001[music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Mhm. >> [music] [music] >> Ooh. >> [music] [music] >> Ooh. >> [music] >> Ooh. >> [music] [music] >> Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Hey. >> [music] >> Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Hey. >> [music] [music] >> Chairman Smith Here. Mrs. Black Here. Mr. Connor Here. Mr. Dorty Here. Mr. Graham Here. Mrs. Hatton Here. Mrs.
002Jones Here. Mr. Keen Here. Mrs. Shafer Here. Mr. Slater >> Here. Miss Thomas >> Here. Superintendent Dr. Robertson >> Here. Okay, I need a motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Chairman, may I make a motion to add something to the agenda, please? I want to add budget discussion to board matters at the end. Second. Okay, under board matters budget, you said? Yes. Okay. I've got a motion and a second to add under board matters a budget discussion. Second. He already got >> I've already got a second. So, now the vote. Now, I just need a roll call. Mr. Slater Yes. Mr. Dorty Yes. Miss Thomas No. Mrs. Jones No. Mr. Connor I want to clarify before the vote. A motion and a second to add an item to the agenda is already done. There's nothing
003else that needs to happen because two board members wish an item to be added. So, we're only voting to approve the agenda. Their addition doesn't matter to our vote. Good point. Thank you, Mr. You're right. What do you need to do do it again, then? Well, no, he said that's a good point. Thank you. Okay. So, yeah. Does it require a vote? Since we got a motion second, it's been added to the agenda. We don't need it doesn't require a vote. So. I've interpreted Ms. Hatton's motion as a motion to approve the agenda with that addition. >> So, that is a vote. >> Oh, okay. Okay. That's That's how I That's how it's going to make the meeting go faster cuz I got somewhere to be. My son's playing baseball. So, there's two ways to
004do this. We can either say that her motion second just is added and we're now approving the agenda as as it is with her addition or we're voting on Mr. Chairman, correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I interpret the motion was a motion to approve the agenda with that addition and it was seconded. So, so that's the motion before that that I've got. So, the the board approves the agenda with the amendment with the the add, then that's going to be on the agenda. Okay. All right. Got it now. And right now we've got Well, my vote may have been different, but okay. Go on. Cuz my understanding >> way that that Scott's now interpreting it, I believe that your vote is the way you wanted it. I'm I'm trying to get inside
005your brain, but I think it is. So, go ahead. Um I'll I will vote yes, then. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Groom? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Mrs. Hatton? Yes. Mrs. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. 9-2 motion to approve agenda with the addition of the budget discussion approved. Leanne McBride, where you at? Please, come on. >> [snorts] >> Ms. McBride uh regrets her absence tonight. She is attending a visitation for uh Deputy Landon Faulkner, who is the son of our uh school resource deputy, uh Chad Ball. What was it? In her stead, I'm I'm here along with Laura Starnes, who will lead our pledge. Please rise for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
006justice for all. You may be seated. And for our meditation tonight, we originally planned for one of our students, Zion Hutcheson, to lead tonight's meditation. However, he is currently representing Lookout Valley on the soccer pitch, but I still wanted to share the words that he gave to me. So, if you would please bow your heads. Lord, we are thankful for this day and everything that you have done for us. Not only for waking us up, but for starting us on our way. Thank you for watching over us and blessing us with health. We ask blessings and wisdom on the leadership of this board. Please give them the wisdom to make right decisions and the courage to make the hard decisions. Lord, please bless the students and teachers at every school. Keep them in your care.
007Give them health and strength to finish the year strong. Lord, give us peace. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Okay, we got some exemplars of excellence. Coach James. Jeremy Smith, distinguished board members, I'm here, Dr. Robertson, here to present our 20 26 individual state wrestling champions. The district had There was 14 weight classes in the state. Of the 14 weight classes, there are 435 schools that wrestle in the state of Tennessee. And five of the 14 weight class state champions came from our school district, which is quite an accomplishment. So, we're going to without further ado, recognize these young men for their outstanding achievement. The first individual I'm I'm going to introduce you that's kind of unique. He is actually an eighth grader that won the high school state championship. Uh from school board district two, Mr.
008Ian McCallie. So, Ian, if you'll come up here and >> [applause] >> you'll just stand over here on on the right hand side. We'll get everybody recognized. Ian, come here. Give you your certificate. He's uh He's got a chance to do something only one other athlete in Hamilton County school history has done, and that's be a five-time state champion now that he's won it as an eighth grader. So, he set the bar high early. This This This next individual, speaking of setting the bar high, we have Mr. A name that we're all familiar with, Mr. Jojo Urech. He is the last in the line of the Urech brothers. He ended up a four-time state champion, and he is planning on attending West Point in the fall. So, Jojo, congratulations as a four-time state champion FROM
009DISTRICT TWO. [applause] IF YOU KNOW THAT URECH, I FEEL I FEEL GOOD about our nation with He's got a couple of the brothers up there, Uh, one at UTC wrestling as well. So. Congratulations. Good job. Our next individual was the uh, 144 uh, pound state champion from Signal Mountain also, uh, Mr. Christian Davis. He's only a sophomore, so uh, bright things to come. So, we want to congratulate you. Uh, he plans on attending Signal Mountain [applause] High School next year. I'm transferring Saturday. Good. Well, Hey, he's a That's a recruiting violation there, Mr. Snyder. [laughter] Uh, Congratulations. I have no affiliation with the school wrestling program. Congratulations. Congratulations. It's just called a hardship transfer. Uh, congratulations, young man. Uh, our next individual we want to recognize, uh, from the from Soddy-Daisy High School, uh, the
010150-lb state champion. Uh, Colin is a senior. Says he's going to attend UTC and just be a good student. So, uh, congratulations on your state championship. >> [applause] >> BEST OF LUCK. >> [applause] >> UH, BRAYLON CAUGHRAN WAS THE 157-lb state champion. He was from Hixson. He was unable to attend tonight, but we will recognize him along with Coach Hall at next month's uh, Garrett Hall was uh, brought into the elected into the uh, >> you. US Wrestling Hall of Fame. So, we're going to recognize them next month. All right, congratulations. Mr. Bull. All right, and then our last, uh, but very not least was 190-lb champion, uh, from Chattanooga Central High School. Uh, first state champion they've had since 2016. Big deal up on on the on the Pounder Hill or there, but uh,
011Mr. Trevor Burney. He's [applause] also from District 9. We'll shake hands. You get all you guys Let's go if we can get everybody up there and get a group photo as well. If you would like to go If you'd like to come up with your district school board members I'd like to get you in that picture as well. >> [applause] >> It's been a great year for Hamilton County schools in athletics. I want to thank Dr. Robertson and the board for their commitment to athletics and appreciate everything y'all do. Have a great night. Hey, Tim. Real quick. Real quick. I do want to say just one thing, Dr. Robertson. Really proud of all these guys. Steve, congrats to your school. Wrestling's a very hard sport, but I just want to take a moment and and
012really commend these three guys from Signal Mountain because I represent Signal, but um these guys, the whole team, my son is right there, Everett. He's a 10-year-old. He also wrestles. And these guys they took him under his wing and let him let him come out on the mat and uh they were they really were just a nice nice guys and made him feel welcome. So, athletic accolades are awesome, but character is amazing. So, you guys should be proud of that. Uh you're setting a high bar not just for Signal Mountain, but for across the community, across the county. So, I I appreciate you guys. >> [applause] >> Okay, Dr. Robertson. Yeah, thank you, uh, Chairman Smith. We're here tonight to celebrate our teachers of the year. Before I turn it over to, uh, Dr. Freeman,
013what I'm uh, mention, um, couple of people that have supported us. Brad Cobb's not here, but Montell, uh, his his partner is is with us, but Brad Cobb, uh, about 4 years ago, I saw him in an event, and he was like, "Didn't we used to give a a car to teachers?" And I was like, "Yeah, that long time ago. We haven't done it in a while." And he was like, "We need to do it." I didn't reach back out to him like that week. Within the next week, he had called me. He was like, "We've got to make this happen." So, uh, the Bowers Automotive Group, Montell, if you'd come up here, um, they've been a huge supporter of this. Uh, David Sakowski with Tennessee Area Schools Federal Credit Union. Uh, Charlie Spencer with,
014uh, TVA. If you guys would come on, uh, where's David? Charlie? And then, uh, Chris Abarclay with the Hamilton County Schools Foundation kind of brings this all together and makes it happen. One of the things we didn't think about the first year was like, "Who pays for the car insurance?" She figured out a way to pay for the car insurance. And so, uh, this is a year of just paying for gas on a new car, and really excited to share this with our teachers. I'm going to give you guys a quick moment just to say something before Yeah, absolutely. I heard y'all been here long enough today. Y'all Y'all need to cut a guy talking, cuz I could go on long. >> [laughter] >> But, I just want to say thanks to all the teachers
015for what y'all do day-to-day. It's it's very amazing. Um, just to throw this in here, my my wife, she home schools. We have one kid. It's a lot of work. So, I can only imagine what you all doing day-to-day. It is it is very impressive. So, thank you so much, and we're just so happy as, you know, Bowers Automotive. we've we've done a lot, we do a lot for the community, but I think this is one of our our best. This is a token that we can just feel so good about because we see it, the kids need it. It's it's a it's a lot that you guys do and I just want to take my hats off to you, Me Boom, Shane. We've We've Shane and we've done this probably 3 years now and
016we look forward to this partnership to keep continuing and congratulations to you teachers. Um the the ones that won it, I know it took a lot to win, um but even just teachers in general, every day if you didn't win, you're awesome. You're still a winner and we want to thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you so much for being here. Uh I'm from the Chattanooga Area Schools Credit Union. We've partnered with Hamilton County Schools for many years and I've said in the past these these teachers are being recognized tonight tonight, but they actually earn this on those late nights on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday night when they're staying up late. That's when they're actually earning this, but tonight is when we recognize them. So, we've been a proud partner with Hamilton County Schools
