Huntingdon School Board Approves New Budget, Salary Increases

HUNTINGDON (July 16) — The Huntingdon school board approved during Wednesday's regular meeting the 2025-26 operating budget, which includes district-wide salary increases.

Prior to the meeting, board members and Director of Schools Dr. Jonathan Kee held a workshop to discuss the proposed budget.

The total balanced budget, approved unanimously, is $15,263,145, an increase of $677,985 from the previous year.

Increases to salaries include a $3,000 across-the-board increase in the certified staff salary schedule and a five percent across-the-board raise in the non-certified staff schedule. (The raises for certified staff average 5.1 percent.)

To further boost staff benefits, an additional personal day is granted to all certified and non-certified staff with over 20 years of experience, at which point the salary schedule maxes out.

The budget is based on the new certified tax rate of $0.7022, which was lowered from $1.1211 to keep revenue steady following the county's updated real estate appraisal.

Included in the budget is free student admission to all regular season home athletic events and free student breakfast and lunch.

The art teacher position at Huntingdon Primary School was upgraded from a non-certified to a certified position. Dr. Kee said he hopes to retain the teacher, Alex Gooch, who has earned certification since being hired.

The board approved Alexander Thompson Arnold to conduct the annual audit of the district. The fees for the audit total $39,250, an increase of $12,500. Kee recommended the firm for this year, but intends to compare other options going forward.

Additional paving at Huntingdon High School was approved following the completion of the back parking lot. The student parking lot on the north side of the building and the area surrounding the new baseball press box will be paved by Martin Paving for $84,221.50.

Several board policies were updated to reflect new state laws and policies:

-Materials may not be excluded from school libraries solely on the grounds that they are religious.

-Limits must be in place for district-provided internet, including restricting access to social media platforms unless expressly authorized by a teacher for educational purposes.

-Report cards for K-8 students must include the student's score on the most-recently administered universal reading screener, as well as the results of a dyslexia screener when applicable.

-Employees retiring must complete sixty days of separation of service prior to reemployment, and there can be no prior agreement in place.

-Employees choosing to take approved Family and Medical Leave nonconsecutively must do so in increments of no less than one week.

-The number of days a substitute teacher may teach without a license was increased from 20 to 30.

-Searches of students must be carried out by a school resource officer, security officer or administrator who has completed training required by the state and developed by the Tennessee Department of Education. (Kee noted that districts are still awaiting the development of the training.)

-Students may possess wireless communication devices, but they must be turned off and may only be used in an emergency or if authorized by a teacher. Other exceptions include students with specific disabilities, health conditions or Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

-Elementary students must now receive 40 minutes of unstructured physical activity per full school day. This is separate from physical education classes. (For Huntingdon, this affects only primary school students, Pre-K through third grade.)

-If a student transfers from one school to another, the former district must provide a copy of the student's records to the new school within five business days.

Board members approved an increase in the Ruth Rigsby Scholarship of Excellence (established in 1988 and awarded to one senior each year) from $1,000 to $2,000.

The board meeting was the first official meeting as student representatives for seniors Madison Dill and Paige Costello, who actively participated in discussions during both the budget workshop and meeting.

The meeting adjourned after 40 minutes.

The board meets next on Wednesday, August 20 at 5 p.m.