Elizabethton Board OKs one-time policy waiver to accept $100,000 Harbor Freight grant for high-school instructor

The Elizabethton Board of Education unanimously approved a one-time suspension of board policies to accommodate a $100,000 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools award to a high-school instructor, board members said.

Director Richard Van Huss told the board that Jerry Egan, a high-school instructor, wrote a successful grant application to Harbor Freight Tools for Schools that included a provision for some funds to be dispersed directly to the instructor. Van Huss said the district identified two policies—policy 5.11 (compensation-related policy) and policy 5.605 (staff gifts and solicitations)—that could conflict with the grant’s requested disbursement language; policy 5.1 was also discussed as a related compensation reference. Van Huss recommended suspending the two policies only for this specific award so the district could meet the funder’s requirements.

Board policy 1.6 was cited to explain the procedure for suspending board policies: suspension may occur by a unanimous vote of members present or by a two-thirds vote of the full membership. The board approved the recommendation and the chair announced the motion carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Van Huss and the board emphasized the suspension was limited to this single award and would end when the award process is complete.

The board did not record a formal roll-call tally in the transcript. Van Huss noted the district typically does not receive grants that include direct compensation for an employee and described this as an uncommon, one-time situation.

What’s next: The suspension was approved only for this specific Harbor Freight award; the board did not adopt a permanent policy change in the meeting’s record. The transcript indicates district staff will proceed to implement the award consistent with the temporary waiver.