MATTHEW BURNETTE, Staff Writer

The Coffee County School Board voted to accept budget options that would allow for a 4% raise for Coffee County School and Nutrition employees.

The Board was presented options for either a 2%, 3%, 4%, or a flat rate plus 3% for raises for both groups of employees. School Nutrition works off of a different budget than the General School budget, and each budget was voted on separately by the Board.

Salary increases for school employees came first on the agenda.

Board member Robert Gilley made a motion to accept the 4% option for salary increases for school employees with a second by Board member Gary Cordell.

The motion failed 3-5 with Board members Beth Yentsch, Scott Hansert, Jennifer Peacock Hodge, Holly Matthews and Chris Koon voting no. Board member Freda K. Jones was absent from the meeting.

Yentsch then made a motion to go with the 3% option with a second by Matthews. She explained that she felt that a 10% increase between last year’s 7% and a potential 3% this year is “really pretty good”, and that the new Director will have their own ideas.

“I don’t want to get so far out with our present financial climate that we can’t meet the budget at some point,” she said. “If we do a 3% and then next year look at the same possibility, we can get up to that $50,000 that we need to get up to for beginning teachers.”

The $50,000 referenced is a result of bill HB 0329 that was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee in 2023 requiring Tennessee school districts to gradually raise teachers’ salaries every year so that they reach a minimum of $50,000 by the 2026-2027 school year.

Gilley explained that, despite the expectation that they would, none of the percentage increases have hit fund balance so far and also expressed faith in School District Business Manager April Melson’s work and her track record. He referenced a question he brought forth at the Board’s Spring Retreat.

“I asked does this year feel better than next year to try to jump ahead and get to that goal a little quicker to where potentially next year we might not even have to do one and we’re already there just in average growth,” he said. “I think we should still strive to reach these goals as quick as we possibly can. I believe this is our safest opportunity to do so.”

Yentsch referenced several looming projects that the school district will be undertaking such as new bleachers for the high school, paving at the high school and potential refurbishment or replacement of two elementary schools.

“I value the Fund Balance too, but I also value paying our teachers what we can,” said Yentsch.

Gilley replied that the school system has their largest Fund Balance ever to which Yentsch responded that she “thinks we’re going to need it.”

Deputy Director Kelvin Shores noted that the Board has made an effort over the last five years to strategically build up the Fund Balance that way the Board could “push the envelope.”

The motion failed 3-5 with Board members Gilley, Cordell, Hansert, Ballard and Hodge voting no.

Hodge then made a motion to reconsider the first motion for a 4% salary increase for school employees with a second by Gary Cordell.

The motion to reconsider passed 5-3 with Matthews, Koon and Hansert voting no.

Gilley made a second motion to accept the 4% option for raises for school employees.

Board member Scott Hansert referenced emails he received urging him to vote against a percentage increase due to a disparity it would cause between the higher salaried employees versus the school’s classified employees.

“People that’s making in the 100,000s are going to be getting right at a $4,000 raise this year and our classifieds are going to be getting like a $900 raise,” he explained. “I can’t see why we’re doing that and leaving those people that far behind. I made the statement a couple of times that the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer with this rate that we’re doing here.”

“I don’t have anything against a raise, but that’s going to be putting it way out.”

Gilley gave a reminder that the Board has made a lot of progress in closing the pay gaps for classified employees.

“I think this is still a part of the major plan and the goal that we must reach,” he said. “I intend on continually reaching down into those classified areas and things of that nature and making up some space and gaining some strides there as we have while we’re still trying to achieve this goal.”

Gilley then called to question with no second, though no further discussion was had. The motion passed 5-3 with Hansert, Matthews and Koon voting no.

The Board then moved on to salary increases for nutrition employees where Gilley made a motion to accept the 4% option for raises with a second by Cordell.

“I highly, highly recommend to not do the School Nutrition different than the General Budget,” said Deputy Director Kelvin Shores. “That’s not good. I highly recommend not doing two different things with the two different budgets”

The motion passed unanimously 8-0