001You call on air. That's his motion. >> Call this meeting to order the clerk from McGomery County Board of Education. First item be a pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. First item tonight is point of pride awards. Dr. Better, I'd like to ask uh our chief communication officer, Anthony Johnson, to share our points of pride this evening. >> Good evening, board. Uh first, I want to apologize. We let a couple of departments borrow our step and repeats. And so, uh, Jessica and I are going old school with just the blank wall tonight, but we'll get those, um, up for the next meeting. Uh, but tonight we
002have several points of pride. Uh, the first one is one that's very unique, our first time ever. If Miss Erica Gaines and anyone from the transportation department uh, that's here with her could please come forward. So, Miss Erica Gaines is a bus driver. Um, in June, after winning at the regional and state competitions, Miss Gaines earned international acclaim at the National School Transportation Association Safety Competition in Austin, Texas. Competing against drivers across the United States and Canada, Erica secured the third place award in the nation in the class A bus category. Congratulations, Miss Gaines. [Applause] All right. And the next ones are all from Rossu. So we're excited. It's a Rossu night here tonight. So if Miss Jillian Smart along with her administration could please come forward. So this is a rare one, but every
003once in a while we have a student who earns a perfect score on the ACT. Jillian is a Rosview High School student who made a perfect score on the ACT exam. The perfect composite score is 36. This score is an average of the four section scores for English, math, reading, and science. Getting a perfect score on the ACT is very rare. Out of the nearly 2 million students across the nation who take the ACT, only around.3% earn a perfect score. Congratulations, Jillian. All right. All right. And you might remember from June that I shared that we would have two more uh TWSAA recognitions uh that we were going to celebrate in August. So if I first could have the Rosview High School baseball team to please come forward. Members of this team include Ethan Picket,
004Kaden Slaughter, Ashton Kemp, CJ Latimore, Aiden Smith, Aiden Kano, Avery Van Rickley, Liam Stable, Johnny Calero, Evan Frederick, Cole Joe, PJ Perco, Carter Friend, Jaden Gallor, Keegan Slaughter, Houston Herbert, Andrew Anderson, Matthew Simpson, Jackson Perry, Coleman Padet, uh, Becket Hesselon, Max Rogers, Leighton Washer, Tanner Herbeck, Gabriel Melena, Jonathan Fleger, Hudson Blake, Alec Hail, Isaiah Havll, Corbin James, Keegan Evik, Kase Kibler, Jackson Croak, Julian Richards, Elliot Stevens, Jordan Akens, Dakota Adcock, Finnegan Hair, and Bryson Bushart, along with their head coach, Coach Holman, and assistant coaches Slaughter, MontJoy, uh, Fogernness, Avos, and Isizit. And this team at the 2025 TWSAA 4A district was the runner up and section champions for the state tournament. Congratulations. [Applause] And for both the baseball and in fact if the softball team could make their way up from Ros High School, the
005Ros High School softball team, um I want to acknowledge that uh we do have several of those student athletes who are now off to college uh competing and so we're proud of them. and they couldn't join us tonight. And then also our student athletes are always busy. So we did have several that couldn't make it here tonight but they send their apologies. All right. So from Rossview High School, the softball team, Ariana Dolan, Evan Dolan, Quinland Epting, Maline Fillers, Kylie Gillette, Laya Greer Payton, Mackenzie Havens, Khloe Hernandez, Talen Hoski, Aniston Lee, Emilia Martinez, McKenzie Quick, Avery Rouser, Kennedy Scott, Melody Chapman, Maddox Fabota, Kayn Thompson, Addison Waller, Kayla Webb, their head coach, uh, Gillette, and assistant coaches Dan and Shane Waller. And at the 2025 TWSAA 4A district region, they were also the runner-up champions
006of the state tournament. Congratulations. [Applause] >> And that completes uh this evening's points of print. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next item is uh public conversations. We have several tonight. Let's give them a second for the room to settle before we begin. And I get the names on my screen. All right. Our first speaker is Mr. Bradley Warren. Mr. Warren, as you make your way to the microphone there, you may u push the right front silver button. It will turn it on. The timer will display. The microphone will light and will will light up when it's on. It will begin to flash when you have one minute left and it will go mute when your time is up. Good evening board members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. My name
007is Brad Warren. I am a PE teacher at Kirkwood Middle School and current head coach of the Kirkwood High School and Cobra Wrestling Club. I have writed 20 years of experience in the sport of wrestling as an athlete, coach, and as a TWWSAA official. All of this experience and time has been spent here in Clarkson, McGomery County area. Today, I want to talk to you about why middle school wrestling is not just a sport, it's a necessity. First, wrestling builds discipline and confidence. At this age, students are learning who they are, and wrestling gives them a structured, challenging environment to grow. Every match teaches resilience. Win or lose, wrestlers walk off the mat knowing they've gave their all. And that mindset carries into the classroom in life. Second, wrestling is one of the most inclusive
008sports out there. It doesn't matter if you're tall, short, big or small. There's a weight class for everyone, boy or girl. No one rides the bench in wrestling. Every student gets a chance to compete, learn, and improve. The kind of equal opportunity builds self-worth and team unity. Third, it teaches accountabil accountability and work ethic. Unlike team sports where mistakes can get lost in the crowd, wrestling puts responsibility squarely on the individual. If you want to succeed, you have to show up, work hard, and push yourself. These lessons don't fade after the season ends. They stick for life. Finally, middle school is a critical time for emotional and physical development. Wrestling gives students a healthy outlet for energy and emotion. It promotes fitness, focus, and goal setting. All things that help young people stay on the
009right path. In short, wrestling teaches kids how to fight, not with their fist, but with heart, grit, and discipline. This is why middle school wrestling isn't just a good idea, is something our schools need. Now, let me refocus your attention. For middle school wrestling to succeed, we need proper facilities. Wrestling can't happen safely in a regular gym. It requires specialized mats, training equipment, and space to prevent injuries and allow students to practice effectively. Without proper facilities, we're not just limiting athletic opportunities, we're risking safety and undermining student development. If we want to give our students every chance to succeed in sports and in life, we need to invest in spaces that make their training possible. Let's support wrestling in our schools, not just with words, but with action by providing facilities our students deserve. I
010am here strong I am here to strongly advocate for the inclusion of dedicated wrestling facilities in our schools not as an extra but as an essential investment in our students success. Wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports at the youth and high school levels. The support success to support success in wrestling students need more than just sanctioning of the sport. They need a proper place to train. Right now in many schools, wrestlers are forced to practice in shared gyms, cafeterias, or unsafe spaces with little to no proper equipment. This not only puts their safety at risk, but also sends a message that their sport and their effort matters less. A dedicated wrestling facility provides much more than just mats. It offers a a safe, hygienic environment that meets the unique needs of the sport.
011It gives students consistency, structure, and a space they can take pride in, just like the athletes of other wellsupported programs. More importantly, it creates opportunity. If we want to offer equitable opportunities to all student athletes, we must ensure they have the resources to succeed. By investing in wrestling facilities, we're not just building a room. We're building discipline, determination, determination, and future leaders. In closing, I say yes to middle school wrestling, but with the understanding to support the future of wrestling, our school campuses need an equitable place to grow, train, and lastly, a place they can call theirs and empower culture they can take pride in. Considerations as you move to Sanction, facilities for each campus. Clarksville High currently has a two-story facility with over 8,000 square feet. Knowledgeable boys and wrestling coaches with assistance. It's
012hard enough to get high school coaches currently. We have three open positions as of now. At least two wrestling mats with adequate space to safely train. Enough uniforms to accommodate schools with the most amount of participation. Kirkwood Middle School's middle school club currently has 65 athletes in it. Now, if you can't support our teams, you take away opportunity. and understanding that wrestling and CMCSS is growing and we will need to be accommodated for us to continue success at all levels. I personally believe the budget needs to be a little bit larger and for facilities for wrestling to make this a success story. Thank you for your time. >> Mr. David Johnson. Uh well, good evening board. Uh my name is David Johnson. I'm like uh my former schoolmate. We went to Rosview together. I'm also
013a coach uh at Clarksville High for the girls wrestling team. For the past three years, I've been running, I guess, unofficially, the Rosview Middle School wrestling program. And with that being said, I mean, just number one, you need to vote yes on this. Our kids need this. You know, I'm a father of six. I got siblings that are still in high school. I got half of them that are still wrestling. two at Kirkwood, one at Clarksville High, and I got a middle school almost. I guess he's fifth grade. He's about to be. But, you know, these kids need it. It's great. It's character building. You know, Brad did a lovely job explaining why it benefits our kids, how it disciplines them, how it instills all the good um all the good qualities that we actually
014need. Um when it comes down to it, just, you know, support it. We need the budget. Now, what he was illuminating to though is, you know, facilities would be great. You know, Clarksville High was blessed getting their building. They have a ample opport, you know, they got a great space for it. You know, I enjoy coaching over there because of it. Rosview, you know, I started Rosview Middle School. I started the high school. We've wrestled up in the ox gym. You roll the mats out. You're up against the wall. You know, we've been doing that for decades. My middle school when we were allowed in there, you know, we would do the same thing. You know, it would be great to have a designated facility for us to be able to do this. I understand
015we got a lot of schools. I don't know if you know you designate locations, have satellites, let everybody use it. I mean, we can come up with lots of opportunities and ideas, but we have, you know, we have great success. We have many members. I mean, you just saw members from the Rosview baseball team that got acknowledged. I had two of those. Those were my middle schoolers. They wrestled for us. You know, they're obviously doing great things. You can do multi-ports. You know, this is it's for everybody. Um, in all honesty, I didn't get to prepare or print out a pretty little sheet, but you know, I'm just we're appealing to you. You know, if we have the funds and the money is available, why not use it? I understand there's tons of other sports,
