Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Actions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Garrard County school board approves small tax cut, pay application and several contracts
Summary
At its first meeting of the school year the Garrard County School Board approved a slight cut in the 2026 real-estate tax rate, a $384,335.51 pay application for the new high school and multiple personnel and vendor contracts including a part-time public-relations contract and a part-time football trainer.
The Garrard County School Board on an otherwise routine opening meeting approved a slate of operational items, including a small reduction in the real-estate tax rate for 2026, a pay application for the new high school, several contracts and a new IDEA-funded special education position.
Board members voted unanimously to approve a pay application of $384,335.51 for the Garrett County High School (GCHS) construction project, which Speaker 3 said will clear retainage for three of four contractors and move the project closer to completion. "We have a pay application this month for $384,335.51 going to the 4 entities that you see listed there. For 3 of the 4, this will clear them," Speaker 3 said.
The board also approved the advertised 2026 tax rate, reducing the real-estate rate from 62.6¢ to 62.5¢. Personal property tax remains at 64¢ and the motor vehicle tax remains set by the state at 55.1¢, Speaker 3 said. "We are proposing a reduction in the tax rate for real estate from 62.6¢ to 62.5," Speaker 3 said. The board voted unanimously to adopt the rate.
On personnel and contracts, the board approved creation of an IDEA-funded special education position at Lancaster Elementary for the 2025–26 school year after Speaker 3 reported caseloads there are "already fairly above" recommended levels. The board approved an amended contract with UK Health to restore certified athletic trainer coverage and correct previous payment timing, a one-year part-time public relations contract for 88 days (44 travel days) at a total cost of $29,240.20 naming Priscilla Verlan as the proposed contractor, and a short-term part-time football trainer contract at a stated cost of about $2,640 with Jordan Crutchfield recommended as the licensed provider.
The board approved the Garrett County Schools Federal Program Information Handbook for 2025–26, and approved modest increases to adult meal prices — adult breakfast from $3.15 to $3.25 and adult lunch from $4.85 to $5.00 — while Speaker 3 clarified that student meals remain free.
The meeting moved into an executive session later in the agenda. After returning to open session, the board unanimously authorized its counsel "to negotiate litigation as discussed in the executive session," Speaker 2 moved. The board adjourned after that action.
Votes at a glance: the consent agenda and all action items on the agenda were approved by unanimous voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
What happens next: The board tabled revisions to the Hall of Fame guidelines for further work and will return that item next month; other approved contracts and staffing changes will be implemented through normal administrative processes.
