Bradley County Schools presents proposed FY26 budget, outlines raises, bonuses and capital projects

Ellen Cash, a presenter for Bradley County Schools, told the Bradley County Commission the district's Fund 141 (general purpose) budget and related plans during the commission meeting.

Cash said the state funding formula'the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA)'raised the base per student to $7,295, producing "new revenue of just above $2,000,000" in the March TISA projection and contributing to a state funding pool noted in her slides at about $75,000,000. She said salaries and benefits account for roughly 80% of Fund 141 spending.

The presentation included several near-term personnel and pay actions. Cash said the proposed package includes a 4% pay increase for all salaried positions (which she estimated at about $3.7 million) and a one-time, state-funded bonus the board intends to pass to staff. "We are using that one-time outcomes-based funding that is outside of TISA and we are going to give all positions a bonus," Cash said. She told the commission certified staff will receive a state-funded gross bonus on the August pay period and that classified staff and part-time positions will receive smaller, differentiated amounts; the district plans to pay the listed bonuses in August.

Cash also reviewed program- and facility-level spending. She said capital outlay in Fund 141 is about $2,000,000, down toward pre-COVID levels after several years of COVID-related capital spending. Projects identified to move forward out of the district's building fund (Fund 177) include Parkview renovations and relocations of playgrounds at Parkview and Hopewell, a Special Education suite at McCoy Middle School, and a planned science wing at Bradley High School. Cash said the district is awaiting final confirmation of federal funding for the science wing: "we should know any day," she said, and that a federal funding letter remained pending.

Contract changes noted in the presentation include a new janitorial contract starting June 1 with Preacher Industries and a districtwide copier contract that Cash said will move copier costs from individual schools to the central budget. Cash said the district's undesignated fund balance stands at about 6.81% (roughly $8 million) and that after planned uses it is projected to be about $8.1 million (around 7%).

Commissioners pressed on average daily attendance (ADA), the state-calculated measure that affects TISA distribution in districts that share students with a municipality. Commissioner Woodard asked whether the ADA figure had fallen; Cash said the district's ADA declined by 0.00588 and that the change reduced local funding by about $251,000. Cash and other officials described the state's new monthly ADA calculation and said they are working with the state education department on how chronic medical absences are counted. "We're still educating those children. We're sending work home. Teachers are checking in," Cash said, and she described discussions with the state about adjusting how extended medical absences are treated.

Commissioners and the presenter described attendance-improvement measures used in individual schools. Cash said Hopewell Elementary has deployed attendance incentives and stronger follow-up (calls and letters home) and that districtwide attendance remains near 95% overall; she told commissioners that a small group of chronically absent students produces disproportionate budgetary effects.

Cash also summarized the district's other school funds: Fund 145 (special revenue operating the PIE Center), which completed its first full audit cycle with a clean audit; Fund 177 (multi-year building projects) that will fund the capital work; Fund 143 (central cafeteria); and other smaller funds the district manages.

Commissioners expressed support for the schools'work on attendance and offered to help pursue state-level adjustments to how absences for health reasons are counted. Commissioner Collins praised the presentation and noted the district's recruitment and retention progress; Cash said starting salaries and local competitiveness remain a focus.

The district presented the budget materials and answered commissioners' questions; the school board and county will continue the budget process in upcoming meetings. Cash said the district aims to keep Fund 141 balanced and to finalize details (including any bids or final contract terms) as the budget moves through review and approval processes.