016you know, support them all. Anything the high school does, the middle school should do. We should provide feeders. If we want to be successful and we want to continue recognizing athletes for their achievements, we need to support them and give them these opportunities. You know, like myself, you know, I've come out of pocket many times trying to get uniforms custommade and throw just the name Rossview on there out of our own pocket to fund these kids using previous head gear, shoes, anything we can find to put them out there and get them opportunities to, you know, be able to compete and to succeed. Uh, fortunately, you know, uh, Clarksville and Rosview and Rich View, you know, they've been good to us. We use those facilities. We do the best that we can. I don't know
017exactly what we're planning to do this year. So, you know, if you vote yes, we can at least have a better future going forward. And that's all I got. >> Thank you, Megan Wise. Why isn't the button on the right hand side, silver button, turns it on, red light will come on, your mic is hot. When it begins to blink, you have one minute left. >> Good evening, members of the board. I want to begin by recognizing the value that athletics have in our district. Wrestling specifically is a sport that teaches discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. However, unlike programs that serve all students, wrestling does have strict participation limits. Only students who are physically healthy, able to pass a physical exam, and to meet the academic eligibility requirements can join. By design, this does exclude many
018of our students with disabilities. students who make up a growing percentage of our district and who already struggle to access equitable opportunities. At the same time, we cannot ignore the reality of special education funding. Federal dollars currently cover less than 13% of special education costs nationwide, and Tennessee contributes only about 15 to 16% of the additional costs for K through2 special education. That's compared to a national average closer to 25%. This leaves CMCSS responsible for more than twothirds our district of the cost providing federally required services. These costs will only grow as student identification numbers increase each year and federal appropriations remain flat or even reduced further with the changes proposed by the current administration. With this funding picture in mind, I do ask that you carefully consider how we use our limited dollars. Instead
019of creating a new sport with narrow access, our district could invest in programs that would benefit all students such as afterchool social emotional learning groups. These can include pure mentoring, smallroup counseling, coping on emotional regulation, and inclusive group activities that foster belonging across all areas of the district. Research shows that programming directly improves academic performance, reduces discipline incidents, and builds long-term resilience in students. Unlike wrestling where only a few select students can join programming reaches every student and strengthens the overall learning environment. Special education impacts every metric that we use to measure district success. Underfunded or unsupported special education programs contribute directly to employee retention challenges because general education teachers often leave when they do not have the support or training needed to manage a diverse classroom. Academic performance suffers when students with disabilities do
020not receive timely or adequate services and overall achievement scores drop. Unmet behavioral needs currently in our district spill over into the school climate, resulting in higher discipline rates and disrupted learning for everyone. Even graduation rates and post-secary readiness are impacted because inadequate support in the early grades compounds into lower outcomes later. This is not just a special education issue. It's a systemwide issue that affects the students, all of us, and staff. As board members, you are tasked with more than passing budgets and reviewing policies created by this district. You are responsible for ensuring the district remains in compliance with federal and state special education law. That responsibility requires a working knowledge of IDEIDA and Tennessee special education statutes and an understanding of how these laws intersect with staffing compliance, academic growth, and school climate. Without
021that depth of knowledge, it is difficult to see the full consequences of district decisions, to fully understand how these decisions impact every learner, not just those with disabilities. It's time for this board to openly discuss special education at meetings and to treat it as the central issue that it truly is. Every budget decision, including tonight's, must be made with the knowledge that our district cannot succeed without a strong and sustainable foundation for everyone. James Lewis. Lewis, once again, silver button turns it on. Lights red. You're hot. It flashes. You got one minute left. Good evening, members of the board. Uh, let me start by saying this very clearly. I am not against middle school wrestling. In fact, I've been around the sport for many years right here in McGomery County in many different roles. I've
022seen firsthand how wrestling shapes young people into disciplined, resilient leaders. And I've seen how our athletes succeed at both state and national levels. Wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. And our kids deserve support. But the proposal to sanction middle school wrestling at CMCSS right now is quite simply putting the cart before the horse. Let me explain why. First, the logistics needed for this program to even have a chance at success. Um, you know, where will students practice, right? Wrestling requires large mats and a safe uh a safe consistent space. During wrestling seasons, gyms are already full with basketball and cheerleading practices or games. Where will the mats be stored? A regulation mat weighs several hundred pounds and takes up massive storage space that most middle schools simply can't support. What
023happens when practice space isn't available until late at night? That means students leave campus, go home, then return for practice. That kind of complexity doesn't increase participation, it decreases it. Many families won't be able to support or manage that schedule. Second, we can't ignore the shortage of qualified coaches. This is not unique to wrestling. It's challenging across all sports. Sanctioning middle school wrestling without a plan to recruit, develop, and retain quality coaches risks putting programs on paper that can't be properly staffed. Third, if the school board really wants to support wrestling, then let's have the right conversation. We should be talking about a plan to put designated wrestling facilities on school campuses. spaces that can support wrestling for elementary, middle, and high schools. That would not only strengthen our programs, it would send a message
024to incoming families and businesses that this school system is serious about investing in student athletes. Now, I know that some of you are thinking facilities are expensive, and you're right. The cost is significantly higher than what what's currently being proposed. But here's the reality. Trying to cover that cost through fundraising or calling in a favor is nearly impossible. However, if we as a district commit to a long-term plan, spreading the investment over a couple of years and applying it fairly across schools, we can absolutely make it reasonable and achievable. That's the kind of planning that sets our programs and our athletes up for real success. I also understand that some believe sanctioning middle school wrestling is the answer. uh for select schools, they already have a facility. It may feel like a great idea because
025they don't face the same space challenges that the rest of the district does, but the most but most of the schools, the reality is very different. And to those coaches who believe that this will automatically guarantee growth for their high school programs, I say that is not that this is not a magic beam. Growth doesn't happen just because something is sanctioned. It still requires hard work, fundraising, recruiting, and building a culture that brings kids in and keeps them engaged. Some might also argue that sanctioning would finally open the door for kids who couldn't afford a club program. I want to be clear on this point. In all my years in wrestling in the in the McGomery County area, I've never once seen a coach turn an athlete away because they couldn't afford it. Wrestling coaches
026do everything they can to make sure every single kid who wants to wrestle has a way to do so. So to summarize, the logistics are not in place. The facilities don't exist. The coaching shortage is real and sanction sanctioning sanctioning alone will not magically solve these challenges. What it will do, however, is create frustration and division and potentially limit the opportunities for these student athletes. Wrestling deserves better than that. Our student athletes deserve better than that. I urge this board to consider all the points I mentioned tonight and let's continue this conversation in a way that truly builds a sense of community for our schools, provides the facilities for that our kids need, and creates a foundation for wrestling that will last for decades to come. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Charles Helman. the
027instructions with a silver button. Do I have to repeat that again? In the flashing light one minute ago. Okay. Good evening. I'm Charles Offman. I am the leader of Clarksville Q. We are a funding board for the LGBTQIA+ community in Clarksville, McGomery County. We have five areas of focus. And I did try to email all of you the slides before. I know I can't put them on the screen, but you should have them on your screens if you want to look at them now or later. But, uh, this was a project formed with leaders from the city, uh, from nonprofit leaders across McGomery County. We identified with the Healing Trust, uh, which is a, um, a large pocket of money from the sale of Baptist Hospital in Nashville. They fund lots of community and health
028initiatives across Middle Tennessee. So it was identified here in Clarksville that we needed more resources for the queer community here in McGomery County. Uh so since then we've identified five key areas that we are working in. Community advocacy, education, health, and then support as in community support groups. This year our big project was the commissioning with embold research of an LGBTQ plus needs assessment. What do our neighbors who are LGBTQ plus uh need out of our county? Uh full disclosure, I'm bisexual, so I'm part of this community. We are here tonight as we go through all the governing bodies. We did county commission a couple weeks ago. Uh but for y'all specifically, uh we surveyed parents of LGBTQ plus youth. So the students that you serve as schoolboard members, their parents and how they feel
029about the community. uh we did interviews with I think 10 different individuals of various uh ethnicities, demographics, but then we also did a survey of around 500 people. They were all registered uh and uh voters in McGomery County. This was a weighted survey that like like you'd see in any major poll done by like Vanderbilt or IMBOLD has worked with a lot of these major institutions to conduct studies like this before. So, we were very confident with the results we have. They've got some key findings here that LGBTQ LGBTQ plus youth and their parents are picking up on heightened vulnerability. That this year, I'm sure some of you have noticed there is a strong rejection of uh LGBTQ folks in the public media in the in those identities. They're not wanting it centered in media.
