Franklin County school board and finance board elect officers, keep per diem at $2,000

Jessica Bridal and six other trustees were present as the Franklin County Community School Corporation opened its first meeting of the year, took the oath of office and proceeded with organizational business.

The board and its Board of Finance completed officer elections for 2026. Beth Foster was elected president of the Board of Finance after a nomination and second; Greg Burris won the secretary position for the Board of Finance. For the full Board of School Trustees, Jessica (as recorded in the meeting) was nominated and confirmed as board president by roll call. Kim Simonson was elected vice president and Brandy Wilson elected board secretary. Kevin Kaiser was named the board’s legislative liaison.

Superintendent recommended reappointment of Kendra Franks as the corporation business manager/CFO and corporation treasurer; the board approved that recommendation. The board also voted to keep trustee compensation unchanged at $2,000 per year for 2026.

All routine procedural votes recorded in the meeting, including approval of the regular meeting schedule (second Monday of each month), the treasurer appointment and the per-diem compensation, were adopted by the board in the meeting’s recorded votes.

The meeting included a short ceremonial segment in which students and staff presented thank-you cards and a new annual tradition was announced: each trustee will dedicate a copy of Oh, the Places You’ll Go in district school libraries. The board adjourned the organizational portion of the meeting and moved on to routine business items.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at the Franklin County Administration Building.