017for many many years. A lot of our members some of some of our members may may be in this room this evening. Uh this is what we like to do. We like to give back to teachers. That's what we're about. So, uh thank you for being here and we've got a a good gift for each one of these teachers tonight. Thank you. >> [applause] >> I'M CHARLIE SPENCER. I'M ACTUALLY RETIRED TVA. I'm here representing Tennessee Valley Robotics, which supports robotics programs throughout the valley um including Hamilton County Schools. What we like to do is support the teachers because in my mind teachers are our most important resource here in the in the county. Thank you. All right. Well, I get the opportunity to uh invite their principals up here so they can tell you a
018little bit more about each of them, but I'll add on to what's been said. I mean, anytime I had the opportunity to talk to teachers, my message was always the same. Teachers are the most incredible, brilliant people I think that you would meet, and they can do anything, but they chose to go into this profession to impact the youth of our community. So, I'm grateful for them. So, I'm going to ask from I'm going to ask three principals to come up, Dr. Ashley Wilson, Dr. Joe Gurres, and Mr. Daniel Lunt to tell you about their teachers at their school who have been selected as the county teachers of the year. Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Mr. Smith and Chairman Smith and all of the distinguished board members. My name is Ashley Wilson, and I'm the
019proud principal of Nolan Elementary, and my heart is just elated today that I get to speak about Wisegerber, who is truly a giant among us. That's what we call the teachers that mentor and give their time and their talents endlessly to the schoolhouse. And so, I have a few words about Julie that I wanted to share. She teaches with unwavering integrity, always putting her students first. So, she's known as a huge advocate for her students. She, you know, she's the type of teacher to buy them a coat, to do what they need, to come early or stay late to tutor them to make sure that they can experience success. What sets her her apart is how she inspires curiosity in her students, confidence, and a love of learning. Her classroom is alive with purpose. I
020tell teachers all the time to go in and see her because she's a teacher that teaches bell to bell. There's never a minute in her classroom that isn't wasted. Every moment is intentional. Every lesson is thoughtfully planned. Every student is actively engaged. She holds high expectations for all of her learners and provides support and encouragement so each child experiences success every single day. Julie Weisgerber represents the very best in our profession and it's my joy to say congratulations to Ms. Weisgerber and to thank her for the incredible difference that she makes every day at Nolan. So thank you for having me here and allowing me to share about Ms. Weisgerber. >> [applause] >> So Ms. Weisgerber, would you come up, please? And I I wrote my speech and I put it in an envelope because
021I thought maybe it could be a keepsake for you. But Julie's just really really incredible and I'm very proud of her. So you want us to step in and we'll get a picture >> [cheering] [applause] >> How wonderful. So a thousand dollars to help pay the insurance from the Tennessee Valley Robotics and then five hundred dollars from Chattanooga Area Schools. So we are so proud. That's wonderful. LET'S GET A PICTURE. >> [applause] >> THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. Thank you. Thank Thank you. Very proud, right? Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Uh takes us down to our disclaimer. I believe we only have a Oh, you got Oh, we ain't done celebrating. Thank you. >> [laughter] >>
022Dr. Matthews, please come up. Good evening, distinguished board. Hamilton County leadership guests My name is Dr. Joe Gryzen, the proud principal East Ridge Middle School. It is my honor to recognize and celebrate Dr. Yang Matthews, uh East Ridge Middle School's Teacher of the Year and Hamilton County Schools District Teacher of the Year for grade 5 through 8. Dr. Matthews represents the very best of our profession. She's been in education for 14 years and she's built a classroom in which uh students not only learn mathematics, but they learn to believe that they can succeed. Um she is truly a part of the heartbeat of East Ridge Middle School. Her students describe her as always willing to help, patient, and never gives up on them. Her colleagues echo that same sentiment sharing how she is supportive, always
023around, caring, listens, and constantly providing support and guidance, especially to our young teachers. Within our school, she served multiple roles as a leader, currently serving as our math eight or our our math um instructional content lead. And she she supports all grade levels and helps across the entire building while still doing her duties as math eight teacher and algebra one teacher. She is an innovator in the classroom and she has a strong belief in collaboration and cooperative learning activities, which actively engage all of our students in all demographics. She impacts Her impact extends beyond the classroom walls and into the halls of our classroom where her student work is visible and the the relationships are visible as you walk by her classroom. What stands out most is that she has changed the way that students
024see themselves. Uh students often come in believing that they're not good at math. I know, incredible, right? Kids not good at math. But in her class, they they begin to understand, they begin to learn, but they also begin to enjoy it. And that enjoyment is truly is defined that essence of what good teaching is where kids are now confident in what they're attempting to do, especially at the middle school level. At East Ridge Middle School, we have a saying that every day is a great day east of the ridge. Dr. Matthews helps us to make every day great for our students and for our staff. On behalf of East Ridge Middle School, I'm incredibly proud to be able to be grateful that she makes that impact on our staff and our students every single day.
025Thank you. >> [applause] >> Congratulations. Congratulations. Good work. Thank you. Congratulations. Congratulations. Good seeing you. Congratulations. Good job. >> [clears throat] [applause] >> Chairperson Smith, members of the board, Superintendent Robertson, I come on a very distinct and prestigious assignment from my Hickson community to recognize a wonderful teacher, Ms. Nate Parker. There is so much I can say about her, but first of all, I mean, throughout my career meeting hundreds of teachers, understanding their impact, we really put an emphasis on helping students understand who they are and their potential and understanding that their potential often times is beyond their own imagination to comprehend. Ms. Parker embodies that that vision. Her legacy is with us here today, and I was mobbed for the opportunity by these wonderful individuals that is part of her legacy that they wanted
026to I want to yield my time to give them opportunity to share some words with you to illustrate what a wonderful person Ms. Parker is. And they even told me I've got to record this. So, I've got [clears throat] all these assignments. So, come on down. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening everyone here, members of the school board, administrators, principals, teachers, family, and students across our county. My name is Urja Patel and I'm a senior at Hixson High School. I am attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville starting fall of 2026 for biomedical engineering on a pre-med track. Today I have the honor of speaking about someone who is so much more than a teacher. Her name is Miss Parker. To me and so many others, she's been a mentor, a guide, a role model, and
027truly like a mom. When I first heard about Miss Parker, I was scared. But then I walked into her classroom and didn't quite know how much she would impact my life. I thought I was just signing up for a class, but when I got something far greater than any textbook could ever offer. I gained someone who believed in me even when I didn't fully believe in myself yet. Miss Parker didn't just teach lessons, she built people. She saw potential where others might have just been seen as a student. She pushed us, supported us, and never let us settle for less than what she knew we were capable of. She had this way of making you feel seen, heard, and valued every single day. Because of her, I found my path. She guided me to become
028a PCT and a CNA. Things are some things that I once might have thought were out of my reach. She didn't just prepare me for the future, she prepared me academically and also prepared me for real life. She taught me how to care for others and how to stay strong in difficult situations and how to carry myself with confidence and compassion. But beyond the certifications and skills, it's the memories that mean the most. The laughter in the classroom, her jokes that always make me laugh and cheer me up no matter what what kind of day I was having, and the moments that didn't go as planned but always turn into lessons anyway. The encouragement that we had when we were stressed or overwhelmed, and those are the things that are always going to be carried
029with me forever. Those are the moments that shaped me, not just my education, but also who I am as a person. Ms. Parker created a safe space where we felt very safe to grow and make mistakes and learn from them. She celebrated our wins, no matter how small or big they were, and stood by us during our toughest days. Everywhere she went, she brought light with her. She can light up any room she walks into. That kind of presence, that kind of energy is something you don't ever forget. As she retires, it's hard to imagine this place without her. She has left a mark on not only her students, but on this entire community. Her impact goes far beyond the classroom. It It lives on every student she has ever taught, every life she has
030ever influenced, and every future she has helped shape. And while it's bittersweet to see her step into this new chapter, it's something very special about the timing. We're both closing a chapter at the same time. As she retires, I'm graduating. And I can't think of a more meaningful way to end this journey with her. Ms. Parker, thank you for everything. Thank you for being not just a teacher, but a mom. And thank you for your patience and kindness, through your strength and belief in me. Thank you for guiding me through and supporting me and never giving up on me. I truly don't know where I would be without you. You didn't just teach me how to succeed, you taught me how to make a difference. And as I move forward into my future, I will
031always carry your lessons, your voice, and your laughter, and your belief in me in every step of the way. This isn't goodbye, this is just a celebration of everything you've ever done and given to everyone. You may be retiring from teaching, but the impact you've made will never retire. >> [applause] >> My name is Autumn Leach. I am also a senior at Hixson High School. I want to thank you for letting me talk tonight about Ms. Parker. Ms. Parker has been my teacher for the past 3 years and with that I have become patient care tech and a CNA with her. She is I've gained a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration. When things become difficult or overwhelming, you never fail to have the right words to say. I want to thank you for your