030They're not wanting it talked about in public spaces. the kids are feeling that and the parents are feeling that and they're getting nervous. Number two is um a school environment barriers. Now, Mc Clarkson McGomery County schools scored really well in that folks generally saw schools as safe spaces for their kids. So, a parent of a trans or queer youth felt like generally that their school has been safe. But here lately, because of the news media, because of targeting of queer folks, with legislation in the state capital, uh with commentary from our city council that they are feeling less safe, their children are feeling less safe in a public school environment. Three is a lack of critical resources. Um there there is a perception that there's less um room for uh queer kids to gather and
031understand and talk with each other. uh and that there's an urgent need for safe and inclusive youth spaces. Specifically, on one of these slides, we've got a map of where the concentration of a lot of the uh queer and parents uh live in the county. The highest um zip codes are 3742, 3740, and 3743. They were all between 20 and 40% uh were either LGBTQ or a parent of a child that was LGBTQ. um their lived experiences with accessibility are we find that there's a higher percentage of LGBTQ folks who have a harder time accessing health care, transportation, and housing. Uh I'm sure y'all are seeing that there's a growing number of kids at risk in housing. Uh that the LGBT community is right in there with the rest of the the community and struggling
032to find good housing. Uh we've got a couple other presenters that are going to walk through the other sections of this report, but we're going to have an extended town hall on September 6th that Michelle will invite you to. So, thank you so much. >> Thank you. Rod Mills. >> Hi, I'm Rod Mills. I'm a citizen in district six. Um, and also I am an educator professor at Austin P State University and have been for the last 14 years. Uh, I'm also a member of the Clarksville Q board and I'd like to share with you some of the important findings that we got from our needs assessment. Um, I'm not going to talk about all of these points uh, but just highlight uh, some of the ones that stuck out at us. um is accessibility
033to employment. Uh the mission of this board uh in this school system is to have folks college andor career ready. Uh but 41% of our respondents indicated that they don't have uh access to employment opportunities here in Clarksville and Montgomery County. The biggest needs uh however were safe community spaces um for LGBTQ adults and uh youth. 59% of our participants um disagree that there is access to safe community spaces here. Mental health support uh 48% said that they have uh disagree that there's good access to mental health support. Um, and I know that the school systems have um, school counselors. And so this is an indication of the mental health of uh, not only LGBTQ youth but also LGBTQ plus um, adults. And uh, 51% say they disagree that there is uh, protection from discrimination
034uh, here in Clarksville and Montgomery County. As far as perceived safe spaces, uh, as Mr. man already shared with you all. The school system is one of those where folks do feel safe uh as well as the local colleges and universities uh coffee shops and cafes and libraries. So, these are venues that you may consider um if you choose to support um uh some of the recommendations that we have coming later on for extracurricular activities andor mentorship programs for LGBTQ plus youth. Um, as far as uh public schools go, uh, 43% of our respondents said that they feel that the school system is a supportive place for LGBTQ people in our communities. um perceived challenges uh and u for LGBTQ youth and needed resources. Those that are closest to these young people have growing concerns
035about the lack of youth spaces uh and changing support from adults in the school systems. Uh for those respondents uh we asked, do you believe that uh younger LGBTQ individuals in Clarksville face more, fewer or the same challenges today as young people did 10 years ago. And 71% of our respondents said that the challenges are about the same or have increased in the last 10 years. Um, so we're fighting an uphill battle uh here to help uh some of our most vulnerable students in Montgomery County. Um, less than half of respondents believe um that um some of these um resources are available to youth in the community. Um 34% said supportive school environments. um only 27% said that there was good access to youth specific community events that address the needs of um LGBTQ youth.
036Um 24% said that there was good support for mentorship programs, which means there's 76% who don't see that uh as a supportive program. and uh 20 only 23% saw inclusive extracurricular programs uh as being um accessible to their youth and students. Um with that I will wrap up my section. Thank you all for your time and attention. Michelle Lucer, if I pronounced it correctly. Thank you. My name is Michelle Lucier and I live in school district number two. I'm also a member of Clarksville Q. I'm here to present the recommendations from the survey that Clarksville Q commissioned. One of the questions asked on the survey was if you were given a million dollars to invest, what would you do? Some of the top answers were afterchool programs, mentorship programs, youth centers, school funding, and alternative
037educational pathways. Some of the recommendations from the report deal with the community as a whole, but others deal with the youth in our community. These recommendations include a community center for to support the LGBTQ adults as well as our youth. This needs to be a whole community effort, including the school system. Another recommendation was to expand safe spaces for youth support. Recognizing that the school system are increasingly constrained by legislation, we should we should invest in community centers, libraries, and other public spaces to host inclusion, confidential, and affirming programs where LGBTQ youth can safely connect with peers and trusted adults. Most of all, our LGBTQ youth can feel safe. Teachers and administrators need to recognize the differences of the LGBTQ youth community and ensure the health and welfare of them. They need the same opportunities
038as those youth that are not members of of the LGBTQ community. We will be having a town hall on September 6 at 6 PM at the Clarksville McGomery County Library to discuss this research in more depth and would like to invite the school board to this as well. Thank you. Christopher Carbon don't think he is here tonight. So that concludes our public comments. Next item is approval of consent agenda. Have a have a motion for Mr. Laneir. >> A second for Mr. Nelson. All in favor? I'm sorry about that. Discussion is now closed. Open the vote. Is everyone satisfied with your vote? Please close the vote. It passes 70. Next item, board discussion and conclusion, budget amendment, middle school wrestling. Mr. Mabberry asked that to be on the agenda. Turn it over to him. Thank
039you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I want to make a motion to put on the in the budget and begin the process of funding for boys and girls wrestling for the 2026 season. Um, I want to make the comment that coaches, mads, uniforms will go through the normal process. And now I want to turn it over to Anthony Johnson who has some comments and I would like to come back afterwards and make some more comments. Thank you. All right, back again. So, uh, I'm going to start by saying that, uh, when this was presented, uh, we had some questions from board members, from the community, from the media, and so, uh, you know, my job do some factf finding. And so that's what I did. I spoke to a lot of people. Um, and I want to
040say first and foremost that there's not a single middle school principal, there's not a single district leader that I spoke to who is not in support of continuing to expand athletic offerings at the middle school level. every single person resounding yes, we would like to cons continue to see that expanded. Um, this is a very short presentation, but what I would like to do is just give you a little bit of history. Um, some of you joked with me a few months ago when I told you uh the year I was in kindergarten. Uh, so I'm just going to say in the late 1900s, uh, when I was in middle school in a different county, um, I had the opportunity to, uh, play soccer and band in middle school. And many of the points I
041I want to steal Coach Warren's uh uh form there, but many of the points he made and and others about middle school is a difficult time. Um and so the more opportunities we can provide students to be engaged, the better. So when I moved to Clarksville uh about 15 years ago, I did think it was kind of interesting uh that there weren't as many offerings. And so um in speaking with Mr. Miller, which she's here tonight, too, if there are any questions. We did a little bit of a history on middle school athletics in Clarkson Montgomery County School System. So, in the 1980s, and I think not to date you, Mr. Nolan, but in speaking with him a little bit ago, we think it was specifically 1980 uh because he remembers it uh when he
042was in a middle school uh after when junior high uh was changed. So, in the 1980s, CMCSS moved from a junior high model to a middle school model. At that time the only offering was basketball. It was first offered as an intramural and although we couldn't determine the exact timing somewhere in those 40 years uh between when we started adding more athletics it changed to a sanctioned sport. So each of those dots you see there I'm a visual person represents a decade. And so for about 40 years the only offering we had at middle school was basketball. I can't answer why. I didn't speak to any leaders at the time, but that was the reality. Now, there are two people in this room uh that would probably not like the attention or the recognition, but
043in everybody that I spoke to, there seemed to be a turning point in 2017. Two things happened. Dr. Luna Veter was selected as the director of high schools and John Miller was selected as the dire the coordinator of district programs and activities. And what you'll see is they both had a drive to continue to increase our offerings at the middle school level. one for our middle school students, but also it does nothing but help strengthen our high school programs as well. So, in 2018, CMCSS added volleyball and cross country to the offerings after 40 years of of just having basketball. You might remember something happened around 2020. Uh, a little bit of a difficult time uh budget-wise. And so, there was a little bit of a delay. Uh but in 2022, funding was allocated by
044the board and county commission uh for the next which was probably uh one of the bigger uh moves that we've made as far as adding athletics, which was football programs and cheerleading at all of our middle schools. As you know, that was costly. It took a lot of uh coordination. Um and many of the speakers mentioned this, but I want to remind you our middle schools, all but one, were built after 1980. So they did not come with facilities that were planned in those buildings. So took a lot of coordination and still does with our high schools. But either way, uh we had football implemented and cheerleading in 2023. Um that 2022 year was funding for equipment, uh facil some facilities upgrades, that sort of thing. So that brings us to where we are right
045now, the current state of middle school athletics. So this is just again a visual to kind of show you um where our offerings are. So, we do have football, um we have cross country, and we have volleyball that are um you know, our our summer sports going into fall. Um and then we have basketball November, December, January, February. Um we don't have necessarily any sanctioned spring sports at the middle school level right now. The graphics below show you all of the TMSAA sanctioned athletics that we do not currently offer in CMCSS. Uh, those are girls flag football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls wrestling, and I'm going to not just say boys and girls each time, but you'll know what I mean. Golf, uh, softball, baseball, and track. So, those
046are the athletics that are not currently offered. Again, looking at the picture of this district going nearly 40 years with just one, um, but knowing that we want to continue expanding and how do we do that sustainably? And again, echoing many of the points from the speakers today, there are a lot of competing priorities for the district. there's a lot of facilities needs that need to be addressed and so um I just want to make sure that the public that you all know that is a drive from all of us to continue expanding but um you know some have asked well why wasn't this in the presented in the budget in April and quite frankly when you're dipping 15 million into the fund balance and then there was uncertainty around federal dollars um this this
047there were cuts that had to be made from what we would like to bring forth and so that's why it was not included. I do want to acknowledge our county commissioners here who have been extremely supportive the last few years. You you probably know, if you didn't, I want to make sure you know we've had historic um uh capital project funding. And so that's been very helpful. But as you look at those projects, you'll see um $10 million or I can't remember the exact figure, but you know, three million of that might be an HVAC renovation at one school. So very supportive of us, but again, these things cost money. So that brings us to um after speaking with district leaders, middle school, our recommendations and it kind of echoes um Mr. Nel I forgotten
048your last name. >> Lewis Mr. kind of echoes what Mr. Lewis was talking about and that's creating a plan. So our recommendation as a district is that we continue planning in next year's budget and future budgets to sustainably expand middle school offerings balancing fall, winter, and spring. And that's something that we did here. Again, middle school principles very supportive of continuing to expand, but with limited facilities. Most of our middle schools just have a gym and an auxiliary gym. Um, if we have all of our sports pretty much at the same time, uh, that's very difficult for scheduling. So, they were definitely interested in looking at, um, what spring sports we might be able to, like track, for example. Addressing facility needs, uh, with current offerings and future expansion. You heard that from speakers. We
049hear that all the time. Um, the current high school and middle school offerings have needs. um needs that we have not been able to address, needs that are very expensive. And so, how do we create a plan for that for the future and that goes into again addressing the financial needs of current athletic offerings. Uh in addition, you all know this, once we implement something, you've got to sustain equipment wears out, uniform wears out. So, how do we continue to address those needs? And then also addressing the competitive pay for all coaches through the collaborative conferencing and budget considerations. I've never had a single coach tell me that they are uh you know, they're doing it for the money. Uh they do it for the heart. They do it because they know what their students,
050but at the same time, we are not competitive when you look at local um our competing districts who are sometimes three, four times what our supplements are. And that's something we would have also have liked to address in this year's budget, but again, dipping into the fund balance, um we were only able to do a 2%. Our alternative request, and this is what we'll say, if the board feels compelled to go ahead and implement uh allocate some funding for middle school wrestling, um and I think uh Mr. Mayberry mentioned this or is going to mention um that it's just not feasible. Um nobody I've spoken to, even the most optimistic, think that it's feasible to actually implement that. The if I remember the date correctly, it's December 13th is the uh sectional tournament for middle
051school wrestling. So by the time this if it's approved today and then approved by the county commission and then having to go through the hiring process and uniforms and figuring out the logistics, it's just nobody feels like it's feasible. But if there is a if you feel compelled uh to move forward then what we've come to is a cost of about 260,000 for our eight middle schools and that's basically the bare minimum which would be the mats uh that were discussed which which are expensive um the uh uniforms and then also uh and this was addressed by one of the speakers even when we implemented football um there's just not enough storage facilities at our at our middle schools and so that includes some temporary storage uh facilities until we can look at some long-term
052solutions. So, essentially, that's the history, where we are, and our recommendation moving forward. If you have any questions, like I said, Mr. Miller's here, um Mr. Slight with Middle School uh is here and Mr. Feldman. But let me know if there's any questions. >> Not just anybody else, >> Mr. Garland, >> how many children in middle school would this affect? uh the possibility. How many kids do we have in our middle schools that might be interested in doing the support? >> Yeah, I I will say and I think someone had mentioned one of one of our club teams. I think there's maybe 65 students. Is that >> we have upwards of 65 plus boys and girls in our middle school club. >> There's about 250 in our elementary middle and high school club. >> Yeah.
