Warren County Schools board approves tractor purchase, gym renovation and international‑teacher contracts

Warren County Schools Board members voted on Nov. 12 to approve several capital and contract items, including the purchase of a backhoe/front‑end loader, a renovation of the high‑school gym concession stand and contracts to hire international teachers, and they adopted the district’s improvement plan.

The board approved buying equipment from Vanco Outdoor Equipment after administrators said repeated rental and emergency contracting had become costly. Dr. Dennis Carrington reported the low bid from Vanco at $48,821.04, and maintenance director Dom Azale told the board the district had been without its own backhoe for three years, leaving maintenance staff to rent equipment or seek contractors for emergency work. "For the last 3 years, we've been without a backhoe," Azale said, arguing the purchase would reduce outside costs and physical strain on aging maintenance staff.

In a separate action, the board approved a $39,500 renovation of the Warren County High School gym concession stand to extend the space roughly six feet, add plumbing and update flooring, tile and electrical work. Administrators said both contracts for the projects had been reviewed by legal counsel.

The board also approved contracts with two international staffing vendors to fill critical vacancies in science, math and exceptional‑children positions. Dr. Keedra Whitaker presented per‑teacher costs and clarified a prior counting error; she said the corrected total for the placements discussed is $97,500 after confirming the number of teachers (five) and recalculating. "So that should be 5 teachers total instead of 6… the cost is still $97,500," Whitaker said when the board sought clarification.

The meeting also included a procedural vote to add the Warren County Schools District Improvement Plan as action item 8.4; after administrators reported that the district improvement plan website had received 122 hits for public comment, the board approved the plan by voice vote.

Votes at a glance - Vanco tractor contract (Vanco Outdoor Equipment) — reported low bid $48,821.04; motion carried by voice vote. - High‑school gym concession renovation (Vadio Incorporated listed as a contractor on the agenda) — project cost presented as $39,500; motion carried by voice vote. - Global Partners / Educational Partners International (international‑teacher contracts) — per‑placement breakdown presented; corrected total for placements discussed: $97,500; motion carried by voice vote. - Warren County Schools District Improvement Plan (added as agenda item 8.4) — motion to approve carried by voice vote; administrators said public comment portal recorded 122 hits. - Personnel report — approved by voice vote after closed session.

Board members made the approvals by recorded motions and voice votes; no roll‑call tallies were read into the record. Several board members and administrators praised keeping work in‑county where possible and thanked staff for preparing the contracts and cost information. The board convened a closed session for confidential matters, returned to open session and approved a personnel report before adjourning.

What happens next: Administrators will finalize contracts and procurement steps for the approved projects and proceed with scheduling the coach visits and construction work noted in the agenda materials.