001session. So, we'll call that to order. >> We need to do our moment of silence pledge allegiance for this one. >> Yes. The family must school here. Brother, thank you for that. I aliance 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 justice for all. >> Thank you. Appreciate that. All right, we're to the public input. We got care of that. All right. So, changes to the agenda. I believe Doug had some additional I would like to add the uh communications coordinators to the unfinished business and I would like to add the policy manual review to new business. Okay. So that would be if everyone is okay with it under new business or un unfinished business number one communications
002coordinator and I believe that was post or tabled to this meeting and then under new business general number six be the policy review stuff that >> policy review >> that Doug just out. So is there any opposition to adding that to the agenda? All right. Hearing none, then that be unanimous consent on that. So then that brings then to the approval of the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? So all has moved. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Doug has seconded. Discussion. All those in favor of the approval of the agenda show by raising your right hand. I believe that's 74 zero against agenda passes. So we've got several things under the consent agenda items. The approval of the minutes and then a whole host of field trips here. Forensics, band,
003DECA, uh, Skills USA, um, FCCLA to Nashville, swim team, science bowl team. So, is there a move to approve the consent agenda? >> Don has made that move. Is there a second? >> Second. Any discussion? All right. All those in favor of approving the consent agenda, show by raising your right hand. All right. 74 that passes. Thank you all for that. Doesn't look like we have anything on or maybe we do. Do we got anything on? >> I just wanted to explain. We had policy committee meeting tonight. However, there were some policies pulled, some that were amended. So rather than vote on those tonight, we'd like to have uh those presented to you as amended so that we can vote on those uh next next month at our business meeting. So even though we had
004the policy committee meeting, we would request that we do not have any first readings this evening. All right. Thank you on that. Think we got anything budget. So then that brings down to that unfinished business which was the addition of the communications coordinator which was tabled from last month. Is there any motions on this? I believe Doug does. >> Mr. Chair and I move to authorize the creation of physician and district communications coordinator initial compensation to be no more than $65,000 from existing available budget funds. I'll read that again. Move to authorize the creation of a the position of district communications coordinator initial compensation to be no more than 65,000 from existing available budget funds. Is there a second discussion? Done. Uh at the last meeting uh we discussed this and because uh Josh and
005coach were not here, we decided to put it off. This is a position that we talked about at the um five-year uh committee that I think we we do need uh this week with the water outage, with all the media um requests, with all the uh outgoing press releases and everything else. I think kind of highlights why we need somebody. Um the communications coordinator The whole idea of it kind of sprang out of the idea that our website is really not what it should be. It's hard to navigate. It's virtually impossible unless you know exactly where you're going and what you want to find anything on it. So um from that we figured well if we're going to have somebody do that as their primary job we have them coordinate all the internal communications between
006the schools the central office between the central office and the media um as well as the as well as the website right now it's being done I I'm kind of repeating some things just because Josh wasn't here in uh it's being done as a secondary responsibility by other people who kind of fit it in when they can. I think we're to the point now that we need somebody over that to coordinate with our corporate sponsors or welding, you know, bush beams, the media, etc. So, uh I feel that this is needed. Uh the money would not come out would come out of available funds that we already have from positions that we probably are not going to be filling. it will not affect our fund balance at all. Uh and so that's why I made
007the motion. >> You got anything? >> I I I just agree 100% what he said. Um I'm really big about the website being kept updated and knowing that somebody would be over that I think would just benefit the district overall. >> Anyone else? All right. Then hear none. We'll vote. All those in favor of the move to authorize the creation of the position of district communications coordinator of initial compensation to be no more than $65,000 from existing available budget funds. Show by raising your right hand. All those opposed. All right. It's 54 to oppose. Motion passes. 5 to two to create the position of communications coordinator. So that takes care of unfinished business. Takes us down to first part of new business. Number one being the fiveyear district strategic plan which you all have. It's
008been worked on. Is there a move on this? I move that we accept the amended updated 5year strategic plan as presented. >> Doug made the move to approve the district strategic plan is present. Is there a second? >> A second. >> No one has second. Any discussion on that? >> We had our meeting our our yearly meeting. We updated things. You'll see we changed some u of our goals because we realized that some of our initial goals are unreasonable. We amended other goals um to uh identify things that we haven't accomplished and so uh we took those off. Uh we especially in the one that had to do with facilities uh we went from addressing the situation to monitoring the ongoing progress on situations. So, it was just an update, overall update, and I believe
