Education Committee refers booster-club debt report to Budget Committee

The Sumner County Education Committee on Feb. 3 voted to refer a report on debts held by school booster organizations to the county Budget Committee after hearing the debts had been used to fund facility improvements, officials said.

Director of Schools Dr. Scott Langford presented the ledger of school support organization debts, explaining that the balances reflected money used for athletic- and facility-related work. The record contains an attachment listing individual balances; the transcript lists at least $464,701.53 for Beech High School, $164,601 for Hendersonville High School, $213,829 for Station Camp High School and $323,000 for Westmoreland High School — a combined total of at least $1,166,131.53 across those schools.

Chairman Jerry Becker briefly suspended the rules so Dr. Langford could speak to the booster-club debt list. Commission Chairman Merrol Hyde said the county may need a standing capital projects committee to provide ongoing oversight of project funding and large facility investments. Commissioner Don Schmit moved to send the booster-club debt report to the Budget Committee; Commissioner Terry Wright seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. The transcript does not specify an individual vote tally.

The referral means the Budget Committee will receive the booster-club debt report for review; no policy change or new county action was adopted by the Education Committee at this meeting. The attachments to the meeting record include the debt ledger and project status reports provided by Dr. Langford.