053That's for the district. >> That is just for >> Yeah. similar. >> Yeah. So, and and you might remember, Mr. Garland, because oftentimes we have our high schools here for because they're constantly winning state national competitions and that they can be rather large teams. So, yeah, about you know, I would say in those in those numbers, but it's really hard to give a you know, it's speculative because we just don't know exactly how many would, but I feel like that's a pretty accurate representation. I also want to acknowledge and I failed to do this and so if you'll just give me one moment when I showed those other athletic offerings too that we don't currently offer. I I would be remiss if I didn't mention the the clubs the Montgomery County Soccer Association these other
054organizations who however you want to look at it they're either you know filling a gap or um they're kind of complimenting what we're already doing but they do a great job. And so us saying our desire to continue expanding athletics is not to say that they aren't doing a great job or that we it's just something that we would like to continue to expand and and know that several of those organizations have also spoken to us about their desire to have those athletics offered as well. Um and we have been able to do some creative things. So for example, John Miller worked last year um to get I think there was five middle school club teams. They were eligible to compete in the TWSLA. actually had one who uh made it and was eligible to
055compete in the uh in the tournament. Uh they chose that it was a competing tournament. There was another tournament that same day, so they chose that one, but they were actually eligible. So again, I think not only is there the desire, there's the talent um there. Uh definitely would our kids with if participated in this sport on the TWSA, TWWSA, whatever it is, I don't know what I'm y'all forgive me. Uh would that give them an uh opportunity to get scholarships to go h as they go higher into the educational process? >> Absolutely. >> But those kids that are in this uh what's called the mural, they don't get that activity. You said the rural I'm not >> the mural. I mean they have my grandson was in track his last year high school but
056that was outside of the school system. >> Got it. Yeah. I mean, you know, yes. Uh, but obviously it's it's ideal when you've got a school sanctioned activity and you have that coach who's then able to, you know, work with their partnerships with college coaches. You've got recruiters. So, I obviously students can still get scholarships for those other activities. But I do want to, you know, just clarify in this, we are talking specifically middle school, which we want them to start thinking about that that early, but at our high schools typically. Um, but what I will say is it doesn't matter what athletic team it is at the middle school level. If you are starting earlier, I mean, I was a music guy and a soccer guy. The earlier you start, the better you'll be.
057Um, and so certainly we we encourage as as soon as we can start students in in these. >> Thank you. >> Mr. Mayor, you asked to be after he give us presentation make some additional statements. >> Yeah. Thank you. I I got several statements. You stand there. Say what you like to do. All right. Yes, sir. Um, so I made my initial um, motion and of course Anthony had those thoughts to share as well. So I wanted to go through some points here and would love to have discussion tonight about this. Um, middle school programs matter. It gives students an opportunity. As you saw tonight, there was a large gap of time where we didn't have the opportunities. When I was in our schools here, I went to Richview Middle School. I I believe had
058a basketball club that had just started when when I was there. there wasn't a lot of opportunity. U these middle school programs give our students an opportunity. Uh I've run an afterchool program in our community for five years, six years now. Um work with about 150 students. It gives them an opportunity to be around trusted adults. We help them with homework. That's in the category what we're doing here. When students join sports programs, their grades typically go up. their behavior in school is typically better, which in our our county, state, nation, um we've been talking about for lots of years about behavior. Um it grounds them to a community within that school. Wrestling is a sport of discipline. I wrestled in high school. I actually wrestled for Rosu High School. David Johnson, who's back here,
059is our uh Are you the only state champ? You have to acknowledge. No. Yes. He's a He's the uh S. If you go into the high school, you walk into by the cafeteria, you can see a big picture of David Johnson there from his high school glory days. You do not see me. Um but he he wrestled. We wrestled together. He's he he's a great coach here in the community. Um my daughter, as many of you guys know, wrestled here for in Clarksville High. Coach Brad Warren on the front row there. He uh had the pleasure to coach my daughter. Coach Madon back there as well. Um, my daughter wrestled. The reason we got into wrestling for my daughter is because her attitude was so poor at home. And I say this out loud, so
060my and I throw my daughter in the bus, too. Just graduated high school and she's currently subbing in our school. So, she's she's old now. Um, but she knows I talked about the story, but her attitude was poor towards her mother. And I told her, I said, "You're going to be joining a sport." And her freshman year, um, I said, "You're going to join sport because you need discipline. Pick a sport." She didn't. So sophomore year, I said, "Okay, I'm picking the sport now." And I I text coach Cobb, who was the coach at the time, and I said, "Hey, uh, my daughter is showing up to practice today." Dropped her off there. Hours later, pick her back up over at Clarkville High. We're driving down the road. I said, "What do you think of
061practice?" She looks to me sideways. She says, "I guess it was okay." She ended up loving it. Ended up becoming the JV state champion that year um at Clark High in the girls program. It makes them into student athletes. And I can't tell you again. I know coach Badon if you had the opportunity um uh tonight he he you he could tell you how many scholar athletes he has the amount of that girls team I know in particular because my daughter was a part of it they have high grades. In fact the Clark High team in particular it's the entire team have high grades. It's about legacy building teams and programs for our future. if we get our students to have these programs at a younger age, in particular wrestling, it's something that if you're
062starting off as a freshman, you may be a David Johnson one day. Um, but you're more likely to be an Aaron Mayberry in wrestling. You're you're more likely to not be able to succeed as as time goes along. Um, a lot of these guys have dedicated their lives to this out here tonight. I got Melissa Sus over here from Kenwood. Um, Hunter Staff here, uh, and Jason Payton. I went to high school with these guys when I went to Clarksville High. I got I got transferred to Rossy when it opened up. Uh Jason and I have been friends since middle school. Uh Jason Hunter were on the Clarksville High 2000 state championship team back there in the Gloria days. Those guys are incredible. Both uh placed in state twice. Um Jason went on to go
063to UN University of Tennessee Chattanooga and wrestled for them. Um, we have um David Johnson as as I mentioned, Coach Brad, uh, Coach Doug Doug Badon over here as well. Um, Coach Chris Carbon and Jerry Hwood would have been here tonight, but they they couldn't, but coach Jerry Hwood emailed you guys tonight. The community is strong. They're all from different schools, but they're here tonight um, united that we need these programs. Um, and a lot uh, two, I know two of the guys here tonight, they they run the clubs. They run these clubs. Coach Jason back there run and and I believe Hunter's involved, but they run these clubs. I've seen David there. How do I know? Because my son at 8 years old was in this club. And when they say it's it's very
064true that elementary students and middle school students by a ton are in these clubs. But how much better can our high school programs be if we develop these students at a younger age? That's what we're talking about. We're talking about the legacy. You're talking about going back the glory days of the 2000s Clarksville High state championship team. The other schools in the state that are winning year after year, they are developing way younger than we are. We could be there. That's what I see. I also want to say community prosperity. Our CEOs that look at coming into this area, people that are trying to bring um jobs and highpaying jobs into this area. uh talked to Josh War um Ward today from um and he he said to me that they look for higher w
065um the the people that bring higher wages in these opportunities are looking for what can my kids do and particularly in middle school sports we have a low bench amount of amount of opportunities they've been weak so why today why I'm going to bring this up today well two years ago I asked for this as you know finances is part of our purview here at the board um I was asked two years ago to hold off for one year and we would get in the budget. I wasn't sure it would be in the budget. For whatever reason, it wasn't in the budget this year. That's why I'm bringing this budget amendment. I didn't want to mess up the the county commission's uh and the school district's approval a couple weeks ago on the federal level.
