Smith County board clears routine budget, vendor and staffing items; elects new chair and vice chair
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Summary
The board approved a batch of consent and budget items at the meeting — including pay-scale updates, vendor awards, a short-term loan to school nutrition, and grant contracts — and elected Tommy Manning as chair and a vice chair by roll call votes.
The Smith County School Board approved multiple routine agenda items, including budget amendments, vendor approvals, updated pay scales and contract awards, and elected a new chair and vice chair during the meeting.
Tommy Manning was elected board chair by roll call. The board also elected a vice chair (name recorded in the vote roll call). Both elections were carried out by roll call votes after nominations.
On routine business the board recorded approvals by roll call for the following items (outcomes are indicated):
- Amendment to FY26 budget line items and a specific teacher-bonus allocation: Approved. Board members were told the state had deposited teacher-bonus funds at the trustee’s office and a budget amendment was needed to disburse them to qualifying teachers.
- Purchase/approval of milk-dispensing equipment for elementary cafeterias paid by dairy partners: Approved. Christie (school nutrition staff) told the board the machines are already in use at several schools and said, “It is cold, and that the taste is amazing,” adding that students prefer it over cartons.
- Approval of copy-paper vendors and routine procurement contracts: Approved by roll call.
- Updates to the district pay scale and supplemental pay for athletics and performing arts positions (coaching and play director supplements): Approved. Discussion noted comparisons to nearby counties and that some supplements might be revisited later.
- Short-term loan from the general fund to School Nutrition (to cover cafeteria operations temporarily): Approved. Board members discussed that the cafeteria fund would reimburse the general fund when revenue allows; staff said the district is working to increase meal participation and revenue.
- Grant contract with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA/FEMA) for disaster-related reimbursement: Approved. Staff confirmed the agreement is a reimbursement contract for disaster-related expenditures.
- Appointment of student-disciplinary hearing authority members and other routine governance lists: Approved.
Board staff and administrators noted that several items were driven by auditor guidance or state funding timelines: the vending-machine issue was described as a consequence of updated audit procedures requiring extra counting or controls, which led some schools to discontinue vending revenues and consider routing vending sales through cafeterias instead.
The full roll-call results for consent items were recorded on the meeting record; most routine proposals passed with the typical majority.
Next steps: staff will proceed with vendor contracts, implement approved pay-scale and supplement changes, and finalize transfers once County Commission approvals are secured where required.