Hawkins County board OKs district advance to install Volunteer High scoreboard; Cardinal Glass to reimburse over five years

The Hawkins County Board of Education on June 5 approved a plan to use district funds to pay for installation of a new scoreboard at Volunteer High School’s stadium, with the district to be reimbursed by annual donations from Cardinal Glass over five years.

Board members voted to move forward after Director of Schools Nate Nixon told the board Cardinal Glass had “promised to move forward on an annual donation of roughly $50,000 over a span of 5 years,” and the district would front the cost so the company could see the donation completed sooner rather than waiting to collect the full amount.

The board discussed timing and legal limits. Nixon said the district cannot “assume debt, so we can't pay a third party to fund it and then make payments to that third party,” which he described as constraining options and supporting the plan to pay from district funds and accept reimbursement over the five‑year schedule.

Board members also cited prior price increases as a reason to act now. A board member noted that estimates show the kind of scoreboards purchased before the COVID pandemic have since roughly doubled in price, and waiting to collect all funds could substantially increase the final cost.

The motion, as stated at the meeting, was to allocate funds from the district’s fund balance (general/district funds) to pay for the scoreboard installation and to be reimbursed by Cardinal Glass’ annual donations over five years. The motion was seconded and carried with no recorded opposition.

Nixon said the district and its finance office were comfortable with the plan and that the board intends to treat any similarly sized donation equitably if other schools receive comparable offers in the future, provided the arrangement meets legal and comptroller requirements.

Votes at a glance - Approval to fund Volunteer High scoreboard with district funds, reimbursed by Cardinal Glass over five years — Motion carried; no opposition recorded. - Minutes of the May 1, 2025 meeting — Approved. - Approval of agenda format — Approved. - Consent agenda (items A–19 and budget amendment B, with five policies pulled for separate discussion) — Approved. - Approval of five revised policies after discussion (4.301, 4.600, 5.105, 5.106, 5.611 as referenced in the meeting) — Approved.

What the board recorded - Donation amount and schedule: Cardinal Glass committed to roughly $50,000 per year for five years (totaling about $250,000), according to the director’s description. The district will accept annual reimbursement to the fund that initially covers the installation. - Legal/finance constraint: the district cannot legally assume third‑party debt; the plan requires up‑front payment by the district and subsequent reimbursement. - Rationale cited: avoid future price increases and allow the donor to see the project completed earlier.

Implementation steps and next actions noted at the meeting - District staff will coordinate among the district bookkeeper, the local Cardinal Glass plant leadership and the donor’s coordinator to finalize timing, budgeting and procurement details. - The superintendent and finance staff indicated readiness to pursue installation as soon as fiscal‑year timing and budget year‑end rules permit.

Context and background - The superintendent said the district has not previously handled a donation of this magnitude in the same way and emphasized the board’s intent to handle any future large donations consistently and legally. - The board discussed equity: if another school receives a comparable donation, the board stated it would pursue a like approach where permissible.

Ending The board did not provide an itemized vendor contract or an installation timeline at the meeting; the district said it will return with procurement details and timing once those steps are coordinated with the donor and the district finance office.