066They froze some funds which now have been released. If you don't know, they have been released. Um, so I that's why you saw it on the agenda and I didn't say anything about it because I would not not trying to do a budget amendment when they're they're freezing $12 million, right? But those funds have been released. But that's why it's on today. I fully believe we need to develop it. And yes, as some comm people have spoken today have said, there's more out there. Yeah, there's more opportunities, more sports, more things we need to do, but you got to start somewhere. And this is something that can greatly impact with great participation. These programs that they're talking about, these elementary and middle school people, they have coaches. They're involved with this wholeheartedly. The people are
067there. The the the participation in the community is there. I'm asking that we approve this so that we can continue the legacy of what Clark can be with wrestling. Thank you. Is there a motion yet on this? You've talked about I need need to hear a motion. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second with Mr. Garland. Any discussion? Seeing none. I'm sorry. I'm looking at hands and Casey Bryant. Sorry. >> Thank you. I So, can you explain exactly what the motion is? Are we Go ahead. >> Thank you. The motion is to bring uh to put in the budget and to begin the process for boys and girls wrestling for the 2026 season. And the reason I said it like that, u my intention was to be earlier in the year, but because I,
068as I said, things happened that prevented it from being there. Um, and and when it wasn't in the budget, that's kind of where it started. So, I wanted to be early ear early year for this year, but I'm also practical. It's it's unrealistic to say that we're really going to be able to be prepared with buying mats with logos and buying uniforms with logos. You know, it's it's unrealistic finding the coaches in time. So, what we would do is um the fund budget, I'm glad you said this because the fund budget is where I I'm saying this is coming from. It's uh currently around $70 million. Um there's ample room in there to pull the resources necessary to get the um mats, to get the the uniforms, to get those things in place for next
069season. Have plenty of time to hire the coaches, plenty of time to get the infrastructure in place. Um, so the motion is to get it into the budget to begin this process for Boys and Girls Wrestling for the 2026 season. >> I can keep going. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, so we that chart by the way was very helpful. Thank you. because my children are both in sports in the school system and I'm always so confused about sanctioned versus not sanctioned and I get phone calls and emails about it all the time. I I think it might be a good this is off subject but a good thing to put on the website. I think we need some sort of education for the community about that because again I'm still confused and I'm on the
070board. So um the the other question I have so it's not sanctioned for high school correct. This is it is sanctioned for high school. Okay. So, we have it sanctioned for high school and we're asking to get it sanctioned for middle school. Um I am a big proponent of this. This is proponent means four, right? This is a um hits my heart closely because my daughter started wrestling last year, her freshman year of high school. And I just saw such a big change in her attitude. She went just like Aaron. I can relate. Um she's always been a great girl but had um some laziness going on. She went into wrestling. She started as a little 111b string bean and now she's she would be so mad if I told her weight but she's way
071more than that and so strong and it has helped her mentally and physically and not just with wrestling but it has also helped her in the other sports that she competes in. So big difference. I've seen it personally and she's not the most athletic child either and she's able to go in and have fun and compete. So, I think wrestling is a great sport to start with. >> Mr. Linder, I have a couple questions if anybody can figure out how to answer these. Do we have a club at each middle school that is already available to students? >> Mr. Miller, do you mind coming up to speak? I think most of these you can probably address. Uh I know last year they had five of the seven, excuse me, five of the eight middle schools
072that had a club. >> Okay. What's the three that didn't? Um, I I don't recall, but I I think I found out afterwards after after I met with the clubs to uh get with them to uh help schedule these uh student athletes to be able to compete in TLSA postseason, which it was the first year they had postseason for middle school. I found out that Kimwood had a club, but uh I wasn't aware of that at the time. what the information I got sent to me only it was only five that that or maybe it was six that showed up but then one did not end up not having a club at the time but then I think Kenwood does and oh you don't okay they did last year I guess they don't now okay
073I thought um so Kenwood and West Creek and Northeast were the uh middle schools last year that I did not get any information from as far as club participation and them wanting to compete in the diva uh sectional and state tournament. The other five I did. >> And now we have a we have a staff shortage problem. >> Do we at the high school level? I mean >> in terms of coaches. >> Yeah. >> Well, there's always a lot of turnover with coaches u in in every sport um uh throughout the throughout the year. And I I think somebody mentioned there's three openings. That would be across the eight high schools. I'm not sure if that is correct or not, but uh we do have open positions. I'm sure of that. >> And um I
074mean my my worry would be how do we staff if we're already working with this shortage? And then what's going to happen to the clubs? Do do the clubs still function? I mean, are they going to dissolve? Are they going to roll into middle? >> I could I couldn't answer that. One of them would have to >> it'll just be gone. >> What's this mean? >> The club will continue. >> How many middle How many elementary school wrestlers do you have? >> Okay. I didn't I didn't know of one and I'm good friends with Chris Carbon. I didn't know anything about that one. Um, okay. I may have something in a minute as I think, but >> thank you. >> Uh, Mr. Garland, >> if we purchased that equipment, uh, is that $320,000 worth of
075equipment? >> $260,000 worth of equipment, where would we put it? Uh well that's a good question because uh putting the equipment in the in the middle schools is going to be problematic just like we had with football. We had to buy um storage facilities for them to store the equipment in the off season. Uh we would have to do the same for wrestling. Um and it would probably be a bigger building than what we bought for uh the football teams. My question, I asked that question because if we can't get the equipment to where the students are and if we can they cannot practice year round, would they would that be a disadvantage for our teams or would it be a plus? I mean, how would that affect the team sport? If they couldn't practice
076year round just like all the other sports that'll have a capacity >> wrestling has no restrictions uh by tila play on practice. they can practice year round at the high school level and at the middle school level. So not having uh the opportunity uh to practice if we didn't have the space or the facility to do that would be a problem. So you're asking So the community is asking the board to obligate millions of dollars really, not hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars for a sport that we don't know where we're going to put the equipment and we don't know where and how the kids going to be able to practice uh to actually become experts in that field. Not that I'm against it. I just want to I just want the answers
077before we actually vote. Uh because the bottom line, if we vote to spend $20 million to fund those eight schools, then we need to know that when the equipment come in, that those students are ready to go, we're ready to go to the fields, ready to go to practice, and ready to be able to participate at the at the level that they're supposed to be participating. That is why I asked my question. Not that I'm against. Don't think I'm against it. >> Yes, sir. Th those are all obstacles and we faced all of those obstacles with middle school football as well and and continue to face them on a daily basis with uh with practice space and and storage for equipment and those types of things. So I mean there are obstacles that can be
078overcome uh but they are definitely problems because over the years as Anthony pointed out the the the schools the middle schools have been built without athletics in mind and um so we don't have the space or the facilities to accommodate um a lot of those. And I say this also because we right now at North West High School, they are still crying about the fact that they don't have space to act advocately expand their football program. And if we go out and invest millions of dollars in this sport and they don't get theirs, then we still it's still going to be a it would be a compounding problem. What I'm trying to say. >> Yeah. Well, I mean, we we we're always facing challenges with our facilities. You know, in the last two or three
079years, we've had to replace tracks at Ross View and at Kinwood. Uh, and we need to replace the track at West Creek. Tennis courts are always, you know, it's upgrading and keeping the facilities that we already have in good working order is always a challenge u as well. But, Northwest has a a a nice space now um at the school for their for their football program. very nice space. >> Thank you, Mr. Nelson. >> Uh, good evening. And, uh, well, I see that there's actually a lot of enthusiasm and support behind the middle school wrestling and I stand behind that having been a a school athlete, student athlete growing up as well. But um what I want to ask the board is that when uh a decision comes before the board for funding special education
080that we see the same level of enthusiasm to support those kids in special in special education and not just for the sports for those who have the ability to go out there and play them but those who have those disabilities that need the money and the funding to support themselves. That's all I'd like to say. Thank you. Mr. Mayberry. >> Yeah, thank you. Um, and Mr. Nelson, and I I believe every time we've had one of those um come for the board, we have supported it. So, I absolutely I I appreciate that comment, Mr. Gar, I appreciate the comment bringing up some of these these comments as well. Um, just for clarity, it's $260,000. It's not in the millions. $260,000. Um, wrestling practicing year round. I mean, some some of you guys do, I'm sure,
081because you do, but most sports in any sport, you're going to have your season. You're gonna have a little bit before, a little after, and then they're going to have their their time off until they come back to the next season. So, when I wrestled in high school, I wrestled in the season um probably a little bit before, a little bit um after, and then we were done through the summer, coming back to the next school year. So, um that's typically like that. equipment storage is actually in the in the $260,000 to provide the facilities to store the equipment. So, um I do want to put that on the record that this that was encompassed within that. Um and by the way, Rosu Middle School, David Johnson back here, Coach Johnson, uh he ran a
082one of these clubs in that school and these clubs are in support of this. So, want to put that out there. So, appreciate you guys, >> Mr. in there. >> So, what storage things are we looking at? Are they going to be a ConX or something out out back? Are they going to be How are the students I mean, at high school level, they drag the mats out. Who's going to bring these things in? I mean, if they're smaller kids, I mean, how are they going to drag these big mats? >> But it's it's I kind of alluded to it. It's it's temporary. It's it's it's not ideal, but it it provides something. So, it' be temporary, but John, you could probably give us some more. >> Yeah. So, I I think, you know, during
