Haywood County school board approves nutrition contracts, budgets, facility projects and names Tuscola complex for Jody Ward

The Haywood County Schools Board of Education on a single consent and business docket approved multiple contracts, budget resolutions and facilities projects and voted to name the Tuscola High School baseball and softball complex the Jody Ward Memorial Athletic Complex.

The board voted to award the Child Nutrition beverage contract to Pepsi and approved several contract extensions for milk, chemicals, food-supply, produce and ice cream vendors. Members also voted to continue offering free meals for all schools under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the coming school year.

Board members approved a set of capital expenditures and change orders: replacement of a gym floor at Meadowbrook Elementary (Carolina Hardwood, $159,608; insurance to pay $149,687.90; $9,920.10 to be paid from capital funds), purchase of two mowers and four weed-eaters ($21,356.46), and a $14,000 change order to widen the Waynesville Middle School parking lot. They accepted an at‑no‑cost scoreboard replacement at Bethel Middle School donated and paid for by Bethel youth with installation by district maintenance.

Administrators presented program plans and curriculum purchases. The board approved the two-year Career and Technical Education (CTE) plan signature page and the revised AIG (Academically or Intellectually Gifted) plan, both slated for implementation next school year. The board also approved a middle‑school science program and associated kits and digital content, with an initial package priced at about $140,000 to be paid from textbook funds.

On finance, the board approved monthly finance reports, budget amendment No. 8 and a resolution authorizing the superintendent or designee to approve fiscal-year-end budget amendments with February reporting to the board; it also adopted an interim budget resolution to keep operations funded until the state budget and final district budget are set.

In personnel actions the board approved two grouped personnel resolutions: a large consent package covering 15 employments, multiple status changes, contracted services and coaching assignments; and a separate vote to approve three administrator contracts. The first package passed unanimously; the administrator-contract vote passed 6–2.

A special‑issues motion to waive one clause of the district naming policy (the three‑year wait following a person’s service) passed 7–1, after which the board voted to rename the Tuscola High School baseball/softball complex the Jody Ward Memorial Athletic Complex.

Several items were presented as informational only, including recognition of employees, retirees and community donations following Hurricane Helene; the board said the district received more than $250,000 in monetary donations and large in‑kind support from churches, nonprofits and other school districts.

Votes at a glance - Award Child Nutrition beverage bid to Pepsi — motion carried unanimously. - Approve contract extensions for milk (Dean Foods), chemicals (Web Chemical), food supply (US Foods), produce (Marvin’s Produce) and ice cream (Hershey’s) — motion carried unanimously. - Continue offering free meals through CEP — motion carried unanimously (moved by Mr. Henson, seconded by Mr. Rogers). - Approve CTE plan signature page — motion carried unanimously. - Approve revised AIG plan — motion carried unanimously. - Approve purchase of middle‑school science program (one‑time digital and kits ~$140,000 from textbook funds) — motion carried unanimously. - Approve Bethel Middle scoreboard replacement (donation; district to install) — motion carried unanimously. - Approve Meadowbrook gym floor replacement (Carolina Hardwood $159,608; insurance $149,687.90; $9,920.10 capital funds) — motion carried unanimously. - Purchase two mowers and four weed‑eaters for Pisgah and Tuscola ($21,356.46) — motion carried unanimously. - Approve $14,000 change order to widen Waynesville Middle School parking lot — motion carried unanimously. - Waive one clause of policy 9,300 (facility naming waiting period) — motion carried 7–1. - Rename Tuscola HS baseball/softball complex to Jody Ward Memorial Athletic Complex — motion carried unanimously. - Approve monthly finance reports and budget amendment No. 8 — motions carried unanimously. - Approve June budget amendment and revision resolution (superintendent authorized to approve 06/30/2025 amendments with report to board at July meeting) — motion carried unanimously. - Adopt interim 2025–26 budget resolution to fund operations until final state budget — motion carried unanimously. - Personnel consent package (employments, status changes, leaves, contracts, coaches) — motion carried unanimously. - Approval of three administrator contracts — motion carried 6–2.

Discussion vs. decisions Most items were handled on the consent/business docket with motions and roll‑call style votes and required no substantive debate. Presenters provided summary information for the CTE update (noting roughly 1,147 CTE credentials earned this year pending final certification in August) and for the revised AIG plan (process of surveys and DPI feedback). The board discussed cost and funding source for the middle‑school science program (the full package cost and ongoing consumable costs) before approving its purchase from textbook funds. The naming request required the board to first waive a policy provision before approving the facility name.

What the record shows and what it does not The meeting record shows vote outcomes and the dollar amounts of capital purchases and insurance contributions where presenters provided figures (gym floor, mower purchase, paving change order, science program, relief donations). Several votes were recorded as unanimous without individual member vote‑by‑name in the public transcript; where the transcript records a split vote (the naming waiver, the administrator contracts), only the tallies are specified, not the roll‑call name list of dissenting members.

Next steps and follow‑ups - Implementation of the awarded contracts and vendor extensions per procurement timelines. - Execution of the Meadowbrook gym floor replacement and parking lot widening projects by vendors and district maintenance, funded as approved. - Deployment of the approved middle‑school science program and ongoing purchase of consumables in future years from textbook funds. - Superintendent/designee to process fiscal year‑end budget amendments as authorized and report them to the board at the July meeting.

(Reporting note: this article summarizes actions recorded in the official meeting transcript and motions as read aloud during the June meeting.)