HCPS asks county for $40.7 million 'all-in' appropriation; cites rising device costs and staff supplements

Henderson County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Garrett presented the district's FY2026-27 appropriation request at the May 20 budget workshop, describing an "all-in" request of about $40.7 million. The package included a current expense appropriation request of $38,040,000, a capital outlay request of $1,500,000, and a requested 1 percent local supplement increase intended to raise total compensation for certified staff.

Garrett outlined the district's priorities: funding to cover legislated salary and benefit increases, operational cost pressures such as utilities, school safety enhancements (including East Henderson High School), and capital maintenance and technology spending. The capital priorities include $4.6 million for maintenance, repairs, technology and security projects for FY2026-27.

During follow-up questions commissioners asked about technology deployment and per-unit costs. Garrett said students in grades 6 through 12 receive individual Chromebooks while students in grades 3 through 5 primarily use classroom devices; he reported that unit costs for Chromebooks have roughly doubled from early years (from about $230 to nearly twice that amount), and he said the district's IT staff manage tens of thousands of devices across the system.

Commissioner Jay Egolf expressed support for the proposed supplement increase; Commissioner Rebecca McCall asked for additional detail on device inventories and exact staffing lines. Garrett and staff provided capital outlay listings (roofing, HVAC, chromebooks and fleet) and the district's request will be part of the county's budget deliberations ahead of adoption.