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Putnam County board adopts emergency 2026–27 salary schedule after debate over coach pay
Summary
The Putnam County School Board declared the 2026–27 salary schedule an emergency item and approved it unanimously so payroll can begin in July. Discussion centered on stagnant coaching supplements, booster-club fundraising and equity concerns ahead of upcoming negotiations.
The Putnam County School Board on June 23 declared the 2026–27 salary schedule an emergency item and approved it unanimously, allowing payroll to proceed in July while broader compensation negotiations continue.
Board members voted to treat the salary schedule as an emergency item so employees can be paid on schedule; the motion to add item I1 to the agenda and the subsequent approval of the schedule passed with all members saying “I.” The board recorded that the schedule was omitted from the consent agenda and needed formal approval now to avoid payment delays.
Why it matters: approving the schedule ensures employees will be paid on time but does not lock in final negotiated changes. Several board members emphasized that supplements and negotiated pay items remain subject to upcoming collective-bargaining sessions.
During discussion, members raised long-standing concern about coaching supplements. One board member said the supplement amounts “have not changed since I coached,” and members discussed proposed statutory language and budget mechanisms that would allow booster clubs to supplement coaches’ pay, a change some board members warned could widen inequities between wealthier and poorer schools. Ms. Whitehurst, speaking for district staff, explained the immediate need to approve the salary schedule: “the reason they are an emergency item is because they just they just got left off of the consent and it is necessary for us to have that so that we can get people paid starting in July.”
Board members debated possible remedies if booster-club fundraising produces uneven pay between schools; suggestions included capping supplemental pay by school classification or pursuing legislative relief on appraisal and surplus procedures for unused district property. Several members said they support raising coach pay but want a fair, districtwide approach that does not rely on unequal booster-club fundraising.
The board’s unanimous vote to approve I1 was followed by the same unanimity on I2, a separate emergency item accepting a United Way grant application.
What’s next: district staff said negotiated pay changes and any supplemental-pay policy proposals will come back to the board during negotiations and in an executive session that members said would be scheduled in the coming weeks.