083season and and probably preeason, they could possibly be stored in the schools. Um I I'm not sure where in the middle schools that we would be able to do that. Possibly the auxiliary gyms, but not I don't believe all of the middle schools have auxiliary gyms. And so, that would be problematic. um possibly the cafeteria, but then but then you're looking at them getting damaged uh you know when when you have access there. But uh the the where we put the football storage facility sheds essentially is what they are. Um we placed them I work with Chris Jackson on that. We placed them in the best possible uh location that we could that we could run electricity to it. Um, so I we'd have to I'd have to work with him on that in terms
084of where we would place those, but um, yeah, the mats would have to be at, you know, on some occasions would have to be brought in from from u those areas into into the building, I would suppose. >> What is the season? >> The season for middle school wrestling, >> uh, it is a winter sport. So technically uh the official start of that is the last week of September every year and that is when middle school basketball starts now. Um but as I mentioned previously uh wrestling at the middle school and high school level with the state athletic association has no restrictions on practice. So they can pretty much practice year round. uh their season ends as it stands now. The sectionals are the first week of December and the uh state tournament is the
085second week of December right before uh we get out for uh Christmas uh break. Whereas basketball continues on uh goes it it doesn't end in middle school until late February. Are we going to be in a in a space problem with both of those sports trying to use the same gym facility? >> Uh yes sir, we probably would. Uh like I said previously, it's an obstacle. you know, we could we could figure out ways to overcome it, but it would be difficult um because you've also got cheerleaders during basketball season practicing and um so space is a problem in terms of of finding uh available space for them to practice. >> You talked about storing the mats in the cafeteria. Is is a cafeteria an okay space for them to practice wrestling? I I'm uh
086it could be uh I'm going off past experience. I spent the 1990s at Clarksville Academy and I started wrestling there as a athletic director. And that's what we had to do um for the first few years of that program was take the uh tables out of the cafeteria at the end of the day and pull the wrestling mats in and and wrestle. Of course, they had their matches in our gym, but that's where they had to practice then. So, I don't know if it's it's an ideal situation. Probably not, but um it's it's something that we could look at doing. >> I know a lot of things get done with football with, you know, booster club and stuff like that. Does is booster club come into play in middle school sports? >> Uh it is
087not that prevalent in our middle schools at the present time. Uh it never really has been. uh for basketball. Uh with the um advent of the new sports that we've brought on in the last few years, haven't seen much in terms of booster clubs uh developing uh there. it there's there's a sprinkling of them but uh and I think over time they probably will but um also at the high school to be honest with you it it depends on the school as to and the sport as to whether we have strong booster clubs. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes, >> Mr. Barry. >> Thank you. I'm for rrestling in middle schools, but at this time I don't think it's feasible. I think we need to table this pending more research and development of wrestling so
088that we can meet the needs of the students. It's not about us. It's not about how we were the champions. It's about the students and their futures. And we don't want to blunder this. And then is it fair to the children that participate in tennis in middle school or the ones that participate in football in middle school or golf or wrestling or tennis and softball and baseball? I think we have to be equitable. Treat everyone equal. I know that most parents in elementary and middle schools fund their children's athletics and the sports that they participate in. I'm not saying that this will not work, but right now we're not ready for a vote. I'm not ready to put my vote to something that has not been fully developed and that's best for students. I think
089staff would be frustrated. I think students would be frustrated because we have to have ourselves together and our ducks in a row. We cannot just throw anything at the students. We have to have a program that is organized, that is staffed and ready to roll so they know that we have their best interests at heart. Thank you. >> Mr. Garland, >> I have one last question. Uh, how many uh auxiliary gyms do we have to build? Is it eight >> auxiliary gyms for the wrestling team? >> So, I'll say this. >> Although I I go out and visit schools often, I do believe that almost all of our middle schools, all the new construction have an auxiliary gym. Okay. um with them and I but you know to to answer your question on a broader
090level I absolutely think that we've got to take a comprehensive look at our at our across the board uh for our athletic facilities and again I keep back with Mr. Lewis said, but and other comments, but I mean I I don't know that to to answer your question that they're um they're equipped right now to continue adding as many athletics as as we desire. And so, yeah, absolutely. We've got to take a look at that. But I think Norm, don't do you know the answer to that? >> Um the the two newest schools have proper auxiliary gyms at the middle school. Um, we renovate, excuse me, renovated uh another one several years ago. It's got a proper uh auxiliary gym. Many of them have a space that we call an auxiliary gym, but it's more
091of a glorified large classroom. Um, I believe that's four and then one does not have even have that large classroom. So, we're sort of behind the curve in terms of just general space that can be utilized. So you're talking about five auxiliary gyms that we probably going to have to build to make sure that they will be able to incorporate and save and store equipment as well as allow them to practice. Now my following own question is how much do one of those facilities cost to build? This is where we're going to get into the millions of dollars. Ladies and gentlemen, >> I I think I think what what we're um I think there are al alternatives that we can consider um in terms of space utilization. Uh for instance, CHS was used as an
092example. Um they they wrestle inside the building in spaces all over that building. Um, but they do have a separate facility for storage, for practice, and for for team meetings. So, I I think I think there's different ways that we can look at this um if we really um put our put our minds to it, but ultimately we're going to have to build those spaces. Am I right? Ideally, in order for this to be able to work properly, we're going to have to build the spaces. And this is a good conversation. Don't get me wrong. This is a good conversation. We need to make sure that our kids that want to do the sport, they can do the sport. But we also need to make sure that once we get it started, that we can
093sustain it as somebody said, and that we can support it financially as well as spacewise. And as we're talking about safe space, um, and like I say, you know, I am not against anything, not against any program that'll make our children better citizens of this nation. I am not against any of it. But the bottom line is uh we need to make sure that when we make a decision that the decision is based on sound premises. And I think there's a lot of questions that we have here tonight that we need to go back and actually come up with a with some solutions to them and come back and have this question have this conversation again. Um what would I vote for? Would I vote for it? Yes, I would vote for it. But right
094now, if I voted yes, that means I'm saying that we have what we need to make sure that those children that's once we say that we we we we ordain or we support wrestling for um middle school, we have what we need to make sure that they are going to be successful. And I don't think we're there yet. But the bottom line is um whatever the board decided to do. >> Is there any additional questions before I call on the next speaker? questions. >> Okay, Mr. Mayor, >> I just want to start going back through some of these things that um I know the answers to. It's my understanding New Providence is the only school gym within our county. We're not talking about building a new >> currently does not have one. New Providence is
095the only one I am aware of. Um I've asked that question in the past. Um there's a difference between storing equipment and an oxygen. So auction would be a potential place where they would wrestle. They can wrestle in a cafeteria. We did. We we did. I mean these guys know. Um we we definitely did all over these schools. Um and I'm sure the high school programs do that now. Um they I've run I've literally I was on the Clarksville High team for a short amount of time. Um and we ran through that school all the time when it was raining outside. There's there's so within the schools there's um opportunity. I'm also very for expanding as as um Mr. Lewis said today um and he's he's a proud parent of a kid on the Kirkwood
096team. I'm very very for expanding that but that that is going down the road and we have a lot of children right now in front of us. You hear hundreds in the elementary. We have a ton of middle schoolers in these in these club programs and this can benefit them today. Um by the way for uh Mr. our mats today are far lighter than you may remember them in the past. Uh two two students can pick up the mats and go now just just to have that acknowledgement um as well. So the facilities that we would have on the outside to store is within the 260,000. It's not additional money. It's not millions of dollars. We're not talking about going to the county commission and asking them to um right now adding an ox gym
097to all these schools. They have they have facilities. I would love to see in the future for wrestling buildings, but that's going to that be a multi-year approach, but that doesn't change that we could we could we could launch this. We that this beautiful thing about wrestling is because we have you get mats, you get a coach, you get the uniforms. It's it's beautiful. You can go there and we can go forward with wrestling. Um I do want to say that something was brought about booster clubs. Um these parents are paying for these clubs. Uh I believe we would have booster club support. um all these parents who are doing that. Miss Barry brought up um you mentioned u bringing up the success of the past. I bring that I bring that up because it's
098the success of the future that we could have. That's the reason I bring that up. I'm not mentioning it just to mention the great accolades of our state champions out here. I do that because these guys have devoted their lives to this and they're pouring into these kids. These kids these guys are touching far more kids than than you know any of us are on that individual level. week in week out. They're pouring into that generation and I believe this programs um in the middle school will help that. You you asked, is it fair? I just want to make the comment back to you is if we never do anything to expand a program, then we'll never have any new programs. You're going to have to do it one at a time. We're not going
099to just overnight have all the programs at once. We we we got to start as we did in 2017, start with a program and go on from there. and we can pick these up as we go over the next several years. We got middle school uh flag football, I'm sorry, middle school football off the ground, which is the reason, by the way, I made a comment that I was asked to delay a year. That was the reason I was asked to delay a year two years ago was they wanted to continue to make that successful. And I I I said that was totally fine. Um you also mentioned it's not fully developed. We have a year ahead of us. This is the 2026 season. I just want to make sure that the board understands that.
