‘You are not losing your insurance, you never were going to lose your insurance’- Crystal Creekmore

The BOE resumed Tuesday’s recessed meeting on Thursday evening to discuss a solution to the insurance issue with a state required MOU agreement.

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- The Campbell County Board of Education continued Tuesday’s recessed meeting on Thursday evening to discuss the ongoing school employee insurance issue. Director of Schools Jennifer Fields announced that the state had granted a 30-day extension to have the memorandum of understanding signed between the State Benefits Administration Department and the school system. The school now has until May 15th to have the required agreement signed.

Board member Crystal Creekmore spoke with County Finance Director Jeff Marlow regarding her suggestion which was approved by the board on Tuesday, about adding a signature line to the MOU with his title as Finance Director, rather than “fiscal officer” if the state is open to revising the signature line of the MOU.

Board of Education Chairman Jeffrey Miller and Director Fields both said they felt confident the state was going to work with them on the issue and that it would be resolved with no effects on school employee insurance coverage.

BOE Chair Jeffrey Miller thanked the board and director Jennifer Fields for working towards a solution to the insurance issue the school district is facing. Miller and Fields announced the state had granted the county a 30-day extension to get the MOU signed.

Director Fields also added that “Laurie Lee with Benefits Administration did say that ‘somehow it was lost or added in translation’ but at no point was it ever said that employees would lose benefits within 30 days. So, the extension period has been granted, and I think we can work out something considering the proposal that Crystal (Creekmore) said Mr. Marlow would be satisfied with, with a signature line added,” Director Fields said.

Chairman Miller said the county finance director had presented a proposal to the state that he sign under his title as finance director, rather than as the “fiscal officer” for the school system. The term “fiscal officer” as defined by the state, entailed that Marlow had managerial duties over the school system, which, according to Miller is why Marlow did not want to sign as the school’s “fiscal officer.”

School board members Sharon Ridenour, Ryan Cummings, Brent Lester, Lisa Fields and Randy Heatherly discussed the insurance issue once again on Thursday evening. All board members said they wanted school employees to know the insurance issue was being resolved.

“He felt signing as the fiscal officer would be taking on responsibilities that were not under his statute as finance director,” Miller said.

Miller said Marlow was willing to sign under his title as County Finance Director and that he had submitted a proposal to the state to do so.

Miller said that he had invited Marlow to Thursday’s meeting, but he “declined.”

Miller also read a leader into record from the Director of Benefits Administration Laurie Lee saying that she was “encouraged that the Campbell County Board of Education and County are working to resolve the outstanding Memorandum of Understanding.” She also stated in her letter that, “termination of coverage is a decision that only the Local Insurance Committee can make, not the BA.” And if the MOU was not returned, it would go to that committee for the next steps, and that to her “knowledge, no one in the BA had stated the school system’s employee insurance would cease within 30 days.”

BOE Attorney Dale Cantrell, left, complimented the Campbell County BOE, county mayor and county attorney for coming together towards a solution with the state on the MOU agreement. Pictured left to right is Cantrell, BOE members Brandon Johnson, Jamie Wheeler, Crystal Creekmore and BOE secretary Gail Parks.

School board officials said they felt confident it would be resolved in a timely manner.

“Mr. Marlow has presented his proposal to sign as the finance director and the duties that follow that under the state statute. You have to understand the office of finance director was created under the fiscal Act of 81 and there is a statute that says what he does and what his duties are. He does not do managerial duties for Campbell County Schools, he is the finance director for Campbell County; I know it’s complicated, but that’s his argument. So, moving forward, Laurie Lee has it, the BA has it, I feel confident they are going to come back with a good response, and we can put this to rest,” Miller said.

Miller said as soon as the board knew something, it would share that information with the public. He said lots of people had put a lot of work into finding this solution

“In my personal opinion, this financial management Act of 81 creates a lot of barriers and it’s a lot different than other counties operate. If we had our own finance department in the Campbell County School Department, we would not be facing this right now…but that’s not the way it’s written. Moving forward, we will get this corrected and I hope we never have to address this again,” Miller said. He added that he and the rest of the board wanted school employees to “be calm” and to “know that it was going to be taken care of.”

“You are not losing your insurance, you never were going to lose your insurance,” Creekmore said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-04/11/2025-6AM)

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