Henderson County School Board approves FY2027 budget with 3% pay increase and $4 million for capital outlay

The Henderson County School Board on the adopted its fiscal 2027 budget, voting unanimously to approve a package that includes a roughly 3% cost‑of‑living increase for employees and a $4,000,000 allocation from capital reserves for planned projects.

Mr. Beauchamp, the district's director of schools, framed the proposal as "people‑centered," saying that 80–83% of the district's expenditures are personnel costs and that the board prioritized staff compensation within constrained operating resources. "This budget prioritizes our people," he said, asking the board to support the package.

Megan Vineyard, the district finance director, presented updated revenue estimates after the April TISA calculation. Vineyard reported a TISA figure of $32,543,008.13—about $55,000 higher than the March estimate—and a packet total revenue figure of $41,000,003.94, which the budget documents reflect.

Vineyard also told the board the district had received word that health insurance premiums are projected to rise — she described a projected increase of about 10% — and confirmed the proposed budget contains funds to address that expected cost.

Board members then handled a series of line items and individual motions related to personnel and operations before approving the full budget. Actions approved included salary adjustments (with corrected language to include contracted bus drivers in the $1,000 sign‑on line), an employee medical insurance package, a $6,000 retirement bonus for eligible non‑certified employees, the addition of a half‑time assistant at Westover (the district's second‑largest school), a one‑time $1,000 incentive for new full‑time bus drivers (including contracted drivers), and up to $2,000 in storm pay for maintenance staff in addition to the 3% increase. Each item was approved by roll‑call vote; the board recorded all motions as carried.

On the capital side, the board approved reallocating $4,000,000 from reserves to capital outlay to fund planned projects discussed during the meeting. Mr. Beauchamp said those projects will align with the district's strategic plan.

After the votes, Mr. Beauchamp and other members commended Vineyard for her work preparing the budget. Chair Mr. Walker then opened the floor for public comment; none were offered, and the meeting was adjourned.

The board did not identify public commenters, and no formal objections to the budget votes were recorded during the session. The budget adoption concludes the board's immediate action on the FY2027 proposal; implementation will proceed under the district's administrative processes.