Boone County board approves fees, calendar, 1% annuity match and $350,000‑per‑school safety upgrades

Boone County’s Board of Education approved several routine and policy items at the meeting, including fiscal reports, a revised school calendar, a director‑of‑finance job description update, a district annuity match program and a districtwide safety and translation technology package.

Treasurer Katie Noonan reported the March financials: an adjusted cash balance of $96,926,524, receipts near $7,000,000, expenditures of about $13,500,000 and an ending balance of $93,133,235. The board approved the consent agenda (items A through NN) by voice vote, 5–0.

New business approvals included district school fees and meal prices for 2025–26 (approved 5–0) and a revised 2024–25 calendar that adds four instructional days to meet required minutes (approved 5–0). The board also approved a job description update for the director of finance (5–0).

On benefits, the board approved a district annuity match program recommended by the superintendent that will provide a 1% employer match to employees’ base salary/wages. Superintendent Dr. Haswell described the change as part of a larger attraction and retention strategy and said introductory communications would go to staff and principals before the initiative’s rollout.

The board also approved a districtwide translation, intercom and school‑safety upgrade package designed to replace aging intercom systems and add modern safety features, including teacher emergency buttons and targeted announcements that can indicate whether doors are locked. Dr. Haswell said principals supported rolling the upgrades out comprehensively rather than in phases; he estimated an average cost of $350,000 per building and framed the work as both a safety and instructional improvement. “We can intercom select sections of the building or select classrooms…[and] announcements in the hallways will tell students when they need to take cover,” he said.

On property and casualty insurance, the board approved a recommendation to engage a consultant for a 9–12 month study intended to analyze coverage and protect district interests. The motion passed with one no vote (4–1). An opposing board member said the district may be underinsured and warned the board that longer contractual commitments could make it difficult to exit a pooled arrangement.

Votes at a glance: • Consent agenda (A–NN): passed 5–0 (voice vote). • New business A (district fees, admission, meal prices 2025–26): passed 5–0. • New business B (revised 2024–25 calendar): passed 5–0. • New business C (director of finance job description update): passed 5–0. • New business D (district annuity 1% match provider): passed 5–0. • New business E (districtwide translation/intercom/safety upgrades): passed 5–0. Superintendent estimated ~$350,000 per building. • New business F (property and casualty insurance consultant recommendation): passed 4–1; one board member voted no and expressed concerns about coverage adequacy and exit terms from insurance pools.

The superintendent also provided an update on federal ESSER funds and said the district is appealing reimbursement decisions on encumbered contracts (about $650,000) while confirming roughly $1.25 million had been expended or encumbered previously. He said Boone County was highlighted in state reporting as the only Kentucky district to show "accelerated learning" since COVID.

Board members closed the meeting with informational items—mental‑health program expansion (Hope Squad in middle and high schools), community programming updates, and an Excellence in Education banquet announcement—then adjourned.