Bradley County School Board meeting recap

The Bradley County School Board met last night for a work session and a voting session.

During the work session, the board discussed future plans for the utilization of the property owned by the school system on Blue Springs Road for a possible new elementary school. No vote was taken, but the board will consider the project in the future.

The board also discussed a possible additional raise for employees. The system is set to receive additional funds from the state that may allow the system to give an additional 1% raise on top of the 2% raise given to all employees in the board’s fiscal budget passed in May.

During the voting session, the board voted unanimously on two letters of intent to purchase property to build new schools. The first is for property on Dry Valley Road for the construction of a new elementary school. The second is for property adjacent to Walker Valley High School on Lauderdale Memorial Highway for a new middle school. Because the properties will be purchased from the school board’s budget, the county commission will not have to take on debt or issue a bond for the purchase of the properties. The letter of intent allows the director of schools to negotiate the purchase of the land but does not guarantee the property will be purchased by the school system.

Susan Willcutt, the system’s finance director, announced her intent to retire in January. Ellen Smith will move into the position of interim financial director in January until a replacement is announced.

The board also established the priority of elementary school expansions. The board approved the recommendation from Dr. Linda Cash to prioritize the expansion at Park View Elementary and review additional projects as needed.

The board recognized Dr. Cash for being named the 2025 Southeast Tennessee Regional Superintendent of the Year.

All schools and offices will be closed on June 19th.

The board will next meet on August 8th.