Lauderdale County Board approves superintendent pay, personnel moves, bids and instructional adoptions

The Lauderdale County Board of Education on March 18 unanimously approved a slate of routine and substantive items, including a $200,000 annual salary for Superintendent Jerry Hill and a series of personnel appointments, contracts and procurements.

The board voted to set Hill’s salary at $200,000, listed in meeting materials as effective April 1, 2025. The action was recorded as part of the consent agenda and passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The superintendent’s salary and the personnel appointments determine district leadership pay and staffing costs. The board also approved contracts and bids that affect district operations and facilities spending.

Board actions and key approvals included: a unanimous vote to approve the agenda; approval of financial reports and disbursements for months through Jan. 31, 2026; acceptance of minutes from the Feb. 6 meeting; vendor payment to Johnson, Paseur, Medley for $2,750.00; a joint purchasing agreement for the Child Nutrition Program for 2026–27; adoption of social studies instructional resources for 2026–27 (elementary and secondary materials); and several personnel actions including hires, transfers, resignations, retirements and supplements.

Procurement highlights: For the district’s propane gas bid, ThompsonGas, LLC submitted the lowest bid at $1.38 per gallon; Phoenix Contracting and Vaughan Gas Co. also submitted competitive bids. The board also approved Hughes Flooring Design as the low bidder ($38,264.00) for the Brooks High School gym floor.

Personnel and travel: The board approved multiple staffing items across classified and certified ranks and granted leaves of absence and fills for those leaves. It approved the appointment of Laura Lee Keener as head girls basketball coach at Brooks High for 2026–27, several retirements with June 1, 2026 effective dates, and a series of overnight employee and student travel requests tied to conferences and competitions; funding sources were noted as either general funds or local school funds on each item.

Contracts and limits: The board approved a contract for Greg Montgomery to serve in district-wide maintenance at $32.00 per hour through Dec. 31, 2026, and acknowledged state limits on post-retirement contracts.

Votes at a glance: All recorded motions during the meeting passed unanimously. Motion makers and seconders were documented in the minutes for each item.

What’s next: The board scheduled its next regular meeting for April 8, 2026, at 9 a.m.; several items approved as part of the consent agenda will be implemented per the dates and funding sources in the packet.

The meeting adjourned after a short executive session and return to open session.