Bells City School District

Bells City School District, a Tennessee local government entity and public school district located in Bells, Tennessee, is a federal grant recipient operating predominantly as a sub-recipient (63% of recent awards) under formula grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The district does not hold prime federal contracts and operates exclusively within the K–12 education funding ecosystem.

The district's federal footprint centers on three grantor agencies tracked across a multi-year award history. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education leads by volume with 31 awards, followed by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services with 11 awards and the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service with 7 awards — together accounting for 96% of the district's recent federal activity. Within the 37% of awards held as prime recipient, Bells City has received annual formula grants under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program (CFDA not specified in source) for five consecutive years (2022 through 2026), with the most recent award issued July 1, 2026, carrying an ultimate completion date of September 30, 2027.

The bulk of the district's federal funding flows through sub-recipient awards (32 of 51 total awards) issued by the Tennessee Department of Education. Representative sub-grant work includes Title I Part A Basic Grants to LEAs for improving teaching and learning in high-poverty schools, special education instruction under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program reimbursements, and Education Stabilization Fund support under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. The district has also received sub-awards for Adult Education and Literacy (AALN) programs at the PreK and K–8 levels and reimbursements for federally subsidized meal programs.

Activity has been volatile over the past five years — four awards in 2022, declining to three in 2023, rising to nine in 2024, and settling at six in 2025 and eight in 2026. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $3.4 million. Only one award carries an ultimate completion date within the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal near-term recompete exposure. The district's federal engagement is limited to education and nutrition formula funding administered through state intermediaries; it holds no IDIQ seats, GSA Schedule positions, or direct prime contracts with federal agencies.