Board reviews and clears multiple budget amendments, including $2.03M teacher bonus reimbursement and voluntary pre-K grant entries
Jackson Madison County School System Board of Education · December 16, 2025
Summary
Board staff described a series of line-item transfers and budget amendments — including a $2,034,263.60 teacher-bonus reimbursement, a $496,695.55 voluntary pre-K grant, and several smaller transfers — and noted one technology amendment amount discrepancy to be corrected before final consent approval.
During the work session preceding the regular meeting the board reviewed a set of budget amendments and line-item transfers that administration said will appear on the consent agenda.
Mr. Thompson walked the board through the packet and explained which transfers require only board approval and which must also go to the county commission. "If it's a line item transfer within the same fund and it doesn't affect salaries, then those line item transfers only need to be approved by this board and do not have to go to the county commission for approval," he said.
Key budget items described in the work session included a $100,000 transfer within the transportation fund (diesel fuel to vehicle parts); a technology transfer with a noted discrepancy between $104,200 (cover-sheet total) and $128,200 (actual amendment request); athletics ticket-sale proceeds moved to expendable lines ($3,488); fine arts proceeds ($3,140); a $49,000 health services donation moved to payroll correction lines; $3,500 for student support from donations; $14,300 moved into library books and media from software lines; a $496,695.55 voluntary pre-K grant alignment; a $2,034,263.60 teacher bonus reimbursement that places state funds into the lines from which the bonuses were already paid; and a $369,000 special-education transfer to cover contracts addressing staff shortages.
Thompson noted the Education Foundation grant amendment (about $46,909.50) moves funds between lines to allow expenditures for literacy programs and instructional incentives. He acknowledged a math discrepancy on the technology request and told the board the item would be pulled to correct the accounting before the consent agenda vote.
A board member asked whether the large teacher-bonus reimbursement came from fund balance; Thompson said the reimbursement flowed into the line items where bonuses were initially paid and "we never moved anything for fund balance." The transcript records the consent agenda motion later carried in the regular meeting; several of these amendments were included in that consent agenda.
The meeting record includes line-item amounts and descriptions but does not show individual roll-call votes for each amendment; the consent agenda was adopted by voice vote.
The board did not change the substance of the amendments at that time; staff said they would correct numeric discrepancies and present the finalized amendments on the consent agenda.
