By Tom Davis
Correspondent
DAYTON, Tenn. – The Rhea County school board voted Thursday to repay a loan early to help the county out of a budget tight spot.
County Finance Director Bill Graham reported that the County Commission’s Budget Committee had voted to request the early repayment of $333,333 to the county’s solid waste fund. That will balance the county budget without using property tax money to bolster the solid waste fund’s reserves, Mr. Graham said.
The school board borrowed $460,000 several years ago to build classrooms at Frazier Elementary School and extend a sewer line to the school.
“The school budget is in much better shape than the county’s,” said new board member John Mincy, who served on the County Commission before he was elected to the school board in August.
Mr. Graham added that the early repayment would not harm the schools’ budget situation.
In other matters, board members re-elected Dale Harris as chairman and B.J. McCoy as vice chairman.
They agreed to extend Director of Schools Jerry Levengood’s contract for two years, with a 2 percent salary increase. Mr. Harris said he would present the proposed contract to Mr. Levengood “and if he accepts it he can sign it; if not, he’ll counter.”
Mr. Mincy commended the board for its efforts over the past several years to prepare to build a new high school. But he encouraged the board to develop firm plans and cost estimates to present to the County Commission.
“What we need is to put a plan together, with an architect or construction manager, then determine how much it will cost,” he said. “We need to include how much it will cost to renovate the (current) high school as a middle school. Then we’ll have to go out and sell it, because the community has not bought in (to the plan) yet.”
Mr. Harris and board member Bimbo McCawley agreed, but said they felt the commission had been stalling their efforts.
“What we proposed was getting plans, but I feel like they were holding back,” Mr. Harris said.
Mr. McCawley added that “a lot of the things you are talking about I presented and got my hand slapped.”
Mr. Mincy responded, “There are people on the commission who support education, people in the community who do, but we have to take plans to them.”
Tom Davis is based in Rhea County. Contact him at tsdavis@volstate.net.