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White County schools win $607,000 state performance award, officials say

White County Board of Commissioners · February 18, 2026

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Summary

School board leaders told the White County Commission that improved student growth and achievement produced multiple level‑5 schools and earned the district a $607,000 state performance award to help ease local budget pressure.

White County School Board Chairman Bob Young and Director Kirk Drombarger told the county commission in February that recent state and national test results show strong local performance and that the district will receive a $607,000 state reward based on this year’s metrics.

"We have 6 reward schools, which means they're amongst the best in the state as far as growth and achievement goes," Drombarger said, citing both Tennessee metrics and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results. He said White County is one of a small number of districts in Tennessee to surpass pre‑COVID NAEP performance in the tested grades.

Young told commissioners that five of the district’s eight schools earned level‑5 ratings and that four schools received an A on the state report card. "That information goes to state, gets compiled and we typically get our report after the first of the next year," he said, emphasizing the link between performance and funding.

Drombarger said the $607,000 award is new money allocated to the district this year and that the board expects the funds to reduce financial pressure on schools. Commissioners and school officials discussed recruitment plans and teacher retention as part of sustaining the district’s performance.

The presentation concluded with the school board thanking the commission for county funding that supports about 20% of the local school budget. Board chairman Young said the district will continue recruiting at Tennessee Tech and highlighted plans to use the award to support classroom and student needs.

The school board did not present a line‑item plan for the $607,000 during the meeting; officials said detailed budgeting and implementation steps will be handled by the district.