consent agenda.

Background and next steps

District staff said the approved HVAC and dugout plans will be bid publicly; the dugout timeline given on the record calls for a Sept. 4 pre-bid meeting and Sept. 16 bid opening, with a recommendation to follow at the next board meeting. The technical training purchase will be used to expand robotics and PLC instruction in industrial maintenance pathways at Ignite South and to support EKU workforce-development classes for adults.

No detailed roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript; motions passed on voice votes. The board adjourned after completing executive-session business, with no additional actions taken.