032help, for guiding me. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am. >> [applause] >> No matter what I say, you will never know how much I appreciate you and how much you've gotten me where I am, and I love you. >> [applause] >> Good evening. My name is Haven Gillam, and I'm a junior patient care tech student at Hixson High School. It's an honor to speak about Ms. Parker, someone who has truly changed my life. She didn't just teach me, she saw me. She didn't believe in she believed in my dreams even before I had an idea of what they were. She knew what I wanted to be deep down, though. I've always talked about being an EMT, and she's pushed me to see as it see it as something real, which it has become
033for my 2026-2027 school year. Because of her, that is. Ms. Parker, you didn't just prepare me for my for a class or a test, you prepared me for my future. Your impact will live on in all of us. Congratulations on teacher of the year. You've always been that teacher to us. Thank you for having my back and creating a safe space. Thank you for believing in me. I could not go on without I could go on for hours, but I may break out in tears. So, from from me and all your clinical students, we love you and appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts. We wish you the best in your next chapter. >> [applause] >> Good evening board. My name is Kevin Garcia. I'm a patient care tech. To me there's one person
034at school that makes school fun. And out of all the teachers there, it's Miss Parker. To me she's a wonderful person and to me she's more than just a teacher. She's inspired many kids including myself to make better decisions for ourselves in the real world or in school. Miss Parker has always been a person who I look up to and admired the hard work she puts for us as students of her. She has always been a mentor. >> [clears throat] >> Has taught me in how to be strong and face challenges that come from life. >> [clears throat] >> And she made me grow stronger in the way of learning how to be a better version of myself. To me she holds a special place in my heart for those reasons and to me she
035is someone I can trust and go talk to when I'm not in my best. The advice she has given me through the years and things that I will continue to endorse the advice. Thank you Miss Parker for the encouragement, support, and advice when I needed it the most. I love you Miss Parker. >> [applause] >> Thank you everyone and thank you Miss Parker. Congratulations. We love you. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> That's the best gift our kids can have. I will do it. We'll be there. Yep. We'll go forward. We'll get the picture now. An indulgence. Thank you. Congratulations. Congratulations. You were awesome. Thanks, Jen. Yeah, how do you all going to take your hands too? Congratulations. Congratulations. Too young to retire, she is. >> [laughter] >> Thanks. It was all good when they were
036talking. Good job. Good job. What's better than retiring? Retiring. Good job. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> Congratulations all, that's awesome. Okay, now that takes us down to our disclaimer. I think we just have one. >> [clears throat] >> I declare that I have a relative who works for the school system and that the board's vote on budget, policies, etc. may have an effect on my relative's employment. Even so, I hereby certify that I will cast my vote in the best interest of the school system. Okay, thank you. I need a motion to approve the consent agenda. Motion to approve. Second. Second. The motion is second. No lights, roll call. Mr. Slater? Yes. Mr. Daughtry? Ms. Thomas? Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. Why? Mr. Connor? Yes. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Mrs. Hatton?
037Yes. Ms. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? >> Yes. Motion carries 10-0. Okay, that'll take us over to administrative business matters. Uh, Dr. Brown? Yes, sir. Chairman Smith, in front of you you have a list of 118 educators, excuse me, 116 educators that's up for tenure. Um, we will ask that they met all the criteria set by the state, but I do want to just take a second to highlight there's three individuals, three educators that's listed that uh very proud of. Of course, we're proud of all our teachers, but three of those individuals are they've gone through our grow your own program um that we started in 2021, excuse me, 20 21 um school year. They've been with us for 5 years. Not only are they excellent teachers, um but of course, to be a tenure teacher,
038you had the last 2 years receive a four or five when it comes to LOE. So, I just wanted to highlight that work. Uh again, these are classified um personnel um that worked with us, become educators, and now they're tenure teachers upon your vote. Thank you, Dr. Brown. Just for a point of clarity, uh uh Scott, we need to vote on each one of these items separately, I'm I'm assuming. Yes, sir. Okay. All right, I need a motion to approve teachers eligible for tenure. >> [clears throat] >> Motion. Second. Got a motion and second, no lights, roll call. Mr. Slater? Yes. Mr. Dorty? Ms. Thomas? >> Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. Mr. Connor? Yes. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Mrs. Hatton? Yes. Ms. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. Motion carries 10-0. Need
039a motion to approve teachers eligible for tenure reinstatement. Yes, sir. These are two teachers individuals that returned to Henry County schools. They've served their two years of probationary period and still meets the criteria to be a tenured teachers. Ask for your vote. Need a motion to approve. >> Second. Got a motion and second. No lights. Roll call. Mr. Slater? Yes. Mr. Daughtry? Yes. Ms. Thomas? Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. Mr. Conner? Yes. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Ms. Hadden? Yes. Ms. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? >> Yes. Motion carries 11-0. Request for new and updated job class description. Yes, sir. This is what we've done all year and to be in compliance with board policy 5.103 and 5.101. These are not new positions, just updated job descriptions. They're occupied, not new positions, but
040we'd love to ask you to vote for updated job descriptions. Need a motion to approve. So moved. Second. No lights. Roll call. >> Mr. Slater? Yes. Mr. Daughtry? Yes. Ms. Thomas? Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. Mr. Conner? Yes. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Ms. Hadden? Yes. Ms. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. 11-0 motion carries. Need a motion to approve school meal prices. So moved. Second. Got a motion and second. There are no lights. Roll call, please. Mr. Slater? Yes. Mr. Daughtry? Yes. Ms. Thomas? Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. Mr. Conner? Yes. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Ms. Hadden? Yes. Ms. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. 11-0 motion carries. Need a motion to approve 27-28 school calendar. Motion to approve. Got a motion to approve. I need a second. >>
041Second. I got a second and I've got some lights, Steve Slater. Thanks, Joe. Um >> [clears throat] >> I just have a question. Why do we call Good Friday a spring holiday? The board put it on the calendar as a spring holiday. Well, can I make a motion right now that we change it to Good Friday? Second. Do what? I I defer to Scott. I mean The board is the board calendar. You can call it whatever you want. Steve Slater, motion and Jenny Shivers. So, we got a motion on the floor to change in the calendar. >> It's not a spring holiday. That's my point. Okay. So, we got a motion by Steve and I heard a second over here somewhere. Jody. Jody. >> Okay. Uh that we change on the calendar spring holiday to
042Good Friday, which is what it is. Uh and I do have a light for discussing this matter, Jill? Oh, no. I was just going to point out the edit to mark the end of the third quarter. Okay. Well, okay. Roll call on this item and then we'll come back to approve the school calendar. Okay. So, this is a vote on the motion to change spring holiday to Good Friday. >> That's That's correct. >> Yes. I'm sorry. My light I turned my light on. I don't know I don't know if I did it too late. I just wanted to ask, is that day uh are we using it as a holiday? It's not a PD day or anything else, right? I'm sorry. I'm trying to pull up the calendar. I didn't have it in front of
043me. It's a paid holiday. >> It's just paid holiday. >> a paid holiday. >> I'm just making sure that it wasn't something else we're using it for. Okay. No more lights. So, roll call on this this item and then we'll come back to the calendar. Again, motion to change spring holiday to Good Friday. That's the vote. Yes. Okay. Mr. Slater. Yes. Mr. Dardy? Yes. Ms. Thomas? Yes. Ms. Jones? Yes. Mr. Conner? Yes. Mr. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Ms. Hadden? Yes. Mrs. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. 11-0, motion carries. Okay. Now, I've got a motion in and properly seconded on already on the floor. I have a light. Is it around around this item, Ms. Jones? Yes, around the school calendar. Okay, go ahead. I know this [clears throat] calendar is already
044proposed. Um and so it is just is what it is. I Well, the next school calendar consideration. I I've said this before in previous years. I really think and I know the rationale for why spring break is in March. I know the whole trying to align with private schools and universities and that sort of thing. Um I've heard all the gamut from staff from staff, not from y'all. Not from y'all. I'm not Let Let Let me be clear. Not from the leadership, but the people that are in the buildings. They say a gamut of things. And it stems from well, this my kid is over here and I have a kid over here and I like to do this here and all of these things. >> [clears throat] >> And so I would just like
045to offer for the parents um and for the community just I I get a lot of other concerns from the community about like why is it not near Easter like it used to be? Or why is it so early? It's still cold like so just thinking about that just in proposing going forward, it might be ideal to maybe rotate it every other year. Like maybe one year it's near Easter, one year it's not. Um We You know, I just >> Typically when Easter's later in April, we move it towards third quarter. It kind of depends when Easter falls. Um we do get a lot of pushback when it's a late [clears throat] April spring break. Yeah, so I just just putting it out because you know last spring break it was snowing. This year I
046wish I knew the weather two years in advance. >> Right. So just maybe I'm just thinking proposing looking at that and I also just want to offer this up to my peers who will be here when I'm no longer here. I've always been in the the leadership angle like what I'm about to say. But I've always felt like it's a waste to have a fall break and then let them out for three days in Thanksgiving because kids, let's just be honest. Now my kid go to school, but a lot of children do not go to school on that Monday and Tuesday Thanksgiving. They just do not. >> That's right. And so to me it would make more sense to give them the week of Thanksgiving out and maybe a I know some school systems, Georgia
047especially, which we're not Georgia, but some Georgia schools, they give like a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday for fall break and not an entire week which would then allow you to do an entire week for Thanksgiving. Just putting that out there as well. Only because the students that I represent in District 5, a lot of them are not going on I'm just being honest. They're not going on a vacation in October. They're just at home with their grandparent or a a parent or a bigger a older sibling. I'm just being realistic. And so I'm thinking that they might be more apt to be able to do something the week of Thanksgiving because their parents may be off because of Thanksgiving. So just wanting to put that out there to those who may or may not be here.
