Board approves budget items and amendments; outlines raises and grant recognitions

Rutherford County School Board members on May 14 approved multiple budget items and amendments and heard a detailed overview of revenue, expenditures and pending changes before final county action.

Key approvals and figures: the board approved an amendment increasing the centralized cafeteria fund (fund 141/143) to recognize indirect cost adjustments; the board also approved a $5,556,938 amendment to recognize an awarded summer camp grant for fiscal year 2025–26. Staff summarized the general purpose school budget showing revenues of approximately $588.7 million and proposed expenditures near $598.7 million, yielding a budgeted deficit of about $9.975 million. Staff cautioned the numbers may be adjusted as county tax rates and final revenues are finalized.

Compensation and benefits: the proposed budget includes a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment for all employees and an average additional step increase for classified staff that results in an average raise near 3.6% (2% COLA + classified step). The budget also reflects a roughly $6 million increase in insurance lines, which staff described as a major driver of cost pressure.

Staff noted a technical change tied to high‑performance funding (letter grade allocations) that affected revenue timing; some prorated amounts expected before June 30 will be adjusted in future cleanup amendments. Director of Schools described two staffing requests to be formally presented in June: an additional attendance/student‑information position to replace a retiring long‑time analyst and a proposed athletic compliance director role to address transfer and eligibility issues.

The board approved the presented motions and will proceed with final budget steps in coordination with the county commission; staff indicated a final approval target of June 22 but warned numbers might change if county revenue projections shift.