School board approves FY26 federal fund language and trims dietary transfer, limiting CEP to qualifying schools

The Washington County School Board voted on budget actions affecting the district’s dietary (school nutrition) fund and federal fund language for fiscal year 2026.

Board members approved a motion authorizing the FY26 federal fund budget “as allocations are made available and approved by the Tennessee Department of Education and also subsequent budget amendments/allocations,” a motion made on the record and moved by a board member during the meeting. The motion clarifies that federal allocations and subsequent amendments will govern final funding levels.

On general-purpose budget reductions, board member Flynn proposed removing a $1,000,000 transfer from the general fund to the dietary fund, limiting the district’s use of CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) to only the three schools that qualify, retaining a 1% raise step for certified staff, and removing a $500,000 line item for textbooks. During discussion staff confirmed the board had previously asked the budget committee to revisit an earlier draft that the committee had rejected; staff presented alternative columns showing budget outcomes with and without CEP for nonqualifying schools.

Flynn made a formal motion later in the meeting: to approve the dietary fund budget for FY26 with the $1,000,000 transfer removed and to restrict CEP to the three qualifying schools. He moved that the rest of the budget changes be presented as discussed; an unnamed board member seconded the motion. Voting opened and the motion carried on the record.

Staff and board members discussed specific figures during debate. A board member read a series of reductions and adjustments into the record that included: taking $1,000,000 from the dietary transfer; removing $500,000 for textbooks; leaving a 1% certified-staff step increase (described on the record as a $400,000 line item); and bringing the funding gap to roughly $6,100,000 as presented. Staff also referenced a line described on the record as “the 20 95,” which was left in the proposed budget without change; the transcript does not clarify the line-item label or amount beyond the spoken phrase. The board discussed sending the revised budget to the county commission for consideration.

Board members noted that the dietary fund adjustment is contingent on the board’s action: staff said the only change to the dietary budget would be to remove the $1,000,000 transfer if the board approved the motion. Separately, the FY26 federal fund language passed with a motion that ties the budget to allocations from the Tennessee Department of Education and to subsequent budget amendments; that motion also carried.

The transcript records that the board did not produce a recorded roll-call vote for individual members on the budget items in the publicly available text. The meeting record shows multiple motions and seconds, and that the motions carried as stated.