048Just to look at that and I know the staff often times votes on the calendar and y'all present to us what they decide, but just wanting to think that through. Um for for some families. Just something else to consider. It doesn't have to be I mean Okay. Thank you, Ms. Jones. Mr. King. And I just had a question. When did we get away from using uh the week between first and second quarter and the week between third and fourth quarter as our breaks? I mean that was We are doing that. That's the way it is. Okay, so that is still I I going to say that >> can align it for the 20 years as an administrator, that's when we had our break. So, it So, it falls under that. Yeah. Mr. Carr. I'm now
049kind of reiterating, but yes, I just wanted to make sure that it was said on the record that the reason we do it the way it is is those breaks are set up in between the quarters. I'm not saying that they necessarily need a break between quarters, but that the idea is we had a lot of teachers saying that uh that you you have a week off and then take tests right as you come back, which was kind of bad, or the inverse. >> We did give a survey on this as well. We had about 2,200 responses to it. 78% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the calendar. We broke it down into all the different choices. There are fall break for a week, Thanksgiving for a week, um the PD day at
050the beginning of the year, all of those pieces. Um the lowest satisfied or very satisfied was at 67%. So, it it seems to be a count You're never going to make 100% Oh. 67 Yeah, 67% choosing satisfied or very satisfied. 67% Uh staff members. Well, anyone could take me right. Let me say that back. But we Yeah. Okay. Mr. Shaffer. Mr. Carr. Make your motion. I mean, it I'm I'm okay with this 2027. I just I mean, because it's already out here in the state I mean, I want to respect the fact the fact that the state did it. I'm just saying going forward that I think >> be here though. You want to make some history? Make your motion. >> Oh, baby, I've already made a plenty of history here. So, this calendar is
051not going to make or break it, but but I'm just saying to you all that it can be done a number of ways, and I know that the staff we we we we value staff voice. But I'm just saying as a parent it'd be a lot more convenient sometimes to be able to roll through some other ways instead of trying to figure out what to do with my kid and I have a village. So, I'm going to talk I'm speak I'm thinking about the families who don't have the villages. Because I have the village so I figured out and I I have a job that lets me let me Jack and see my kid running through the hall some days half day. But I'm but I'm saying everybody doesn't have that. So, sometimes we need
052to just think about that as we think about other things and use that rationale for other things. Okay. No more lights or roll call. Motion to approve the 27-28 calendar. Mr. Slater. I'm sorry. Say that again. Motion to approve 27-28 [clears throat] calendar. Yes. Mr. Slater. Okay. Mr. Dorty. Yeah. Ms. Thomas. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. Mr. Connor. Yes. >> Ms. Shafer. Yes. Mr. Graham. Yes. Mr. Keen. Yes. Ms. Hadden. Yes. Ms. Black. Yes. Chairman Smith. Yes. 11-0. Motion carries. Need a motion to approve the proposed 26-27 schedule of sessions. So moved. Got a motion need a second. Second. No lights. Roll call. I I have a uh uh You You want to speak to it Ms. Jackson? I'm just going to say can we get a month off now or I was just nothing. There's
053no need for me to discuss it. I know we have to be everyone but I'm Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. Slater. Yes. Mr. Dorty. Yes. Ms. Thomas. Yes. Ms. Jones. Yes. I have a question though. Okay. But What we going to do a discussion after this? Can Can I Where we Are we rolling through? Yeah. We're I just wanted to know if it was possible to amend the August meeting to a week earlier as that is my last board meeting but that's also my 10-year wedding anniversary. And I just love y'all but do I want to be with y'all on my 10-year wedding anniversary? No. Why is it not on the third Thursday in July? I'll second your motion. In August. I'll second your motion. >> we just move it up a week? I just
054wanted to ask that. Well, we can we have to cancel Oh, and I might be on one too. Who is moving? Oh. >> Make the motion. Make the motion? >> this time? I would like to move I would like to motion that we amend August's meeting to the Thursday before August 20th. So, whatever 7 days that's at the 13th. >> Does she need to make a motion to suspend the rules? >> Second. >> in the middle of a vote. We're We uh I missed it. I just thought about it though. I mean I'll be here if I have to, but I'm just saying I'm finna spend my birthdays and graduation. I I just give me something, y'all. Mr. Chairman, technically we've already started voting, so the discussion's closed. >> So, we'll vote this one and
055vote it in. >> the pleasure of the chair if you would like to to have a do-over. Well, I because I have so much respect for Ms. Jones, yes, I'd like to do a do-over. >> [laughter] >> Okay. So, we'll We'll rescind the previous motion, previous vote, and I believe that that it's proper for someone to make a motion to amend the schedule of uh of sessions. I would like to move that we amend the proposed schedule of sessions for the August 20th meeting to be moved to August 13th, 2026. Second. >> I'm going to second the motion and say Krystle, how much I love you is I know that I'll have to get a babysitter for that night just to be here. So. >> you can bring him here you can bring him here
056cuz this is history. [laughter] That's true. I'll bring the girls to witness history. Just I mean you could bring them here. They That's uh I believe that's our last meeting, Ms. Jones. >> Right. >> Yeah. Okay. Damn, I might not be here. Yeah. Chair Smith is like, let's do it. Get over with early. Let's go. >> [laughter] >> Okay, so you got a motion to amend and and it's properly seconded. Is there any other discussion? Okay. >> Okay. So, this is now a motion to amend the 2026-2027 schedule of sessions by changing the August meeting from August 20, 2026 to August 13, 2026. That's the only change. >> That's correct. Okay. Do you mean, just to double-check, you mean to amend and approve? We don't have to have a second vote. >> Yeah, this is
057approve a vote on the schedule of sessions with this amendment. Yes. Okay. Mr. Slater? Yes. Mr. Daugherty? Yes. Ms. Thomas? >> Yes. Ms. Jones? >> Yes. Mr. Connor? Yes. Ms. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Graham? Yes. Mr. Keene? Yes. Ms. Haden? Yes. Ms. Black? Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. Okay. Motion carries 11-0. Remember us. And now we have a uh I need a motion to approve a new charter application. Mr. Chair, we've got a quick presentation for you on the application. Here tonight um to consider the initial charter application submitted by Empowerment Academy of East Tennessee for a proposed charter school within our district. As a reminder, charter schools are public schools operated by independent nonprofit governing bodies with increased flexibility in areas such as curriculum, staffing, and instructional approach. Application evaluations are conducted by a team of
058internal and external reviewers with expertise in assessing the quality and sustainability of charter school applications. This comprehensive review team review process leverages specialists from multiple departments within Hamilton County, along with external expertise from Michelle Don, owner and principal consultant of Don Consulting. The evaluation process includes a detailed review across four core areas: educational program design and capacity, operation design and capacity, budget and finance, and agenda as applicable. The academic plan outlines the instructional model and student support strategies, the operation plan addresses staffing logistics and governance, and the financial plan ensures fiscal responsibility and compliance. A positive recommendation requires a complete coherent plan across all areas. Strengths in one domain cannot compensate for weaknesses in another. The application review team used the following rubric to evaluate the application. A rating of meets or exceeds standards, partially
059meets standards, or does not meet standard was used for each section of the application. The application review team conducted a comprehensive process beginning with an independent evaluation of the application during which members completed ratings for all subsections. This was followed by capacity interviews with the proposed school. The team then developed a consensus summary which has been presented to you in preparation for your vote. The Empowerment Academy proposes a K-5 charter school in Chattanooga serving 50 students in a single-gender all-boys setting. The proposed location is Warren Chapel AME Church on North Market Street. The school's mission is to develop both the intellectual and moral character of its students, emphasizing responsibility, integrity, and respect. Through this approach, the Empowerment Academy aims to empower young men to reach their full potential, build strong self-worth, and make meaningful contributions
060to society. The review team that the academic plan does not meet the required standard as it lacks clarity, coherence, and sufficient detail across multiple areas. The mission is not measurable and is not clearly aligned to the needs of the proposed student population, nor is it meaningfully embedded throughout the school model. While the team identified focus areas such as agriculture and STEM, they did not clearly define these elements or explain how they work together in a cohesive research-based model. Additionally, the instructional plan and assessment systems are under developed with limited detail on how student progress will be monitored or how instruction will be adjusted based on data. Goals are broad and not measurable, and there is limited evidence of understanding of state accountability systems. Although some curriculum resources were identified, the overall academic plan lacks depth
061and does not clearly demonstrate how all students, including special populations, will be effectively served. The proposal also lacks clear plans for staffing and supporting special populations, and the school culture and discipline approach are not well defined beyond general statements. Evidence of community engagement and demand is limited, and the plan for ongoing family engagement is broad and not clearly aligned to the mission. Finally, the proposed enrollment is very small, and the rationale for the scale was not clearly justified. Overall, the plan is under developed and does not provide sufficient evidence that the school will deliver high a high-quality educational program. Building on the concerns with the academic plan, the operations plan also does not meet the required standard as it lacks clarity, coherence, and key details needed to support successful school implementation. First, there are significant
062governance concerns. While the proposed board includes individuals with relevant expertise, the structure presents a clear conflict of interest as several CMO member staff members, including the CEO, are also serving on on the board. Although the team indicated this may change over time, there is no clear timeline and the possibility of the CEO remaining as a voting member does not align with best practices. Additionally, the team did not demonstrate that the board has the capacity to effectively oversee the school while also supporting the launch of two additional schools. Second, the organizational structure and staffing plans are underdeveloped. There is limited detail on how the school will operate day-to-day and professional development plans do not clearly outline how teachers will be coached and supported, particularly given the proposed focus on agriculture and STEM. Recruitment and retention strategies
063are also minimal and the proposed teacher salary of $45,000 falls below the state required minimum, raising serious concerns about the school's ability to attract and retain qualified staff. Facility planning is also unclear. While a church has identified as a potential site, the application does not clearly define the facility requirements needed to support the instructional model or future growth. It is also uncertain how the school will ensure the facility meets all zoning, legal, and compliance requirements or how co-location with a church will function. Finally, the plan lacks detail across several critical operational areas, including transportation, food service, health and safety, technology, and insurance. Without clear and comprehensive plans in these areas, there is low confidence that the school will be able to operate effectively or provide a safe and supportive environment for students. Overall, the operation
064plan does not provide sufficient evidence that the school is prepared to successfully open and sustain high-quality operations. Consistent with the academic and operation concerns, the financial plan does not meet the required standard and does not demonstrate the school is financially viable. The budget does not clearly align to the academic program or operational needs. Key expenses such as transportation, employee benefits, technology, and staffing are either missing or underfunded, and overall assumptions are not reasonable. There are also inconsistencies between the budget and staffing plan, making it unclear whether the model can be fully supported. Additionally, the application lacks detail on essential financial systems and controls including accounting, payroll, and audits, which raises concerns about financial oversight and management capacity. The revenue model is also concerning. While the school relies on public funding, board members are expected to
