Cheatham County school board approves athletics and fine‑arts supplement; accepts grants and authorizes property sale

The Cheatham County Board of Education voted unanimously Sept. 11 to approve a fund‑balance supplement described during the meeting as between $342,444 and $343,444 to implement an athletics and fine‑arts supplement, effective July 1 with retroactive pay. Board members said the change is intended to make stipends for coaches and arts staff more competitive and to correct a long period without adjustments.

The supplement request was one of several finance and routine items the board approved in a single meeting that also included acceptance of grants, approval of carryover funds for the Innovative School Model, authorization to negotiate a property sale and routine contract and policy actions. The board handled the supplement after several members described the step as overdue and said the amount was developed with input from coaches, athletic directors and school staff.

Board members who spoke in support framed the supplement as an attempt to bring parity and market competitiveness to extracurricular stipends. One member said the effort had taken months and input from “boots on the ground”—coaches and school athletic directors—and another said the board had aimed to be conservative while correcting decades of underpayment. Several board members urged coaches, arts teachers, parents and students to attend the upcoming county commission meeting, where the…