Board approves CTE equipment awards, cites vendor price concerns; Eastman MOU noted
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Summary
Hawkins County Board of Education approved accepting the lowest bids for career and technical education (CTE) equipment at Cherokee, Clinch and Volunteer high schools after staff said some items were executive-approved earlier to lock prices. Staff also reported a new MOU with Eastman Chemical Company to expand work‑based learning opportunities.
The Hawkins County Board of Education on Oct. 2 approved accepting the best and lowest bids for CTE equipment for Cherokee, Clinch and Volunteer high schools, after staff told the board some prices were secured earlier through executive committee action to avoid an Oct. 1 vendor price increase.
Staff said the district ran a single, multi‑product bid at the mayor’s request to simplify procurement and that several vendors did not bid on every item. Thomas (staff member) told the board column 4 (KinTech Machinery) contained items that were executive‑approved so the district could “lock those in” after the vendor warned of a roughly 10% price increase effective Oct. 1. Board members confirmed the highlighted items represented the lowest acceptable bids before voting.
Why it matters: District staff said locking pricing prevented later change orders and reduced the risk of being unable to afford required CTE equipment. The purchases will be paid from Innovative School Model funds, Carl Perkins dollars and general purpose funds as listed in the procurement materials.
Details: During the presentation staff displayed a single bid sheet with multiple product lines and explained which columns represented executive approvals and which items were pending board approval. Board members questioned which vendors submitted low bids and whether all items were included in the board packet; staff confirmed the full bid list was in the packet and that several items showed “no bid” because vendors do not specialize in those products.
The board moved to approve a motion to accept the best and lowest bids for the equipment at Cherokee, Clinch and Volunteer and approved it by voice vote. The motion covered the items that had been executive‑approved earlier (to hold pricing) as well as the remaining low bids for approval by the full board.
Context: District leaders also announced a memorandum of understanding with Eastman Chemical Company to expand work‑based learning opportunities for students. The MOU was described as providing additional opportunities for students to “work alongside executives and others as they learn skills they can use post high school,” and staff thanked legal counsel for finalizing the agreement.
What’s next: Staff will proceed with the awarded purchases. No timeline for installation or delivery was provided in the discussion.