065contribute or raise significant funds annually, and a large portion of the budget is allocated to CMO staff without clear justification. Overall, these issues reflect a lack of alignment and understanding of charter school finance, and the review team does not have confidence in the school's financial stability. Building on the concerns across the academic, operations, and financial sections, the applicant team also did not meet standards for the required addenda related to network capacity. The proposed CMO is newly forming to support three schools across Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville. While staff roles are identified, the structure appears top-heavy and largely funded by the schools themselves, raising concern about sustainability. Additionally, it is unclear how shared service costs are determined or allocated, and the network budget does not appear complete or realistic to support launching three schools simultaneously. The applicant
066team pointed to prior summer enrichment programs as evidence of readiness. However, this does not demonstrate the capacity required to open and operate full-scale charter schools. Finally, while there is a general timeline for building the network, there is limited detail on on capacity will be developed and deployed. Overall, there is not sufficient evidence that the emerging CMO has the strategic planning or infrastructure needed to successfully open and sustain multiple schools. After a thorough review of the application by a team of specially trained reviewers and a capacity interview with the applicants that [clears throat] I answered questions from that team, the review team has conducted concluded that Empowerment Academy East Tennessee has not met the rigorous standards set forth in Tennessee law in all areas. Overall, the review team found that Empowerment Academy East Tennessee did not
067present a clear and comprehensive school model and were deficient in their plans for academics, operations, finance, and required addenda. The review team does not have confidence that Empowerment Academy East Tennessee will open successfully and be able to establish and sustain a strong learning environment for students. We are not now ready for discussion followed by the board vote. Ms. Black. Please remind me if in previous instances where we were voting on charter schools, did we have more than just the title or the name of the school ahead of time attached to our agenda? You should have had um We have a crest. The the um review team, the consensus rubric, and the report. Is it in here? I have a Jenny packet. Okay. All right. Not the packet that we got here tonight, but attached online
068that we could see the review ahead of time. Oh, no. We didn't do it. I was Have we ever done that? I I'm I'm looking at Charlie cuz she's the the Okay. It's been a while, baby, but we have before. I I thought we had before and I was going through and preparing for tonight's meeting and I was like, I have no idea what I'm voting on tonight. Cuz I know that a charter school application is very intensive and so having that information ahead of time to review would have been helpful. I I apologize for that. It's okay. Uh just in the future. Yes, for sure. Okay. Mr. King? It made a difference though. On And this is just for my own clarity, on the addenda summary, I know we have at least four addendums,
069A, B, C, and D. There might It's showing that there's also E, F, and G. How How does an addendum not fall in the How can you have an addendum and it not either meet, partially meet, or does not meet? How >> it not applicable? It just depends on the type of application that they're submitting. Not Not all addenda are related or relevant for all schools. Some schools may not even have addenda to attach. But these, because they're identified as A through G, they did turn these addendas in? No, they only turned in addendas B and D. >> That's That's what I was All right. So, it's a category, but they don't have to necessarily hit that category or not. Correct. So, like for example, this this one, because they are operating a CMO, they
070had to do the addenda for the addendum for the CMO status. Thank you. Yeah. Okay, we've heard the presentation. I have no more lights. Uh this should be where I ask for a a motion to approve. Or Or I make a motion that we do not approve. >> Second. We've got a motion to not approve and a second. And no lights, so roll call. Mr. Slater? No. No is a yes. No is a yes, so yes then. So, the the the vote The vote is to The vote is it is not to approve the charter school. Okay. So, yeah. Okay. So, it's a yes. So, okay. Mr. Gordy? Yes. Ms. Thomas? >> Yes. Mrs. Jones? Yes. Mr. Connor? Yes. Mrs. Shafer? Yes. Mr. Groen? I'm passing. Yes. Mr. Keen? Yes. Mrs. Hadden? Yes. Mrs. Black?
071Yes. Chairman Smith? Yes. Uh motion carries 11-0. Okay, it takes us down to uh board matters. We got uh several uh policies there. They're first read. And uh here in just a few minutes, we'll ask for committee updates and we'll get a policy uh meeting date. Uh we'll ask for that here in just a few minutes. So, it takes us down to uh TISA bonus funding. Uh Ms. Shaper, I think you had a Where you Where you Where you at? Under board matters, B. Oh, okay. Yeah. See it? You see it? Ms. Shaper? I'm sorry. Okay, Ms. Shaper, I think you want to talk about TISA a little bit? Yes, thank you, Chairman. Um board members, you were given a outcomes um funding at TISA's outcomes funding document. There's two pieces there. There's like a
072memo and then there's a list of schools with the last 3 years of outcomes TISA funding. >> Where is it? It is It's paper clipped together. Yes, it's paper clipped. Where does it Where does it need to go? In the under You put it in the memo, so In the appendix? Yeah, in the appendix. Uh as information comes up, uh we're just making sure that we're all saying on the same page by providing memos. >> Okay. Oh, okay. Okay. So, you all have the the document. Do you have the Yeah. I just like it says the fiscal years, but what are these numbers working Okay, I'm going to talk about them. Okay. And the reason why I'm bringing this to you is out of transparency. We've done hard work as a board to balance our
073budget, but I'm asking that we dig a little bit deeper and work on more transparency and how we're allocating funds to schools in that budget. Um we're all given staffing models, but we're not given the numbers that each school actually earns and brings to the table for the overall budget. And that's what I'm getting at by discussing these particular numbers tonight, but overarching, it's about transparency and all the numbers that each school earns under TISA and their bonus outcomes funding. I just want to start by thanking the Tennessee Department of Education cuz they did a training last week in Murfreesboro that kind of brought this to light and it really clarified um something very important that under TISA, the dollars are meant to follow the student. And students can earn additional dollars through achievement. So
074schools can earn additional dollars on top of their TISA base funding through their achievement. That's the intent. That's an incentive. But from what I'm seeing and hearing in my district, that's not what we're seeing at the school level. >> [clears throat] >> In my district, and you'll see and you can pull out your numbers in your districts, the numbers on this page show you what they have earned in bonus TISA outcome funding in the last 3 years. They earn them. But are they directly seeing them in the school at the school level? That's the question. And so I appreciate Dr. Robertson meeting with me today and talking about this. Um and I understand that you'll see on the handout where he tries to explain where in the staffing model One, he explains how the school
075earns it, elementary, middle, high school, how they earn their extra TISA bonus funds. And under the staffing model, where they're telling us it's going. However, it's not dollar for dollar. So, a school can earn a bonus, and some may receive that fully back, and some are not. And to me, that's a problem. Cuz I believe in rewarding hard work. I believe in rewarding and encouraging, incentivizing the purpose behind this rule to excel. So, then on top of that, like I said earlier, in our staffing model, we're not given the number each school earns. So, every school, we earn a base TISA dollar amount. Then you earn your specialized programs and your exceptional ed base. So, there's other strategic allocations. And then you have your bonus on top of that. But my question is, and my
076ask is, very simple, give us, and I've asked Dr. Robertson this already today, give us a list of every school, what is the breakdown? What are they earning in their base? What are they earning dollar for dollar in their bonus? And then tell us how much that they earn is actually being kept at the local school level. So, I call this like an overhead expense tax. East Hamilton High School is paying 25 to 27% tax. But I don't know what other schools are paying. So, I don't know if we're paying more than our share or less than our share. We don't know. So, the whole point is transparency, and I'm asking for a list that we can know what dollars each school earns, what dollars they should be getting as a reward for their achievement,
077>> [clears throat] >> how much is staying at the school, how much is going to overhead, how much of their bonus are they getting, exactly, dollar for dollar. So, I'm asking for that for transparency purposes. We should have, Shannon, data. You You said in this this statement You said why we fund schools this way. I'm asking for an ROI uh data for this. Like, what is the return on investment for the way we've been doing it? Versus statistically, you should be able to provide that. Because based on this back page, we had 4.3 million in bonus across the district bonus funds, only 3 million were allocated. So, that left 1.3 million there. I'm just I just Yeah. took the numbers and subtracted. But I just I'm asking for transparency because I want to incentivize hard
078work. We have teachers, administrators, students that they should know that their hard work is being returned to their school, their community school. And it would encourage them to continue to work hard. Otherwise, what are we incentivizing? Mediocrity? We want them to excel. We don't want them to feel like what they earn is being redistributed. That runs a foul of the purpose of the bonus TISA dollars. And I'm thankful that the Tennessee Department of Education brought this to light for me, and I'm bringing it to the board so that we can all get this data, have the knowledge that what each of our schools actually earns and brings to the table, what we're paying in and our overhead tax, and what's going what's happening with our bonus dollars. And then we can talk about what is
079it How do we proceed with our staffing model? How do we proceed with how we allocate dollars in it with integrity? Okay, that's a lot to digest there, Mr. Keaton. Can Can Yeah, can before we start I I just we need to make sure that we're we're talking about the same thing and that we're on the same page with that. So, uh number one and when Mr. Shafer and I spoke this this afternoon, uh the this board has pushed us and pushed us really hard last year to be transparent and uh I would argue last budget was the most transparent budget we had had today. This one's been even more transparent. This number has always been part of the budget. We've always talked about it and we we talk about it in a way that
080we even say we don't get this money until December. We're budgeting $3 million because last year we got X and we're being conservative in budgeting. [clears throat] So, that that's number one. I just want to make like this didn't come to light because of a meeting. It came to light for an individual during that meeting, but we've been transparent about this the whole time. So, when you when you talk about TASA funding and you think about funding for a school, um every dollar is never going to go to that school because we get funded as a district for TASA dollars. So, when you think about call it an overhead tax, I would I would call it how do you operate a school system? So, out of 100% um if you know that we have to
081provide transportation, there's going to be transportation >> [clears throat] >> tax. Uh if we've got to cut the grass, there's a grass tax. So, the dollars that are allocated per student in TISA uh were never intended to physically go directly to that school. It's going to serve the needs of the students in in the district. And so, uh when we we spoke about this and there's a there's a memo in in the back of uh your your budget that if if you look at the slide, you'll remember we we broke it down where it has uh the staff, what percent staff makes up of the district. We have managed at the district, obligated at the district, managed at the school, obligated at the school. That's a good picture of how the money gets broken up.
