Franklin County board recommends candidate for schools director, authorizes chair to negotiate

The Franklin County School Board voted to recommend a candidate for director of schools and authorized the board chair to enter contract negotiations with the candidate. The recommendation was moved by Mister Williams and seconded by Miss Schultz; a roll call showed affirmative votes from the members present. Following brief remarks by the nominee, the board approved a motion giving the chair authority to negotiate terms and report back.

The actions came during routine business that also included approval of the meeting agenda and the consent agenda, which covered several student field trips and previous meeting minutes. The board approved a February 2026 budget amendment to earmark unspent transportation-equipment funds for next year and adopted a personnel policy update (listed in the record as policy 5.35.302).

The nominee who addressed the board thanked members for their confidence and said they were humbled by the opportunity to lead the district. A board member described the chair as the district’s spokesman and said contract discussions are typically handled by the chair on behalf of the board. The chair noted that contract terms would be shared for input before finalization.

Votes at a glance • Recommendation for director of schools — motion by Mister Williams; second by Miss Schultz; roll-call recorded affirmative votes and the motion carried. • Authorization for board chair to negotiate contract with nominee — motion carried by voice vote. • Consent agenda (field trips, minutes, student events) — approved by voice vote. • February 2026 budget amendment (transportation equipment reallocation) — motion carried by voice vote. • Policy 5.35.302 (short-term leave / sick-leave alignment) — approved by voice vote.

Next steps: The chair is authorized to negotiate the director’s contract and will bring negotiation results back to the board for review.