100um the 2026 season, it's a full year. We have plenty of time to develop and we have if we allocate the budget today, we'll have the resources to make sure that these are um going to be successful. And the last thing I thought it'd be important to mention um and these guys know it, the tournaments that these kids would um go to um they club programs utilize the high school sets up their mats on Fridays. They have their club, I'm sorry, they have their their matches. They go into Saturday morning and then Saturday afternoon, guess what? Middle school, they jump into the already established um tournament there and guess what happens Sunday morning? The elementary kids come over and use the same setup already. So that's already kind of built in in the high schools
101and I'm sure they would continue to have that same trend. So when they have tournaments, they kind of help and depend on each other and a lot of those high schoolers come and help out those middle schoolers and elementary schoolers and they help uh mentor them along the way as well. >> Mr. Bryant, >> I have a couple questions. I don't know who to ask this to. What is the cost that the parents pay for a club right now? Do you guys know about the cost? >> $300 per kid for club >> Okay. And then where where do you guys currently store the mats and wrestle for the club? >> Okay. So there it's already happening in the schools. It's just a matter of making it sanctioned versus non-sanctioned. Okay. Um, another thing I also
102wanted to note that I think is really important that hasn't been mentioned is the cool thing about wrestling is that many kids can participate. So we're looking at, you know, this budget and it's not like basketball where only five kids play at once or 10 or 15 kids make the team. I mean, you guys have 65 kids in your program plus. And I noticed that with Montgomery Central, too. I mean, there's 70. I was amazed. I'm like, what do you how do you how do you work with all of these kids at once? But they do, and it's awesome. So, I think that's another great thing about the wrestling program is kids at all levels can can participate, which doesn't happen in other sports. Chris Lane. >> So, I was in Hopkinsville this week and
103they were talking about there's is their sanctioning different than ours because in their middle school they can only have 14. Is that going to the state level or something? Okay. I was just wondering if it limited because they're doing different stuff with their district. I know for Tennessee was the same. >> Gotcha. Okay. Right. >> What time frame do we need to implement a wrestling program in 2026? Does this need to be voted on now with little information? I mean, we just heard about this two weeks ago. I mean, I know Erin's been talking about it for a while. Um, who I don't know who can answer that question. I mean, does it need to be voted tonight or can we find out any more of this information? And um, yeah, let me ask my
104big questions. John Miller, do you have an answer to that? >> Are you asking in terms of getting equipment and hiring coaches and all the aspects? >> All the stuff. I mean, does it need to be tonight so we're ready to go in 26 or can we vote on this in December? I mean, does it have to be in August of 25? >> Um, I I think I mean, I think you could take more time to to study um and get more information um you know, with um and I'm thinking back to how we did middle school football and we budgeted one year for the equipment. Um, and but that wasn't really purchased until uh like the the probably after Christmas that we got it and because we had to develop places to store it
105and that kind of thing. So, it wasn't until spring or summer that we got that equipment in and then the next year uh we implemented it once we had the equipment. So I would say based on that experience that you have time to uh to look at it further if you would like. >> How many months do you need? >> Um with equipment we we will probably need to get stuff starting in terms of order uh this spring. >> Okay. >> Yeah. To have it ready for next school year. >> Right. Yes. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Merry. >> You're on. >> Okay. I just want to say my logic is making sure that we're ready. I'm not saying not to have ras in the middle school. And of course, I know we can't do
106it all one at once, Mrs. Mayberry. That's not logical. However, I do say that we need to research it, plan it out, and have it organized in a way that it is effective for the children, you know, and I guess it's a part of being an educator for 35 years. you know, you plan, then you execute the plan. And so I think that's what we need to do. And we have the staff to do that. And I believe that it can be a reality. I'm not saying close the door on middle school railing, but I am saying we need to plan it out and roll it out in a way that it will be beneficial to the children of this community. Thank you. >> Before I call on you, Mr. May, two points that I
107want to make um based on conversations I've heard. First of all, I am all in favor of arresting. Jerry Taylor was my wrestling coach at Northwest High School back when the first original paint on the door was still damp. And Matt Slight was my son's wrestling coach at Northwest High School when it already replaced one of the doors. My question to you, Mr. Mayberry, you've asked for a budget amendment, but then you stated this program you're asking for for the following school year, not the current school year. then there's no need for a budget amendment for current budget if your motion is for the it to begin in the next school year. My understanding was you want it funded now to get the ringing program started now, but you just stated it's for the following
108school year. So there's no need of a budget amendment. >> You're wrong on Okay. Uh the reason for that um Mr. Griffy is I was I've done this I've I've got two years now I've done this and it didn't get in the budget. >> So I'm bring that up now. >> Okay. >> So that that's that's the why there. >> Okay. Would you like to but this is for the next school year. Would you like to withdraw your motion and make a different one that the board would like for the arresting program to begin in the following school year which would not require a budget amendment? >> So, Mr. Nolan, u can I do a a motion to direct the district to put it in the budget next year? How will that work? >> Well,
109the budget we just approved runs through what? End of June. >> You're right. So, if we're going to have to order the mats, as Mr. Miller said, to be arrived in the spring, you're going to have to do a budget amendment because it's not in the budget currently. Um, >> as the motion stands currently, it would be to modify the budget currently to add it so you could buy the equipment. Next year, you'll be funding for the coaches because that would be in the next school year. So, that wouldn't require a budget amendment for that. That would just be in the next year's budget. >> How long does it take to get the equipment once it's ordered? >> A couple of months, I think. And the budget is >> the budget for the following school
110year is approved in the spring. So there's plenty of time to order as long as it's in the budget. >> So So the the budget runs through the end of June. >> Correct. >> Right. So the new budget wouldn't start until July 1st. So if you're going to order equipment to be here in the spring, you'll have to modify the current budget, >> which we we do by monthly modified budget for different reasons. Um, Mr. Mayor, that was my question. >> You had your mic. You were asking for >> I'm sorry. I was I was waiting for it to come on. Um, I do want to point out that the the schools that don't have these clubs, you know, most of them are in North Clarksville. So, Kenwood doesn't have the club. Uh, no, New
111Providence does not have a club. I don't Does West Creek um out there guys? They do. Um a lot of these clubs in North Clark don't have have these clubs. They don't have these opportunities is what I'm saying there. Um after school program, it's kids in New Providence. Those kids don't have this opportunity. We're trying to create opportunity across the district um for for this that where they don't have to potentially pay. Um the reason I brought up tonight, I don't want to keep kicking it down the road, but Mr. I am willing to say let's table this for a month or so to get you more information if that's what you're needing. I would also ask is what a lot's been answered. I don't think there's a lot more to get answered, you know.
112So, if you think that there is more information to receive, then I'm willing to table it for a month and we can come back and have this conversation again. Um, so kind of up to you on that. I want to let y'all know that I mean I support middle school wrestling. I mean or wrestling as a whole. The thing is is I mean my big question with this is two weeks ago we talked about it. I've asked a bunch of people questions in my free time and then um I don't want to make a decision tonight that forces us to go down a path that we have to get it done. We need to make sure we have the space. I don't want to sound like I'm just repeating everything Miss Barry said, but it
113kind of sounds the same way. You know, we there's a lot of people to ask questions. You just can't throw something at a wall and hope it sticks. So, I mean, I think there is a reason to not do it tonight because I don't think it's that pressing. So, yes. >> Is there a call for a vote or a motion for table? Um, I don't think I need to do a motion. If it's my my if it's my movement, I can just say I want next month, right? >> Postpone. Yes. >> Yeah. Let's do that. Let's postpone this till next month. Give you opportunity to ask more questions to community members. And I would encourage you encourage the community members, the wrestling coaches, um, all you out there, come and email us. Speak back to
114us. You've heard a lot of these questions. Speak to them. uh parents of all these hundreds of kids speak to us, email us, come to the next meeting um because I believe this is definitely worth the conversation. Thank you. My suggestion is we ask Dr. Veter to make a presentation at our next work session concerning logistics and the number of coaches necessary to make this program successful when we begin it and the time frames necessary to make to order things and when exactly amendment would need to be made. All right. Anything else? Comments by for school lesson on officer. >> Thank you. CMCA representative. I'll be brief tonight. That was a rather lengthy conversation. But I do know more about wrestling than I did before. I'll tell you that. Um, I would like to take
115uh time tonight to acknowledge the CMCSS back to school kickoff events. They were a lot of fun and they created a great atmosphere that made educators and school employees feel excited about the new school year. And I'm not just saying that because Northeast High School won the spirit trophy. We really did deserve that this year. I also want to acknowledge that I did not go and notice that our schoolboard members came to the event, especially Chris Laneir. I saw him I think well I didn't go to all of them but the camera found you at all of them and uh I thank you for showing up and you definitely did show up to Northeast High School. Um I think it's very important to see our board members um at the schools and out in the
116community and just not here on Tuesday nights. CMCA looks forward to working with the board members this year through collaborative conferencing. And I know that with mutual respect, shared purpose, and a clear focus on doing what is best for educators and students, we can make Clarksville, McGomery County the very best place to live, teach my voice, and learn. Thank you. >> Thank you, Pet Representative Well, I'm going to be even shorter than she was. I just want you to know we've kicked off the year. We're in the third full week of school and we have hit the ground running. So, I also want to tell you education wise, September 17th is our constitution day. So if you have not dusted off your constitution and read through, I have quized some of my adult colleagues and
117they are sadly lacking in constitution knowledge. So dust off your constitution. >> Thank you. Comments for county commissioners. >> First first of all I'd like to point out a little history lesson. In my previous term on this committee 201617 I asked Mr. House who was in our director of schools to add volleyball to our school system. I asked him over a period of two years. I think essentially the reason volleyball was added was that he was tired of talking to me about it. I'm glad that we added volleyball, but volleyball as a sport was a very inexpensive sport to add, but but what I'm looking at at these things, we've just approved a budget very shortly ago and now we're looking at adding tremendous amount to that budget. What I would ask you to consider
118is for middle school, let's not be haphazard in adding sports one at a time. It was hard to get volleyball added. I'm one of those people that supports volleyball. I have a daughter that played five years in high school uh volleyball even as a middle schooler and also is a club coach who's deeply involved. I was at a volleyball match last night, Clarksville High in McGomery Central. I go to quite a lot of them. Let's not favor one sport over another. I think wrestling's great. My basketball coach in high school suggested I wrestle. May have been my basketball ability there. But let's not add one sport at the detriment of others. When we looked at that list, there were a tremendous amount of sports that were not being participated at the middle school level. The