082So, if we get 100% for school A, uh you can look at the transportation budget and assume about that much is coming out of the school. You can look at the custodial budget and assume about that much is coming out of those of the school. The memo that that I gave you is when we moved to this staffing model, decisions that we made investing in things that would drive these metrics. Some of them have worked out really well. Um some of them didn't actually work out exactly the way that we thought. I'll give you an example at the high school level, outcomes is based really largely upon a kid being college and career ready. Few ways you can do that. You can score above a 21 on your ACT or you can get so many
083episodes. And those of you that were around, we started Future Ready Institutes. Remember one of the reason we started Future Ready Institutes is so that we could expose kids to more college level courses, which gets them an episode. You remember we were talking about certifications. We only had like 25 kids that were getting certifications. Now, I don't know if Olivia is here, but we we're getting 1,500 kids that got certifications this year. Those are all investments that are trying to drive these metrics, which then the the investment pays off in the outcomes funding. And so, in when you think about it, the investment today is really going to impact the outcome tomorrow. And and so, what we tried to show is in the staffing model exactly what the metric is. In elementary, you see the
084rule, you see the funding what actually comes from it, and then the investments that we've made at the school to drive those metrics. And and so, it want to make sure we're level set on that. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Uh Ms. Thomas. I I I don't guess I necessarily I was just trying to I I'll have to read up and study on it more, but I just don't want when we start doing this budget, it turns into the haves and the have-nots. Um I I just don't want it to turn into something that that but I want to read it a little more, so I guess I really don't have a question till I get clarification for myself to be able to ask the right questions, especially in looking at this contribution if you're
085talking about what a district contributes. Okay. Uh school country contribution is to this. So, I would rather look at it that way because I want to look then not just at this then I want to look at the whole budget and how we allocate funds that should go to particular schools based on the population needs, but goes into that general fund. So, I I I I want to be clear on what exactly Jody is really asking or wanting to see change in and use the funding for and what all of that dictates. So, that's a more bigger conversation. So, I'll >> Ms. Jackie, I haven't I have only asked at this point for the the information. Okay. That every school's what you said, the dollars that that school earns cuz some have higher needs. And
086they get dollars for those. So, what does every school bring to the table? And then what are they keeping versus what are they giving in their overhead tax to the general pot? And then specifically, their bonus, that is an achievement reward. Are they getting that same dollar amount back in their strategic allocations? It's I'm just asking for a report at this point. Mr. Harley You you could do a true up though at the end of the year though, couldn't you? Come December. You mean you could apply for the next budget. Yeah, I mean [clears throat] if if it was if we had extra that wasn't considered and again trying to figure out, you know, so next year's budget we put in $3 million just because it's not guaranteed. You can see we've had variability, but
087but from the years again just depending it's so it's from 25-26 we'll find out in December what we get for 27. So, it's possible. And then Shannon, from your perspective, I mean a big part of what you do is you're working with schools to understand what's the enrollment? Mhm. What are the needs? How does that apply to T funding, right? Right. So, that's very school specific school specific in that scenario. Yes. So, then one could infer that based off of that methodology, we would also apply the same principle to funding for that school in that specific manner. Right? >> Yeah, exactly. And and that's that's what we're doing and that's what the model >> always done. That's what not what we've always done. It's what the model for the past 4 years has done. Prior
088to that, we were simply looking at the number of kids, looking at percentage of economically disadvantaged, and sending staff members based on that. But this one is aligned to what you're saying of what's enrollment. The base kind of looks generically at enrollment. Then strategic looks at at the needs of of kids. Um And and again, like we could like in December if we budgeted 3 million if if the outcomes came in at 4.5 well, there's a million and a half dollars that the board can make a decision about in terms of of how to do this. I just want to make it clear though because I think it's really important that we don't leave here missing this point is that the the investments in the staffing model have improved outcomes that generated more of this
089outcome piece of of TISA. And they weren't just it's not like we just threw out college career advisors or more CTE teachers saying well, that that's what schools are asking for. It's driven at how do we get kids college career ready at at high school? In elementary, the RTI teachers, how do we get a kid that isn't proficient in third third grade to proficient in fourth grade which generates these outcome dollars. So it's strategic. I'm with you. And and last comment and then I'll defer my time. But but to Jody's point, I mean essentially what she's getting at is by that same logic you could achieve an outcome with a set amount of teachers maybe in a specific subject area. Maybe we've got you know, a principal has to make do with what they have
090from a staffing perspective. So they if they have a half-time or full-time and they they piece together that body within that school to support the student body. If they're able to do that with that amount that they have budgeted for that year and they're able to achieve an outcome what what Jody's essentially saying is what they accomplish is a reward for that outcome that should then remain within that school so they can use it for future planning purpose. Maybe they need to hire another half-time to offset the constraint that the that group had in the prior academic year. You see what I'm saying? I I do and I think to your point of you could true up in December, there is a way to do that. I I I don't want to miss the point
091though of like we're investing in these positions that lead to that those outcomes. So, saying like saying that a that a school that that generated $120,000 in December, we should send them $120,000. Well, when we're when we've already invested in five CTE teachers, a college career advisor, and all those metrics or all those uh levers that are helping to to move that metric, I just want to make sure we're on the same page. >> We are, but outcomes are post all of that, right? Yeah, outcomes are um they're it's a lag, right? So, if if we budget 3 million and we we get 4.2, yes, you could take that 1.2 and do it based on outcomes, but you couldn't take the whole 4.2 and do it on outcomes cuz we've already invested that 3 million
092in the staffing model. >> I see what you're saying. Mr. Keen. All right. First, I want to preface this with Mr. Slater, I'm not trying to step on your toes. Uh [laughter] I see Sequoia High School down here, but I do not see Harrison Bay Future Ready Center on here. Yeah, remember Sequoia still has a cohort of kids that will graduate. Um they haven't fully transitioned to a Future Ready Center, so that'll two two years two years, it'll fall off. >> more years to Well, but I guess my question now is, you know, all this money is we're looking at these So, the first thing I did, which I'm sure every board member did, I marked all the schools in my district and was wanting to see the thing, but it's not there for me
093to see. >> Yeah, so this is a great example, right, of of the uh of the tax that a school is paying because you Harrison Bay Future Ready Center is a program that serves multiple schools. So, in theory, you know, school A is is generating 100%, you could say well because their kids have access to Harrison Bay Future Ready Center there might be a 5% tax because Harrison Bay is a program that doesn't generate kid funds because they're zoned to a school but we're funding that program because it's helping kids get college and career ready. It's a perfect example of what we're talking about of saying 100% of funds will go to school is that that was never the intent of TESA. >> Okay. Now it was just and eventually if we become more clear
094with this there's got to be a some form or fashion of way to show how how much funding is going into the school from see my argument was when I was principal at Harrison Bay that we could charge a science fee and we taught science at Harrison Bay but we couldn't charge the science fee. We had to let Central and Utaw charge the science fee but then they never sent the money to Harrison Bay. So we were running science programs off of no science fees and that so it just you know and that's just one thing that's been cleared up I will say that that's been cleared up some but when the time comes to I'd like to be able to see You you can and the staffing model sheets if you look down there
095there is the the number Like in total and per kid All right that's by by school so you get your staffing you should have them you should be able to see that. Okay. I I I want to I want to say this and I I've we had a like Mr. Eaton and I had a really good conversation about this today and uh I don't I don't think I said it to you I said it to someone else after the conversation I'm like this is complicated. Like TESA is super complicated and uh I learn something new almost every week about some nuance to TISA that you know Mary Ellen will say and I'm like wait what? You know and so I understand like I live this not as much as she does but I mean I
096live it a lot every day and it's still some parts of it are complicated to me and so this is not um I don't think it's a bad conversation for us to have because it's [clears throat] a really complicated issue that you know from a transparency standpoint again that's what we've been trying to do and we're willing to put it out there. We just need to know what it is that that is causing confusion. You know basically this was after this conversation today like do board members know how much money their their schools generating outcomes? I was like probably not. Let's just put it in the memo right? And so we're we're willing to have this conversation but it's I think it's important that we recognize it's it's really complicated. It's not easy. And and
