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Oak Ridge board approves budget amendment, Head Start grant, laptop purchases and other routine items
Summary
At its March meeting the Oak Ridge Board of Education unanimously approved a series of standard agenda items including a midyear budget transfer and amendment, a Head Start baseline grant, the purchase of 3,500 student laptops and related accessories, and several personnel and contract actions.
The Oak Ridge Board of Education, meeting in March, unanimously approved a package of consent and action items including a midyear budget transfer and amendment, a preschool Head Start baseline grant, a training and technical assistance plan for Head Start funds, nonresident tuition rates for FY26, several personnel and program approvals, and purchases for student technology.
Votes at a glance (motions, movers/second when recorded, outcome)
- Approval of the agenda: Motion made by Miss Webb, seconded by Dr. Hartman. Outcome: approved unanimously. (Transcript excerpt: “Motion made by miss Webb, seconded by doctor Hartman. … Motion passes unanimously.”)
- Consent agenda: Motion made by Dr. Hartman, seconded by Miss Craven. Outcome: approved unanimously.
- FY25 budget transfer number 2 and budget amendment number 1 (second reading): Superintendent recommended approval; motion made by Miss Webb, seconded by Dr. Hartman. Outcome: approved unanimously. Notes: described in the meeting as a midyear spending/budget transfer.
- Tenure status for eligible staff member Melissa Morris: Superintendent recommended approval; motion made by Dr. Hartman, seconded by Miss Webb. Outcome: approved unanimously.
- FY26 Preschool Head Start baseline grant (five-year grant): Superintendent recommended approval; motion made by Miss Craven, seconded by Miss Webb. Outcome: approved unanimously. Details: requested award amount $1,075,035 to provide services for 118 three- and four-year-old students; the grant package was attached to the agenda item.
- FY26 Preschool Head Start training and technical assistance plan: Superintendent recommended approval; motion made by Miss Webb, seconded by Miss Craven. Outcome: approved unanimously. Details: plan specifies use of $9,317 in Head Start training and technical assistance funds tied to community assessment and self-assessment results.
- FY26 nonresident tuition rates: Superintendent recommended approval; motion made by Dr. Hartman, seconded by Miss Krank (also recorded as Crank in transcript). Outcome: approved unanimously. Note: Board Policy 6.204 requires nonresident students to pay tuition set annually by the Board; availability will depend on resident enrollment and school capacity.
- Selection of Oak Ridge Schools Volunteer of the Year: Board received nominations and conducted ballots; Sarah Cunha (Linden Elementary) was selected; motion to approve made by Miss Webb, seconded by Miss Craven. Outcome: approved unanimously.
- Oak Ridge High School yearbook (Oak Log) contract: Superintendent recommended contracting with Jostens for 2025–26 yearbook services in the amount of $49,625; motion made by Miss Krank, seconded by Dr. Borchers (record shows Jostens was the recommended vendor). Outcome: approved unanimously.
- Purchase of 3,500 Lenovo student laptops (grades 5–12): Superintendent recommended approval of 3,500 Lenovo laptops in the amount of $3,111,500; motion made by Dr. Hartman, seconded by Miss Webb. Outcome: approved unanimously. Discussion: administrators said devices are over four years old and out of warranty; the district has a set-aside begun in 2021 that will cover about $2,000,000 of the replacement cost, leaving roughly $1,000,000 to budget.
- Purchase of 3,500 Bump Armor laptop bags: Superintendent recommended approval in the amount of $105,000; motion made by Dr. Hartman, seconded by Miss Craven. Outcome: approved unanimously.
- Robertsville Middle School Rams Cube Club: Superintendent recommended approval; motion made by Miss Webb, seconded by Miss Krank. Outcome: approved unanimously.
How the board voted: For most motions the transcript records “Motion passes unanimously.” The meeting did not include roll-call vote tallies by individual board member name in the public transcript for these items.
Context and significance: Many of the approvals are recurring operational items (grants, contracts, personnel confirmations) and routine budget actions tied to the district’s annual financial cycle. The laptop purchase will initiate a replacement cycle the district said is typically every four years; administrators discussed a previously established $3,000,000 set-aside created in 2021 (partly from federal COVID funding) and noted the set-aside will not fully cover the current purchase.
Speakers
