Bledsoe County approves state drone grant and greenlights early purchases for school program

The Bledsoe County Board of Education on Jan. 6 approved accepting a state unmanned aircraft systems (drone) grant worth $113,353 and authorized staff to begin purchases before the formal contract is issued.

The board voted to accept the 90% grant award with the district responsible for the remaining roughly 10% match. “It's a 90% grant, so we have to pay the 10%,” said Mark Ochsner, Bledsoe County Schools' security coordinator, who presented the grant to the board and described how the district plans to administer the project. Ochsner said the board office will be reimbursed for project-administration time; he cited a $5,250 line for administration that would be reimbursed by the state, not paid directly to him.

Ochsner described planned partnerships and training for teachers. “I'm a licensed pilot for that. We have set up some partnerships with team ops with their drone team … and the Ray County drone team,” he said, adding that selected teachers would travel for curriculum and equipment training. He said the district expects to integrate drone instruction into existing offerings — STEM, agricultural classes or after-school programs — rather than create a standalone course, with implementation targeted for the fall semester once logistics are finalized.

Board members also discussed timing and funding. Ochsner said the state allowed purchases to be considered as of Oct. 28 even though the district had not yet received a signed contract; he asked for permission to begin procurement in advance of the contract’s arrival. The board approved that request. Ochsner told the board the total project budget was $1,278,60X and that the grant portion being awarded was $113,353 (the transcript lists the grant award as $113,353), with the district responsible for its match. Board members indicated the local match would likely come from district general funds.

Implementation details the board recorded in its discussion include reimbursable project-administration time, outside trainer partnerships, teacher up-skilling through out-of-state provider training, and plans to offer the curriculum through existing courses. No contract number or formal grant agreement date was provided in the meeting; Ochsner said the formal contract was expected in January but that procedures the state used for similar grants suggest the district might not receive the final paperwork until February or March.

The motion to accept the grant and permit early purchases passed with seven votes in favor.

The board did not specify an exact purchase list or vendor in the meeting. Ochsner said he would coordinate timing and instructor arrangements with school leadership once formal approvals and contracts are in hand.