097for public knowledge TISA is much more fair to our school system than what our old BEP BOE funding was. Right. So we're not we're not saying bad things. We just No I transparency tell people all the time I have this like love-hate relationship right now. Like there are things that I agree with what Governor Lee's done. TISA is a huge one he took it on and and changed it. It's a huge thing. There are other things that I you know I don't agree with but TISA's a big one. You know he did a great job of tackling BEP. Okay. Mr. Chairman. Uh thank you Mr. Chair. Um this might be a Mary Ellen or Shannon question but it would be helpful to me um if cuz it's not available on online at state level is
098uh we used to have a report I think that we put it out here for us that showed every school and our expenditures per student because at one point we were like we average 13 three but this showed how much we were actually spending per student at each school. Can we is that still available for us? I mean we we do the PPE report each year. I don't I'm not sure where it is online but we'll find if if we can't find it online you we'll send you at least our version. Okay because I don't it might be helpful for everybody but it was real good for me because we had the most current data over like a three year period which showed either more or less expenditures per student and in regard to Miss
099Shafer uh that was pretty telling when you could see that the average was 13 three but we might only be spending 11 eight at one school but we're actually having a better achievement than the schools that we spent the most money at and the latest that I saw was that uh the the two main charter schools um Girls Leadership Academy they were spending 17,500 dollars per student. But their scores weren't improving to the same degree. Um and yet some schools like I said in the district were spending less than 12,000 but achieving at a higher rate. So with the new funding that would mean that those schools and this is how it relates would be earning those bonuses back because we're actually spending less and getting more return on investment. So the question is how
100can that help improve you know, the instruction at those schools that are not um performing at the level we would like them to. Thank you. Miss Shannon. So, I'm going to end with making a motion for the administration to prepare these reports for every school showing what they generate in funding what they actually receive at the school level how much is being redirected to the overhead tax, how much achievement bonus funding is earned, and how much of that the schools actually seeing. I don't know if that takes a motion. We just we just ask our staff for that Yeah, it's we it's all available. We just have to put it put it in one document. I mean, I'm I can't >> Shannon's never here, so she I can't promise you we can have it next
101week, but I mean, we'll get to it. It's It's pulling that data into a consolidated spreadsheet and figuring out, but we can figure it out and give you a timeframe. >> Okay. All right. It would be nice to to have it prior to the next meeting. Oh, it'll be Yeah, we'll have it. Thank you very much. Well, in time to actually take a look at it prior to the meeting. Okay. I heard you. Okay. Um Mr. Daugherty, you you're up next on some technology. I'm going to pull it for discussion. Okay. All right, that takes us down to uh budget discussion, Miss Flice. Yes, um one reason um I'm bringing this up is because I've had a lot of people from the communities across the county reach out to me about concerns about the budget,
102and I wanted to be able to share those concerns, and I'm sorry if you know, we haven't had a lot of time or I haven't to prepare and look over, and I've spent hours and hours doing some comparisons, but um um one thing, you know, I do acknowledge that teachers are getting the 14 million for their pay um increases. Um but many of the ex-ed assistants have been cut at the school level and a lot of the teachers, well, some teachers are being cut across the district. And it feels like there it's making their jobs harder and it's cutting from their level and it seems like they're absorbing, you know, the work of the other teachers. Um So, but there's also a huge shift of positions away from the schools in the budget and they're
103being placed in support personnel in central office. The numbers do speak. I've done a lot of analyzing. Um okay, so I'll just go to this sheet right here. Uh central office staffing and I pulled these numbers myself. 400, right at 400. Um school-based system-wide and these are all not assigned to schools. School-based 50 system-wide like 50. School serving personnel they are not assigned to schools. They probably have offices in central office. 163.47 Okay. They're not about 80 of those were taken from school personnel and placed at the central office. And I'm saying maybe psychologists, um, X Ed. Um, and the total So, the total is that are not assigned to schools, you know, central office, school-based system-wide school service serving who are not assigned to schools. That's 615 employees that are not assigned to schools.
104But, there's also federal. So, the federal centralized the cuz all the federal positions are separate from the budget operating budget. And I don't know if people realize that. So, there's uh like 35.65 of those, and that makes 650 if you include those federal. And then there are some positions that I'm waiting to have broken out because they're called school support, and there's about 300 of those. So, I don't know if those are in the schools or if they're at central office, those federal positions. So, I know that they're working on that for me. Um, but the point is the schools are feeling the crunch. They're they're very a lot of a lot of personnel are very unhappy about this. They feel like um, I'll just say some of the hardest hit, um, would be the
105classified loss of 18.6. Um, regular X Ed assistants uh regular education assistants cut across. Some of the hardest hits, East Brainerd lost three, East Lake Elementary lost two and a half, Orchard Knob lost two and a half. And regular ed teachers, um, fell 66 district-wide is what I'm, you know, what I'm understand. And some of the heaviest hit were Howard and Okay. Okay. All right. Well, some of it might be that, but Brainerd six um Sliding scale Okay. All right. Well, um Miss Miss Huddleston, if I can respond, I I I'm going to level set with this and then I'll let uh Mary Ellen respond to some of the detailed questions, but we we specifically agreed to have someone do an audit of our school-based staff and our central office staff so that we could
106get past this conversation. We do not have 130 people that we haven't put in the org chart that have offices here. Number one, we don't have that many offices here. Um And and so like I I can assure you I took these numbers from the budget. You're you're you're misinterpreting some things and we've offered multiple times to sit down with you and help you understand it. Uh but I it's important >> Well, I just got the budget last on Tuesday, so I really you know You just got your budget on Tuesday? Last Tuesday. Or earlier. Monday Monday Monday. Right. Which which is the >> meeting was the day after. Well, which last Monday is the earliest that we've gotten the budget since I can remember. But I'm happy for Mary Ellen to talk specifically >>
107just saying I haven't had a lot of time cuz it hasn't been that long. >> Right. We're happy to talk to you. I just want to make sure like when you're saying things publicly, that that sends a statement and and some of those statements are are factually not true. Uh but I'm hearing the opposite. >> I'm sure you can hear the opposite but >> across the district. >> I'm sure that's fine. And if you go on Hamilton County Supports Education, you'll hear that from a lot of teachers speaking out as well. >> We're happy to to through it line by line, I again will point back to the audit that was requested by several board members that we agreed to do, and it was very clear that we are not overstaffed at central office. It's
108very clear. Um Mary Ellen, can you like provide some >> Yeah, let's let's let Mary Ellen hop in a little bit. Yeah, so and again, I'd be glad I love the stuff and and walking through and and setting our codes up and explaining all this. So So So one of the one of the pieces about some of the ex ed positions, we've actually invested more money, more positions. Um So an example of like last year there were 43 ex ed educational assistants in IDS. There's now 61. That's 18 of an increase. Um so we can go through and I I've got a full reconciliation. I'd be glad to sit down. Some of the codes that you're seeing, so that some of those codes that that look like and I under- I've seen some of the
109comments from the social media about it moving from school based to centralized or centralized, we use some codes to help group things in a certain way. So there's a code that says 6100 that that is those are school based positions. So psychologist, we grouped all of them in one bucket because they do assignments once they see where our little children are. So we've had in past years the psychologist, for example, may have been had an allocation, you know, two days here, three days here. We're not actually changing what is happening in the schools, it's changing how we coded them in the budget. So I can see how comparing one year to the next because we changed that methodology. Because what would happen was we would have them in the budget assigned to certain schools, then
110when they actually did the assignments for the year, they were different. We had to do a lot of movement. So we centralized them into a an account code to put them together, but they're still the same number of psychologists that are serving our schools. So we didn't they didn't change their work that they're doing. It's just how it's an accounting change. Yeah, but that's contrary to what I'm hearing. They're not based in the same schools, a lot of them or or I hear here of them are they're just exhausted and exasperated. They they've got very high case loads and I know you mentioned we need Yeah, but we have a we got a grant that's helping us search and we've actually gotten some we've got some new folks here. >> Well, I'm just speaking for
111the all the people who reached out to me and saying families too that their children aren't getting the services they need and there's you know, I know we have you know, we just got to be careful there. So to be clear, we're but we're investing more in X Ed this year than we did the year before. What what 2.6 2.1? It's over 2 million. It's over 2 million. And from a head count perspective, where are we year over year? Specific to X Ed. I'll I'll have to dig into it and let you know. Wait, Ms. Parker. >> I do have numbers in front of me. I since it's a public I would I would rather make sure this is the number, right? Like I have it from a staffing model perspective and I'm looking at
112it. I want to make sure it's also a budget perspective or create more of a problem, right? >> Sure, sure, sure. Just let >> will send that out to you for sure. Go ahead, Ms. Parker. I have to My name is Neely Parker and I get to serve in this department every day and it has been nothing short of a privilege this year to advocate for our hard working staff members and this board has done some incredible steps this year. So I have to at least say this. If we we now it is our goal to create a world-class continuum for our children and provide the absolute best continuum of support and service that we can and very deep strategic decisions have been made on behalf of this department. So number one, we heard staff
