Growth, security, and goodbyes mark BoE meeting

Enrollment growth, $309,521 in additional state funding, and two 12-year farewells shape the board’s August meeting

8:23 p.m. Aug. 10, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Director of Schools Chad Moorehead told the Moore County Board of Education on Monday that the opening days of school are going well, even as administrators sort through first-week logistics.

Friday marked the first full day, and Moorehead said staff members are still sorting out schedules, car rider lines, and other opening-week details. “The first few days are always rough,” he said.

Board members present Monday were Chair Tanya Vann, Ed Cashion, Carrie Barnett, Jammie Cashion, and Kaleigh Hatfield.

Enrollment is also up. Moore County High School currently has 425 students, compared with 397 at the beginning of August last year. Lynchburg Elementary School has 520 students, compared with 525 a year ago.

MCHS finished last school year with 387 students, while LES finished with 514.

Moorehead cautioned that the numbers remain fluid because some students who have left the district have not yet formally withdrawn.

Still, Moore County is bucking a regional trend. During a recent call with school directors across South Central Tennessee, Moorehead said he was the only superintendent to report an enrollment increase rather than a decline.

Before the meeting ended, Moorehead recognized Ed Cashion of District 1 and Jammie Cashion of District 3, each of whom has served 12 years on the Board of Education.

He thanked both for the time and energy they have given Moore County Schools and presented each with a plaque and a lifetime pass to home athletic events.

“We will miss you,” Moorehead said.

More than $300,000 turns focus to security

More than $300,000 in unbudgeted state funding turned Monday’s discussion toward school security.

Moore County Schools received $237,301 in fast-growth funding tied to enrollment growth during the previous school year and another $72,220 in outcomes funding based on student test scores. Together, the two sources total $309,521.

Moorehead gave the board four priorities: replacing aging intercom systems at both schools, upgrading radios for buses and handheld use, improving security cameras, and purchasing weapons detection systems.

The intercoms topped the list. Some classroom units are already unreliable, and parts and technicians for the older system are getting harder to find. Moorehead said two-way classroom communication is required by law.

Upgrading radios to work with the county’s newer communications system would cost roughly $65,000.

Cameras remain the trickier purchase. Moorehead wants better technology without saddling the district with a yearly subscription bill. One system reviewed by the district would cost about $60,000 the first year, then another $20,000 each year.

A weapons detection system previously demonstrated for the district would cost about $90,000 for four units.

The board approved Moorehead’s priority order.

The district is also applying for as much as $500,000 through a federal school safety grant. A full award would require a $125,000 local match.

Moorehead said the district is asking for the full amount, though he does not necessarily expect to receive it. Grant decisions are expected later this year.

LES restrooms getting epoxy floors

Twelve classroom restrooms in the 1999 wing at Lynchburg Elementary School are getting new epoxy floors.

The cheaper option was to strip out the aging linoleum, patch the concrete, and seal it for about $10,000. Epoxy flooring similar to what is already used in MCHS restrooms was estimated at between $25,000 and $30,000.

Board members favored the more durable option, citing the risk of cracks or other problems beneath the existing flooring.

The district plans to handle demolition in-house to save money, with the work expected to come from capital project funding.

Board adopts policy changes

Board members worked through a stack of Tennessee School Boards Association policy revisions.

Regular board meeting agendas must now be published 96 hours before a meeting. TSBA’s model language referenced a 48-hour requirement, but the Moore County board chose four days. Requests to place an item on the agenda must still be submitted 10 days ahead of the meeting.

The board also updated its public-comment policy.

Those wishing to address the board must be Moore County residents, students enrolled in Moore County Schools, or parents or legal guardians of students. Speakers must contact the director of schools’ office by 4 p.m. on the meeting date and are limited to three minutes.

The revised policy reflects a change in state law allowing public comment on any topic germane to the board’s jurisdiction rather than only items already on the agenda.
Other changes moved more quickly.

The board retained a 3% minimum unrestricted fund balance, simplified language in its bullying and harassment policy so reporting requirements apply to “each school,” and changed its epinephrine policy from saying schools “shall” maintain the medication to “may” maintain it.

Moorehead cited prescription requirements, expiration dates, availability, and potential liability in recommending the epinephrine change.
The remaining TSBA-recommended revisions were approved as a group.

Other business

• The board approved the district’s emergency operations plans, which Moorehead described as confidential, living documents developed with input from local law enforcement, Homeland Security, and state agencies.

• Members also approved child trafficking prevention and awareness education plans for both LES and MCHS. The guidance counselor will provide the instruction at the elementary school, while MCHS plans to use the same group that provides annual family life education.

• The board also approved a concrete pad for a basketball goal near the LES building.

• A tractor-trailer damaged a retaining wall near the school in July, and Tennessee Risk Management has already paid the district about $21,000 based on the estimated repair cost. Moorehead said a contractor involved in that work offered to form the basketball pad and buy enough concrete to pour it while completing the retaining-wall repair.

• Moorehead also updated the board on drainage work around the central office after heavy rain pushed water close to the building. With district maintenance employees doing much of the work, he estimated the project at about $6,000.

• The district’s smaller special education bus is back in the shop – again. The bus had already undergone warranty work in Nashville before breaking down again. Another problem surfaced during Friday’s routes, and it has been returned for repairs.

Moorehead said the district will make whatever arrangements are necessary to ensure students who require transportation get to and from school.