119one thing we know about sports is whether it's an individual or a team atmosphere, the big advantage of sports are they aid in academic achievement. They help us learn to work together as as a team to accomplish things because that's the kind of skills we need for the future. I think my colleague here has a little bit to add as well. >> I I do. I'm not against expanding athletics at all. Mr. Garland, I appreciate your comment. Anything that has to do with enriching the lives of children, count me in. That's just the way I am. My fellow commissioners will tell you the same thing. That's how I am. But I would ask you this question. What are we doing to expand the education of our children? That's just one. Next thing, it wasn't in
120this year's budget, right? So why don't we just wait till next year? And the reason why I say that, if you did not get one penny more other than for cost of living raises for your teachers, bus drivers, school administrators, what are you willing to cut to fund this? Because at the end of the day, we are going to have to go back to the citizens of Montgomery County and raise their taxes. That's not going to be an easy sale for us. So, please keep that in mind when you start asking for this money on top of money on top of money. We are not a bottomless pit. We answer to our constituents. And people going to come and say, "You going to do this for volleyball? I mean, for uh uh wrestling. What are
121you going to do for volleyball? What are you going to do for the condition of our schools?" Keep these things in mind. This is not a bottomless pit. And if this was voted on right now, I would have to vote against it cuz somewhere down the line, I'm going to have to go look these people that voted for me in the face. Hey, look, we raising y'all taxes. That's all I got to say. Thank you. Comments for board members. Mr. Mayberry, >> I'm thankful for the conversation tonight. Um, I'm doing this because the hundreds literally of children out there entering middle school are in middle school that this will impact. Um, I do want to respectfully push back in this county commissioners. We're not adding to the budget. We have $70 million in our fund
122budget. This will not change the budget. It's just a you guys pass amendments all the time that we do internally and that's all this would be. So, we're not asking you for more money. We're not asking you to fund more for this to happen. We have the money in the budget. It'd be a budget amendment from the fund budget. So, just be very clear on that. Um, which also means we're not cutting anything. We have $70 million in our fund budget. We're not cutting a thing. And we're not going to raise taxes. That's I No, that's not at all. Also, this is not expensive. This is a one-time cost for all these schools. This is not expensive. So, this is to better hundreds of children. That's what this is for. Not raising taxes, not cutting
123anything, and we already have the money. So, so um also just the comment favoring one sport over another. Again, we got to start somewhere. That's what this conversation is about. I'm for adding more sports and we will do that as time goes along. We done that previously, but if we didn't start somewhere, we wouldn't have um basketball, we wouldn't have football, we wouldn't have uh cross country. We start somewhere and this is the next step that I'm proposing tonight. But again, board, thank you for the conversation. Look forward to having the conversation again next month. >> Mr. Lineer, >> I just want to thank Miss Outlaw for those comments. I was at every one of the back to school kickoffs and everyone that the senior leadership team went to to start the kids off with
124the half days. So, I mean, I think it's just as much as important to support your teachers as it is your students. And then, uh, had a question for Kent. Do you still have your onesie? >> What? >> You still have your onesie? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Singlet. Singlet. Whatever it's called. >> Singlet. Yeah. Miss Barry, >> I just want to say that the priorities should be academic improvement. And of course, that is our main focus to make sure that students are academically sound and they reach their potential and their college and career ready when they finish our schools and graduate from CMCSS. I love athletics, all sports. However, if we had the same enthusiasm about academic improvement, a miracle would take place in our classrooms. Also, the mental health of our students if
125we had that same enthusiasm about making sure that all our students are mentally sound and getting the help that they need. We need to keep our priorities in order and I pray that we don't lose our focus on why we're here. Thank you, >> Mr. Garland. And Dr. Lon, what is the purpose of the uh rain day fund? The $260,000 we >> do you mean the fund balance? >> Fund balance, right? >> Yeah. So, and Jeff Taylor can obviously answer this better than I can, but essentially the fund balance is is in place. Um, there's a certain amount that is a minimum amount and that we are historically far above that as we should be to be fiscally responsible. But essentially, the idea is that we would dip into that as needed. Um, which we
126did have to a little bit this year, but we we we did try to come in as balanced as possible this year knowing it might be a tight fiscal year. How many children left the school system to go to private school, public charter schools? >> Um we continue to to actually look at those numbers and um we are not given that information from the state. We have pulled some initial data from um our power school and right now um it continues to look like we have actually received more children coming from private school than we have lost this year. That's not the question I asked Dr. Luna. How many children do we have leave public schools go to private charter schools? current we don't have any charter schools but private schools um we currently when
127we pulled the power school data again we cannot account for kindergarteners so we don't know but students who had been enrolled in this district the last time we pulled the data it's actually less than 100 students currently >> okay great so because I was wondering how many actually uh sign up for that because I wanted to know what impact did those dollars amount at 7 $7,000 per copy. >> I believe that the state has not released that information or does not release that information. So, we may never get that. >> But but I can I can ask a question though, right? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. So So my thing is that uh I really do believe that rrestling is coming to um our middle schools. Don't don't take anything that's been said up
128here uh for those that are actually advocating even you Mr. Mayberry uh that we are advocating against wrestling but as the leaders for this district as the school board members for this district we need to make sound decisions and the decisions that we make need to be uh done with all of the information not with partial information and I think I thank each of you for the com for the comments that you made because all of them that were pertinent was needed for me to actually be able to make a decision. I don't know how I would have voted tonight, but I believe after we get all the information, I believe that we'll be in in the queue to actually work with you. And each one of you brought something to the table that made
129us think uh about what it is that we're doing. Even the the queue uh made us think about what it is we're doing as a district. and I appreciate the district for the work that you do, for your for your leadership and for your desire to make sure that all of our children are actually educated to the highest potential that we can possibly do. Thank you, Doc. >> Mr. Nelson. >> All right. Um, good evening everyone. Um, I don't know, some of you may know, some of you may not know, that the uh seat I currently hold was held by uh, Pastor Willie J. Freeman, um, who was my pastor for many years. And, uh, he said if he wasn't a pastor, he would have been a comedian. So, he passed away last month, but
130in his spirit, I want to tell one of his jokes. Um he said when he was a little boy he went to school for the first day and when he got home his grandfather said how was school and he says well I didn't learn too much I had to go back tomorrow so you'll get that on uh on the way home. Okay. But uh anyway if you ever see a a turtle on a fence you know he didn't get there by himself. And um you know um I said that to say this um my time on the board uh is coming to an end. Uh this will be my last official board meeting. I submitted my notice about uh two weeks ago. I've had some personal health issues. Um, I'd just like to say that
131my time on the board has been very fulfilling and I've got to thank many of you who've supported me and um, I I thank you for all all the support that I did receive. Uh, of course, Mr. Garland's been there, Miss Barry's been there for me. Um, and Menir and Mr. Griffy down in Atlanta. I think we were able to really get together and uh, bond as a board. um you know uh while we may not always totally agree, we all have our own reasons for what we do. And then one of one of the things I I've come to is, you know, I've spent uh over 24 years as an analyst. And so whether I want to do it or not, anytime anyone says anything to me, I think about it later to see
132what context it was set in and what they meant and what their ultimate goal was. And that was something I I can't turn off. And so I each board member and the director as well as Mr. Nolan after I have conversations with them, I I kind of go through that. But I thank you for that. And I understand where they all come from. And everyone here has a good heart and has uh the best um intentions for the students. Okay? Our main goal here is to educate our students and to take care of our teachers and and that's one of the things that we tend to try to do very well. Um, as the board goes on without me, I just ask that you be very careful about the things that we bring before the
133board and let's not usurp the board power in any any way or any fashion. Um, let's keep the people of Clarksville and our students at the top of our mind, at the forefront. And, uh, I just want to say also, uh, thank you to, uh, Stephie Outlaw and and Chaz and all those other people who've helped me. Uh, Mrs. Long, thank you for the support. Dr. Luna Vetera, uh, Norm. All right. Thank you, Anthony, and many others. Okay. Um, thank you for that support that you've given me over the years. And uh with that also I have to uh tip my hat to our county commissioners because as we go to some of these uh conferences uh nationwide conferences we see that all boards do not get along with the county commissioners and it's a
134very difficult process. So I thank you for your support and helping us and and funding our budget. And I do reflect back on the time that I've had here as uh when I was able to serve as chair. Um, we went through a a resoning. We went through a a search for a new director. Um, we went through opening a new school and we won board of the year. So, thank God for that. And, uh, all of you take care and God bless you. [Applause] Mr. Mavery, I won't say that my final comment, but I do want to say Mr. Nelson, I highly respect you, sir. You are such a great man. Um, you you you just been a great colleague to work on in this board, and I just just thank you, and we'll
135be praying for you. I should call him director of schools now, but instead I'm going to ask that they pass the gavl down to Mr. Nelson and let him finish his meeting out as he finishes out his stay here. Amen. We hereby conclude this board meeting. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. >> I'm sorry. Director of schools, Dr. Lunaretta. >> He just doesn't want me to talk about him. Um, so good evening board members. As was mentioned, this does mark the the third full week of school for the 2526 school year. I would like to thank the administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students, and school board for an extremely smooth start to the school year. We're continuing to fine-tune bus routes and training for bus drivers to fill all of our open routes in the coming weeks.
136Next, I want to personally thank Mr. Nelson for his years of service as a school board member for Clarksville Montgomery County School System. After working with you very closely the past couple of years, I can attest that you have always had the best interest of students, educators, and this system at heart in all of your decisionmaking. You ask the best questions. I thank you for your continued support. You will be missed. And I don't know what I'm going to do at 6:30 a.m. every Monday when I always called you on my drive to work and you were driving to yours. So please excuse me if I happen to call you accidentally 6:30 on some Monday morning in the future. Mr. Griffy, this concludes my report for the evening. >> So I will go through some
137withdrawals on no Monday morning and that concludes our meeting.