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The Troup County School board unanimously approved a joint agreement with the county and LaGrange College to install artificial turf at Callaway Stadium during Tuesday night’s meeting. The stadium is leased by TCSS from the county for sporting and recreational events. 

At the board’s work session on Monday night, Dr. Pennie Tucker, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, said that part of the rental agreement to use the stadium is to contribute to the maintenance of the stadium and playing field. 

According to the agreement, artificial turf “will enhance player safety, improve playability, and reduce ongoing maintenance costs.”

The total cost for the project will be $754,317. The school district has agreed to contribute $300,000, while LaGrange College will contribute $ 50,000 and the county will pay the remaining cost. The TCSS contribution will come out of the FY25 general funds. 

The other operations action item of the night was the purchasing of 12 school buses (72 passengers) and two special needs buses from Yancey Bus Sales and Service. The total cost would be $1,966,600. 

At the work session, Tucker said the purchase is part of a yearly rotation plan. Under this plan, the district buys buses “in bulk” to ensure that buses 15 years old and older are removed from the roads. 

“This is part of our yearly rotation plan that we’ve been working on for several years,” Tucker said. 

The unanimous approval for the purchase of the 14 buses at Tuesday’s business meeting came after the district recognized the transportation department for a 96.7 percent pass rate during the 2025 annual state inspection of its bus fleet. 

“This is particularly noteworthy considering how the driver shortage has resulted in so many mechanics driving substitute routes, taking them away from their regular maintenance duties,” said Kevin Dunn, the board member recognizing the department.