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Lebanon board approves science textbooks, teacher bonus resolution and several routine items
Summary
The Lebanon School Board approved a district science textbook adoption and a state-directed bonus resolution, and cleared multiple routine motions including an overnight student trip, registration fees for invention convention participants, a technology surplus and use of outcomes funding for a staff clinic.
At a regular meeting, the Lebanon School Board approved a set of instructional and administrative items, including the district's science textbook adoption and a resolution to participate in state teacher bonus distributions under the Education Freedom Act of 2025.
The board voted to adopt the district's recommended K–8 science materials from Savvas following review by a textbook committee. Board members discussed that the adoption bundle includes print textbooks, the vendor's online materials and science kit supplies intended for hands-on experiments across the district. Committee members tested three vendors and focused on elementary and middle-grade continuity so students would not change textbook providers during the fifth-to-sixth-grade transition. The adoption was moved and approved by voice vote.
The board also approved a resolution titled Resolution 24-25-2 to allow the district to participate in Section 4 of the Education Freedom Act of 2025, a state program that will route bonuses through the state's payment system (referred to in the meeting as Tennessee Compass). Board staff said the state will verify roster eligibility and that the district will follow state timelines once a state budget is enacted.
Other motions approved on voice votes included: - Approval of an overnight field trip for Winfrey Bryant Middle School to Washington/Baltimore in the coming school year; the trip is organized by an outside vendor and travel logistics/funds are the responsibility of families, with fundraising permitted. - Approval to pay registration fees (about $300 per team) for district students attending the National Invention Convention (Henry Ford Museum) for teams that qualified; the district will cover registration only. - Approval to carry over 2024 federal/outcomes funding to cover the district staff medical clinic for the next year; staff noted the clinic began with COVID-related dollars and the carryover avoids charging the recurring operating budget. - Approval of community use of district facilities for the Good News Club after legal review by district counsel. - Approval to declare an inventory of older technology items as surplus (Chromebooks and other obsolete devices) to clear space for new equipment.
Each of the above motions passed by the board during the meeting; vote tallies were recorded as voice votes (“Aye”) with no roll-call tallies provided in the transcript.
The board's consent agenda — including approval of the prior meeting minutes — was approved earlier in the meeting, and there were no public-comment speakers signed up.
The director of schools and staff also provided a financial overview in the meeting packet showing year-to-date revenue items (local option sales tax and state funding streams including TISA) and noted several positive variances; that financial briefing was informational and not the subject of a separate vote.