009uh we'll have more of a uh uh presentation on exactly what why we did it. But I I believe that the plan as amended is realistic and we should we should go forward. >> Anyone else? >> I have a question about it. Um I look at the proposed updated name I guess something that was changed >> page >> number four yellow. I guess they changed these numbers here. I'm just curious is to uh look down like the sixth or eighth proficiency language arts. It starts at K through two and then 3 to five and six to eight. And each year those numbers keep getting lower as far as as you move up in the grade. Um specifically the TCAP efficiency 36 to 39%. I guess that's where we're at now. 39.8%. >> Yeah. >> So,
010yeah, each one of them starting at a at a starting point for now with what is considered to be a reasonable goal by the department. Um, the eighth grade proficiency rate for the state of Tennessee is currently 33%. So 50 is putting us at an ambitious target for what the state is currently getting toward. We are already outperforming the state in eighth grade. So like trying to account for the differences in statewide measures is why you see the difference in those measures down the line. >> I guess what are we doing to um what what do we do different from year to year to uh increase that number that makes a change. What are things that we do? Is it just data and finding out the kids are doing better >> or like >> I
011mean so we start in June meeting with principles um looking at teachers that have resigned, retired, uh whatever they may have done, new teachers that are coming in and evaluating just like you do a team. Here's the players we have and here's their strengths and weaknesses. Uh here's where this group. So then we look at the group they're getting. So you have high groups, you have low groups. So you may be um getting a leaving a group that scored 45th percentile as a whole grade level. You may be getting a group that scored 35%. Or vice versa. You may be getting a high group. So what do you need to do with that group? So we set up strategic meetings with principles to discuss that with their uh principal, assistant principal, instructional coach um at
012the beginning of the year and then we break down um throughout the year. So we have meetings every six to nine weeks with u those principles, instructional coaches and and leaders within the building to look at okay this teacher went on maternity leave, this teacher is um um resigned or this teacher whatever. So what what do we need to do to fill these gaps? Um are they pacing correctly? um to be able to meet the end goals of uh reaching all the state objectives and standards. So, uh we also look at those benchmark assessments of I Ready to see if they are spending the correct amount of time with their students on I Ready to catch up on skill deficiencies and how they're performing on those I Ready assessments. So, we're evaluating that on a
013ongoing basis. Um, you know, you might hear the word of we micromanage. Well, I mean, you know, we're running a 7,000 students, a th000 employees, $80 million budget. We we are managing that performance to ensure that that um we're doing the necessary steps for our students to make sure that that we are getting a year's growth. So, one thing is whenever you look at achievement levels, you also have to look at, you know, we're not Marble City, we're not Oakidge, we're not getting students coming in at 75th percentile u and above. So we are um really having to work with these students to ensure that they are growing that grade level year's growth and above to make sure that that because whenever a student's behind just growing one grade level is not enough. We've got
014to grow them beyond a year's growth so that over a period of time they will catch up. So, we take great strides in um that's why you saw six of our 11 schools receive a a letter grade of an A and you saw four of our schools reach reward school status due to that effort of ensuring that um the instructional strategies and align curriculums moving students. >> Anything else? Just for example, we've met today with with like six school teams realigning support based on the most recent test like looking at specific standards. So it's all the time paying attention to most most recent data that we have in coaching teachers to be stronger in the classroom on top of everything. What do you think is just opinion? What do you think is the reason that
015um and I like I see that you know in in several years that we're trying to obtain 50% you know I like that it's trying to achieve that and I get that the whole state is not the whole state is 75 or 90%. Why do you think though that as a state or the county I mean 39% that means four out of 10 are basically reading proficiency right >> so I think that are you okay >> oh yeah >> I think the statement that reading at a level is defined as proficient by the state versus reading on grade level are two totally different things. If you run our numbers, we have probably 60% of our kids are reading on grade level, but they may not be meeting the definition of proficient. When they move to
016ninth grade, you will see that our scores typically rebound. I think you have four middle schools. Each middle school is built of a different student population. When they move to the freshman level, our proficiency rate for the freshman level, English one class is about 65%. It's like you you see middle school, the assessments are more rigorous. They're extremely difficult. By the time we get to high school, we've got them at 65 70% by the time they're sophomores. It's really just the way the test is designed. It's reflected in right across the state. >> Do you think a consistency in certain subjects like math and language, English, um getting that repetitively over and over would be a good benefit of these students versus them skipping a semester or possibly seme before they get that subject again.
