Coffee County Schools presented its 2025-26 budget on April 25 to the County Budget and Finance Committee.

According to a presentation by Business Manager April Melson, the budget included seven new teaching positions, funds for the afterschool program and a 4% increase for staff salaries. 

By the 2026-27 school year, all teachers will be required to make over $50,000. The 4% increase will help the district reach that deadline.

Currently the school has about 43 teachers who make below the $50,000 threshold. The 4% increase would drop the number further to 24 teachers. New hires will be brought on in compliance with the salary minimum.

The school board has approved funding the afterschool program at a cost of $5 per day per student to parents.

When factoring in those estimated reviews of $90,000, the program will cost the school’s fund balance $120,000.

The school budget includes funding for an elementary art program, with three new teachers to be split among the district’s six schools. There are an additional four new teaching positions, a Central High School math teacher and English teacher, a Hickerson Elementary librarian, and a speech language pathologist. 

This year’s budget should only pull $200,000 from the fund balance with the 4% raises in place. The assigned fund balance is $8.3 million and $13.4 million unassigned funds this year.  

The majority of the district’s funding comes from the state’s Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula. The district is estimating an increase in state funding by about $800,000 for a total of $33,460,000. The remainder of district revenues comes from local funds or an overall total of about $52,200,000 in revenue.

The budget includes funds for the new Director of Schools’ salary. Budget and Finance rejected an amendment request in this year’s numbers to cover the interim director’s salary in addition to the former director’s salary.

At that meeting the school board invited the committee to meet during an executive session to discuss the termination of Dr. Charles Lawson. Following Lawson’s termination without cause, the board continued to pay Lawson’s salary until the end of the budget.

County Mayor Dennis Hunt said that talks between the County Attorney and the School Board Attorney were unproductive, regarding the meeting. A closed executive session is the only closed meeting allowed by state code. It is expressly for attorney/board conversations regarding lawsuits.