113members last year. If you are on the continuum and you are in a special type program, this board voted back in the fall to give a pay increase to our educational assistants. They're making more than they've made before. Is it enough? We we won't ever be able to pay them enough because they do such specialized work. Don program, you all strategically added them and voted for them to be paid first on diff comp. That was so well received. We're almost fully staffed there this year. We advocated, the leadership there changed, the the leadership there advocated even for substitutes to get more pay. I picked up the phone and called Dr. Brown. We any we have worked really hard to make it happen. One of the challenges we have that I have to address is we
114do have a staffing um conundrum that we're in. Between COVID and now, a lot of folks have left the practice. So, one of our big solutions is we can always give you an an additional position. And Dr. Robertson has met me time and time every pretty much everything we've asked for. Let's see what we can do to make it happen. Can't do everything I've asked, but most of it. There are there aren't very many people, however, in the field. So, we have had to adjust some of our ratios, but where we adjusted ratios, we added additional educational assistants and bumped that pay. So, they're on a totally different class pay class category than they were before. That wasn't this case last year, but this board has made strategic moves for Don staff, for IDS staff,
115for DCC staff to now be on diff comp. They were not at this time last year. We have made strategic moves to put um DLP teachers who teach our pre-K children that are high needs, they are now on diff comp. We were not able to actively recruit SLPs and and schools that school psychologist as well as speech language pathologist. We now have them on such a competitive diff comp pay scale, we actually have five applicants that we're about to place right now. So, the way we've tried to accommodate where the field is adjusting, it is not the same as when you were I I I served in Hamilton County 29 years and I've never I've always had the privilege of serving high-intensity programs. It's not like it was 10 years ago, but where we've we
116have worked to meet meet the demand head-to-head. Have we always been right on time? No. But, as it has come to us from teachers, you all have made the decisions to actually enhance what we're doing for the staff members that do different types of specialized support. It is It is a skill set and highly trained. It take a lot of training to do what these practitioners do every day. So, I mean, hours of time that our our our deputy has put in to meet us time and time again to make sure we're staffed. And we are in a much better place with staffing this year than we've ever been as far as special education. And I I I just have to say, in the 5 years, we've moved more in 1 year. Thank you, board,
117for what you've done for our employees than we've moved in I mean, I'm just blown away. It's a privilege that we've been able to do that for our practitioners. So, I have to I'm sorry. You can tell I'm a little passionate about this, but we have done incredible work for our practitioners. So, I I just want to make sure and clarify that. Well, one more thing that they were asking for is for students to go back to their home zones and be served in their home zones. And they're saying that we're spending 200,000 extra on busing >> Okay, so let me I'm so thankful you asked that question. We stand behind every child belongs in every community served wholeheartedly. When I was a principal and probably we bust kids I was Big Ridge, Big Ridge
118had DCC, McConnell had a CDC, Hickson had another program. Every child has the right to access their zone school. If they can, like if there's an elevator, we want you there. We have stopped the bussing of children where we can. Children don't come for special specialized programs in neat bundles of numbers like our staffing model demands. So, there are sometimes places where we might have a very extreme situation where we have to work with a family to get them adequately placed and served. But, we don't bust as much as we used to. It's too expensive, but we have more programs in more schools than we ever have. >> Let's be clear. Someone Someone brought that to my attention. I think the line item went from like 75,000 to 205,000 this year. Um that's for work-based
119learning. And that's our commitment actually to making sure that we have transition services for our adult ex-ed students like we haven't done before. So, it's an investment in making sure that when we transition a kid past the age of 22 that we're getting them placed in work. Um some of you were at the opening of Franklin Roberts Future Ready Center. We're building out uh probably a 10,000 to 15,000 maybe 20,000 square foot piece of that so that our adult ex-ed students are connected to that and connected to the entrepreneurs there. So, when we're talking about pathways for kids into work, it's them, too. And And so, the $200,000 is actually an investment to better serve kids. Which by the way, we have a big career fair for our transition students that are in the switch
120program on Saturday at Chattanooga State for them to get to go and meet with different folks about what their futures will look like. You're welcome to come to chat state on Saturday. I'll stay here. you. Thank you, Ms. Clark. Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. And I'll just say I was just speaking on behalf of the people who have reached out to me. Okay. Uh Ms. Thomas. Oh my I I I'm sorry. I don't I called to ask my question later, Dr. Boston. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Ms. Jones. I I was just going to ask could we table the conversation to budget, but I do want to say to um I was going to say something but Benelli said it cuz once again I've been here a long time and I've seen a
121whole lot of different things improve. I know we have ways to go and Joe and Joe's we we've seen it we've seen it all. So I I I'm I we've come a long way. I do want to say this and I'm going to be quiet. I don't know what is to come of public education because what I know of the educators that were in my family and in my village and and taught me it it wasn't about the pay. And I know people want to be compensated. I'm not saying that. Everybody wants to be compensated and make a liveable wage. But I am deeply concerned that public education is becoming a profession in which it's about the dollar and not about the child. Because I know for a fact that my teachers your teachers everybody
122probably this poor sweet baby right here that teach us. I got I got to teach several teachers here right now. I know they made a whole lot less. But the imprint that they've left on my heart Yeah. and in my life it's priceless. And so, while everybody wants to be compensated, I do understand that. But, these individuals do tough jobs. And the children that they're receiving, they don't get to dictate what kind of can they come in. They just know that they're getting a child. I'm just very concerned about people who are making it about a dollar and making it about a party. Because it is not about that at all. It is about the lives of children and them looking back 20 years from now and giving statements like those kids did today for
123their teacher. That is what it's about. And I'm pretty sure she left a nursing profession making a whole lot more to come in and to pour into the lives of future nurses and medical professionals. That was what it's about. Thank you. Thank you, Michelle. Uh, real quick, I want to get some dates on the calendar here with these committees and then we'll we're going to adjourn. So, transportation being Um, I just want to say that um, I I reached out to Dr. Robertson right after this event and made sure that we were sending our condolences and any offering of help that we could. Anytime that um, we all in this community know the loss of a child from a bus incident and um, so anytime that that happens in our state or in our world,
124uh, it's important to note and stop and think about it. And um, we as a as a community send our condolences and and our best wishes to um, to that school system. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, uh, policy for lease next next meeting. June 9th is a Tuesday and that's our next policy meeting and we will uh, be doing the quarter four policies which are student and support services. Okay. School safety, Jody? I don't have an update for school safety. >> Okay. Legislative? So, our um our bill with Representative Greg Martin has made it into the budget amendment of both houses. So, it's behind the budget, but it's likely to pass. So, our pilot program is likely to pass. They did do a um threat of mass violence true up. So, it has to
125be a credible threat, which is a a good change. Um the policy on device usage did pass. So, we will be required to draft a new policy as a board. So, Mr. Bennett and the administration, I believe, is already working on that, but we have to draft a new policy around technology use to be in compliance with the new law, which is a lot that was tested or talked about tonight. Okay. Jody, what was the fiscal note on our bill? Do you know it offhand? I'm sorry. >> it off the top of my head. I just with it behind the budget, I was worried. >> All right. Mitch King, facilities? How long do you think you're going to take? All right. Mine uh Mine will only take 30. All right. So, so I think we're
126going to Originally, it was going to be Monday, June the 8th, and we're going to uh go also on June the 9th, and we will uh June, yes. Uh and we will tie in after the policy meeting uh our informational take 20 25 minutes at the most. Okay. Finance? Ben? Yes, sir. Thank you, Chairman. We will look to schedule our next finance committee uh first week of May. Thank you. Okay, athletics. Uh-huh, honey, it's over. The season is over. Athletics, Steve. Um thanks, Joe. Uh we met yesterday. The uh committee did and and we've got a few things on the table that number one um Tim James' athletic um budget last year was .67% of our budget. This year, it's projected to be .59. And I just don't see how we can do that to
127kids who play sports. So, bottom line, when the time comes, I want to be asking for a million dollars to go into his budget to help pay coaches, transportation, more security at ball games, and things like that. So, that's where we are. What would have you figured what a million would change the percent to? That would go to uh .7% of the budget. >> not even a full percent. >> No, not even 1%, which I'll be honest with everybody that can hear me. That's embarrassing. >> [clears throat] >> Okay, thank you, Steve. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, staff. All you work, every one of you. Thank you. So, we'll stand adjourned. I wish he only came with these here and then we