The Jennings County School Corporation board unanimously approved the district's 2026 school budget, capital project plan and bus replacement plan and approved multiple personnel recommendations and memoranda of understanding during a regular meeting. The board also paused to recognize the Jennings County High School girls tennis team for winning the 2024'25 sectional championship.

Board action was largely unanimous: the motions for the budget, capital plan and bus replacement plan passed on 5'00 votes, as did the slate of personnel recommendations and MOUs. Several items were presented with no substantive debate and were handled as motions and seconds followed by voice votes.

The tennis recognition: Mr. Hartwell introduced members of the 2024'25 Jennings County High School girls tennis team and reviewed season results. The team was named Bedford sectional champions, placed runner-up at the Columbus North regional, finished 7'2 in conference and 15'3 overall. Individual records cited included Caden (Caleb) Sloman, 17'4 at No. 1 singles and named All-HHC, All-District and All-State honorable mention; Mia Silbey, 15'6 at No. 2 singles and All-HHC; Grace McBride, 18'3 at No. 3 singles and All-HHC honorable mention; and doubles honorable-mention recognitions for Gabby Moran and Sofia Lucas. Coach Darren Brown was present for the recognition.

Budget and capital actions: The board adopted the 2026 school budget, the 2026 capital project plan and the 2026 bus replacement plan after separate motions. Each motion passed on a 5'00 voice vote. The board also approved a routine resolution authorizing a reduction in appropriation in the education and operation funds as part of the annual budget process and a resolution authorizing the treasurer or deputy treasurer to make payments and transfers without prior board action until the next meeting (to November 13, per the motion). Those resolutions likewise passed unanimously.

Personnel and coaching hires: The board approved a large number of professional and support-staff recommendations and coaching appointments presented by district staff. Approved professional recommendations included Jason Carter as assistant swim coach and William (Bill) Lane as assistant girls basketball coach, among others. Support-staff and volunteer-coach approvals included lifeguards, paraprofessionals, volunteer assistant coaches and a recommendation to hire Hunter Wildy as district mechanic and assistant director of transportation. One motion specifically approved William Bill Dixon as Jennings County High School head swim coach, pending hiring requirements.

Donations and grants: The board accepted multiple donations for school programs and activities. Noted donations included $100 to Brush Creek Elementary student activities (chug soda), $865.43 for classroom grants from the Jennings County Community Foundation, $500 (anonymous) to the high school academic honor ceremony, $300 from Parkland Classic Cruisers of North Vernon for middle-school attendance incentives, and a $2,500 anonymous donation for a bunny breakfast at Sand Creek Elementary. Additional donors listed included First Baptist Church North Vernon, First United Methodist Church, Gonzales Companies LLC, RLM Engineering, State Farm (Greg and Nita Hicks), Kiwanis Club and others; the board approved the donations as read.

MOUs and program items: The board approved an MOU with Ivy Tech permitting Ivy Tech education students to observe classrooms as part of their preparation for education degrees, and it approved the annual MOU for dual-credit programming. A website vendor offered a no-cost upgrade to the district's website that would add user-friendly parent links and a Panther Online Academy; that item was presented as an informational update and did not require board action.

Process notes and next steps: Several approvals were explicitly "pending hiring requirements," and the resolution authorizing the treasurer to make payments without prior board action covers the interval until the next scheduled meeting. Board members repeatedly used first-name references during roll-call motions; each voice vote returned unanimous support where tallies were recorded as 5'00. No substantive debate or dissent on the major budget or personnel items is recorded in the meeting transcript.

Votes at a glance
- Approve consent agenda (routine): passed (motion by Cheryl; second by Travis) — vote: 5'00.
- Approve group of NEOLA policies: passed (motion by Mary Lynn; second by Curt) — vote: 5'00.
- Adopt 2026 school budget: passed (motion by board member; second by Cheryl) — vote: 5'00.
- Adopt 2026 capital project plan: passed (motion by Mary Lynn; second by Curt) — vote: 5'00.
- Adopt 2026 bus replacement plan: passed (motion by Cheryl; second by Travis) — vote: 5'00.
- Website upgrade (informational): no vote required; informational update only.
- Approve professional staff recommendations (multiple hires): passed (motion by Travis; second by Mary Lynn) — vote: 5'00.
- Approve support staff and volunteer coaches (multiple hires): passed (motion by Kirk/Curt; second by Cheryl) — vote: 5'00.
- Approve William Bill Dixon as head swim coach (pending hiring requirements): passed (motion by Mary Lynn; second by Travis) — vote: unanimous (aye recorded).
- Approve elementary basketball coaches and additions (multiple names): passed — vote: 5'00.
- Accept listed donations: passed — vote: 5'00.
- Resolution: reduction in appropriation (education and operation funds): passed — vote: 5'00.
- Resolution: authorize treasurer/deputy treasurer to pay claims and make transfers until Nov. 13: passed — vote: 5'00.
- MOU with Ivy Tech: passed — vote: 5'00.
- Annual dual-credit MOU: passed — vote: 5'00.

Ending
The board adjourned after approving the evening's agenda items. Several hires and approvals remain contingent on routine hiring checks; the treasurer authorization covers claims processing until the board's next meeting on or before Nov. 13, as indicated in the motion.