Bearden High School Booster Club wrongfully paid football coaches $60K in bonuses, state says

Along with the payments to coaches, the investigation also found that the booster club had wrongly charged players fees to the tune of 0 in 2023 and 0 in 2024, then placed the funds in the club’s account instead of the school’s account.KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – An investigation by the state of Tennessee claims that the Bearden High School Football Booster Club paid coaches at least ,000 without Knox County Schools’ (KCS) approval. The investigation found that the booster club was classifying the payments as “salary supplements.” The investigation, carried out by the Comptroller’s office, came after officials of the Knox County School System reported questionable transactions. Copyright 2025 WVLT. All rights reserved.Members of the booster club intend to correct these issues moving forward, the report said.The report also said the club bought things like food, gift cards and supplies, then did not document the purchases correctly. It’s Knox County Schools policy that all coaches are paid through the school district. This, to avoid problems with benefits and tax reporting. Knox County Schools’ officials released the following statement:“SSOs must not charge fees to students to participate in school sponsored activities or events” the Comptroller’s report said.

“As soon as district officials became aware of these transactions, KCS reported to the Comptroller’s office, which initiated an investigation. The district is prepared to take any necessary action that has not already been taken as a result of these findings.”

“Investigators could not determine whether these purchases were used exclusively for the benefit of the football team,” the report said. “The club should only make authorized disbursements for the benefit of the football team and maintain adequate supporting documentation for all disbursements.”