Board Chair Farrah Pruitt called the meeting to order at 6 p.m.

The adoption of the agenda

Order #925 - Motion Passed:  The adoption of agenda passed with a motion by Joanna Hinton and a second by Ashley Reding.

Each January the board shall elect a new Board Chair.  

Ashley Reding nominated Joanna Hinton as new Board Chair. There were no other nominations.

Teresa Gilbert asked if Joanna Hinton will be seeking re-election at the end of her term. If not, she suggested allowing another board member the opportunity to serve as Chair.  Joanna Hinton confirmed her intent to seek re-election and presently serve as Board Chair.

Following the discussion, Ashley Reding recommended Joanna Hinton as Board Chair.

A recommendation to elect Joanna Hinton as the new Board Chair

Order #926 - Motion Passed:  A recommendation to elect Joanna Hinton as the new board chair passed with a motion by Ashley Reding and a second by Joanna Hinton.

Each January the board shall elect a new Vice Chair.  

There were three nominations for new Vice-Chair .

Farrah Pruitt nominated Ashley Reding as new Vice-Chair.

Janet Cruse nominated Teresa Gilbert as new Vice-Chair.

Teresa Gilbert nominated Janet Cruse as new Vice-Chair.

Votes were cast by written ballot:

Ashley Reding - 3

Janet Cruse -1

Teresa Gilbert - 1

Farrah Pruitt recommended Ashley Reding as new Vice-Chair.

A recommendation to elect Ashley Reding as the board Vice-Chair

Order #927 - Motion Passed:  A recommendation to elect Ashley Reding as the board vice chair passed with a motion by Farrah Pruitt and a second by Teresa Gilbert.

The Board approved the Surpass Behavioral Health Agreement at the December 15, 2025 regular meeting contingent upon recommended changes.  The Agreement has been updated and a new document received.  This is an acknowledgement of the updated agreement. No action.

Letter from FRYSC Coordinators for Family Resource and Youth Services Centers School District Assurance Certification 2026-2028. No action.

Request to apply for the 2026 KEMI Safety Grant.  Grant funds up to $2,500 are available.  Funds will be used to replace/update security cameras in the district. This item will move to the regular meeting for board approval.

Paxton/Patterson Labs are hands-on, interactive learning spaces that help students explore interests, build real-world skills, and connect learning to future career and college opportunities. The labs are flexible, engaging, and easy to implement, giving students meaningful exposure to a variety of pathways through collaborative, project-based experiences. This item is information only. NO action.

The Math Achievement Fund Mini-Grant is a Kentucky Department of Education competitive grant opportunity that will provide $40,000 to 25 schools to assist in the purchase of high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) and associated professional learning to implement the materials. It is limited to middle and/or high schools. This is a one-year grant and does not require a match.

LaRue County High School is currently considering the possibility of adopting new math instructional materials for implementation in 2026-2027. We are requesting permission to apply for LCHS.

Instructional Material Report presented. This item is for information purposes only. No action.

Discuss the purchase of one Blue Bird 75 passenger Propane bus. No action.

The Board reviewed a quote for routing software for the bus garage - Lynx for 2026 (January to January). This would give us access for 3 users. This is a renewal therefore does not require board approval.  No action.

Update the FY2026 Extra Duty Schedule:

Change "Summer Speech Services" to "Extended Speech Services" 

The updated schedule with the highlighted change is available for review.

This item will move to the regular meeting for board approval.

An outline of the CHAMP project as it was presented at project closeout. The only difference is that the $400,000 transfer from the Turf Escrow has been broken out separately from the transfers originating from the General Fund for clarity and transparency.

BG4 SUMMARY - CHAMP - OHEIL SITE SOLUTIONS

ORIGINAL CONTRACT – OHEIL                                      $1,483,000.00

NET CHANGE ORDERS                                                  ($12,336.48)

                                                                                  $1,470,663.52

DPO TOTAL                                                                  $230,000.00

NET CHANGE ORDERS                                                  ($18,844.00)

$211,156.00

TOTAL CHAMP - OHEIL CONTRACT                                $1,681,819.52

BG4 SUMMARY - CHAMP - MOTZ

ORIGINAL CONTRACT – MOTZ                                      $387,026.63

NET CHANGE ORDERS                                                 ($7,000.00)

$380,026.63

DPO TOTAL                                                                  $377,802.37

NET CHANGE ORDERS                                                  ($2,218.39)

                                                                                  $375,583.98

TOTAL BUDGET                                                             $755,610.61

EQUIPMENT NOT LISTED ON BG4        

SURVEYS                                                                      $52,264.71

MUSCO LIGHTING - football/softball/baseball                   $585,000.00

SCOREBOARD                                                                $180,712.00

EQUIPMENT                                                                   $121,680.68

TOTAL PROJECT COSTS                                                   $939,657.39

ROSSTARRANT                                                                $159,856.33

PROJECT TOTAL                                                               $3,536,943.85

TOTAL TRANSFERS

DONATIONS                                                                    $409,919.21

SPIRIT PUMP DONATIONS – 7604                                     $29,868.09

TURF DONATIONS – 7605                                                $3,573.42

CAPITAL FUNDS REQUEST - FY2025                                  $40,416.04

CAPITAL FUNDS REQUEST - FY2025                                  $41,343.33

TRANSFER FROM TURF ESCROW                                      $400,000.00

TRANSFER FROM GF                                                        $2,611,823.76

TOTAL TRANSFERS                                                          $3,536,943.85

This item will move to the regular meeting for board approval.

Draft Budget for FY2027

The Draft Budget is a preliminary planning document. Many items will change between the Draft Budget and the Tentative Budget, which will be presented in May 2026. For purposes of the Draft Budget, the FY2026 budget is rolled forward as a baseline.

Information is gathered throughout January, February, March, and April through a series of budget meetings. Key information that will impact the Tentative Budget includes, but is not limited to: Average Daily Attendance (ADA), state and federal allocations, the SEEK growth factor, and legislative actions. It should be noted that this is a budget session year for the Kentucky Legislature, which may result in funding changes that affect the final budget.

Budget Timeline – LaRue County School District

January

• FY2027 Draft Budget is presented to the Board of Education at the January board meeting.

  January–February

• Preliminary budget meetings are held with the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Finance Director, and Principals to discuss:
  • Preliminary allocations
  • Staffing changes
  • Enrollment projections
  • ADA trends

    February

• FY2027 Tentative salary schedules and preliminary allocations are presented to the Board of Education.

  March

• Continued refinement of budget assumptions based on updated enrollment, ADA data, and legislative developments.

  April/May

• FY2027 Final salary schedules and allocations are presented to the Board of Education.
• FY2027 Tentative Budget is presented to the Board of Education.

September

• FY2027 Working Budget is presented to the Board of Education.

This item will move to the regular meeting for board approval.

• Meeting recordings

Closed Session per KRS 61.810(c) for discussion of proposed or pending litigation against or on behalf of the public agency

Adjourn to Closed Session per KRS 61.810(c) for discussion of proposed or pending litigation against or on behalf of the public agency

Order #928 - Motion Passed:  Adjourn to Closed Session per KRS 61.810(c) for discussion of proposed or pending litigation against or on behalf of the public agency passed with a motion by Farrah Pruitt and a second by Ashley Reding.

Reconvene to Open Session

Order #929 - Motion Passed:  Reconvene to Open Session passed with a motion by Janet Cruse and a second by Farrah Pruitt.

The adjournment of this meeting of the LaRue County Board of Education

Order #930 - Motion Passed:  The adjournment of this meeting of the LaRue County Board of Education passed with a motion by Teresa Gilbert and a second by Ashley Reding.