The Huntsville School District board approved a $500 Christmas bonus for each employee during its August 2025 meeting and discussed several facilities and transportation items that could affect the district budget.

A presenter told the board that parent/partner committees (PPCs) had been consulted and a majority supported a $500 holiday bonus; the board called for a motion, the motion was seconded by a board member identified as Natalie, and the meeting audio later described the allocation as approved. The transcript does not record a clear numerical vote tally or identify the member who originally moved the motion.

The board also heard about two used buses available through a connection with another district: a 72-passenger bus with bucket seats and a handicap-accessible bus with a lift; presenters said the handicap bus had a new engine and that used vehicles may be purchased without a public bid. The board was asked to approve the purchases so the district could take advantage of the offer.

On facilities, staff discussed applying for state matching funds in the BM 28 funding cycle for roofing work at Saint Paul middle school and an intermediate school roof. Staff estimated the award would cover about 69% of projected costs and said the district expects to know award results in May (the application timeline was described as the next BM cycle, not a finalized award).

A change order to pave baseball/softball parking and an indoor workout area was presented; staff said the cost could be paid from a contingency fund listed in the packet as $130,731. The transcript shows the change-order figure in garbled form as "$117.09 46"; the exact amount was unclear in the audio excerpt. Staff recommended using contingency funds to cover the work if the board agreed.

Separately, the superintendent/presenter said the district had been advised by counsel that the district may have been out of compliance in one area related to personal-care services: an attorney told the district RNs should oversee those services and sign off on them, and staff noted the state department gave conflicting guidance. Staff said they "feel like we need to compensate our RN that's doing that for us," but no formal compensation action or vote is recorded in the excerpt.

Personnel items—including classified resignations and hires and transfers—were read into the record and the board asked for a motion to approve those items later in the meeting packet.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the policies with changes were entered into a 30-day review and will return to the board on the next agenda; staff will also supply additional transfer/homeschool data on request.