017You follow what I'm saying? >> So that doesn't happen till high school. So at K through 8, they receive math instruction, reading instruction on a daily basis. Not until they're probably between their is it their sophomore and junior year, they can possibly have a some a year without a math course. Um, I believe that's correct. It's not till their sophomore to junior year before they could have a whole year, like maybe a spring semester or fall semester without a math course. So, we see that maybe affect the ACT score, but it would not affect the TCAP scores. >> So, this only goes eighth grade. >> Only goes to eighth grade. >> Do do we not >> get this beyond this >> the ACT? It's what we use to evaluate. It's in the rest of the
018document. The ACT is what we use to evaluate progress at the high school level beyond the EOC. >> Okay. So that's that's the the gauge that we use beyond. Correct. >> Yeah. There's some end of course test for algebra 2 and ELA. Is that correct, Trevor? >> Algebra 2, ELA, biology, US history. >> There you go. Academic readiness and literacy has the ACP composite we're shooting for year after year and that that measures that at the high school for juniors. >> Okay. Uh in these lower grade levels you have advanced placement math classes. So we have um so within all of our we don't uh group students in elementary school um really in middle school we don't track students into high middle and low groups in classrooms. So you take a general, let's say fourth
019grade classroom, you may have students on a first grade level and a ninth grade level in the same fourth grade classroom. So that teacher's having to do small group instruction to group students in there based on some abilities they're having in our response to intervention. They call it RTI groups. So we pull kids who are below grade level and then during that RTI time we also offer enrichment for students to meet them where they are that are excelling either in reading or in math to push them to go further. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Any other questions on this? All right. Then we'll vote on Doug's motion to approve the uh updated fiveyear district strategic plan. All those in favor show by raising your right hand. Any oppos. All right. 740 against
020that passes. And that brings us to the county garage edition. So, I'm going to move to set aside funds from general fund balance not to exceed $220,000 for the proposed third bay for the county garage edition. Is there a second? I'll second. Any second that I guess talking about this whole thing, what was it? It was probably two or three meetings ago with uh our uh joint committee meeting that some of this got brought up and it's been talked about several times. Um since then we thought it was at one point in time Tommy had talked about this maybe helping out too and then it sort of got put on the back burner and what have you, but I feel like they put um a lot of time into our buses and we sure don't
021want to have to bring our buses back to what we used to have. So, I I think if we can help them out and if it doesn't, the money stays with us like Jessica said, and if they just have to use a dollar of it, I guess they just use a dollar of it. But I don't think that'll be the case. I I do want to go back to u you know I think the school system also it I think it's a give give relationship. I mean we we strengthen um you know in active 81 combines county finance uh the school system we can run our own finance department. We can fund it. We send money there to strengthen the county's finance department and I think we also send money to the fleet maintenance that
022that strengthens that fleet maintenance department. So I think that working together we strengthen um our agencies and departments um whenever we can do that. >> I got to support it. I've worked as a mechanic for 45 years and I know what it's like to have one bay. You get something broke down in the one bay shop and something else comes in. You're outside in the code. you're working on it outside because you got to get it done. So, I'm for 100%. >> Yeah, I think Tommy put it really way. We We're a stronger county when we work together. Um they helped us out, you know, resolve the Jefferson Elementary situation. Um this um I think we we in fact are probably anywhere from 50 to 60% of their workload over there now with the buses.
023Uh so I think it would it's to our benefit and it would just like commissioner Brooks said build for the future. I I think it's a good idea. All right. Hear none. So the move is to set aside funds from general fund balance not to exceed $220,000 for the proposed third bay for the county garage edition. All those in favor of that motion show by raising your right hand. All right. I believe that's 740 against that motion passes. And that brings us to number three. Resolution number 2026-146 Jefferson Middle School surplus. Is there a motion on this? >> So move. >> Move to approve by Bill. Is there a second? >> Second by coach. Any discussion on that? All right. All those in favor show by raising your right hand. All right. passes unanimously 740
024against. Uh then we have resolution number 2026-147 transportation surplus. Is there a move on that? Danny has made a move to approve. Paul second. Any discussion on that? All right. All those in favor of that resolution being approved, so by raising your right hand 74 against then we have the one that says we'll hand carry the meeting but there's actually stuff um resolution number 2026-148 technology surplus. I'll move to approve that. Is there a second? >> Second. Second. Any discussion on that one? All those in favor then of approving resolution number 2026 148 show in your right hand. All right. 740 against that one passes. And then that brings us to number six which we had added on here about the policy manual review. Is there a motion on this? >> Mr. Chairman. Yes. >>
025I move the board approve a one-time policy manual manual review by the TSBA to take place after July 1st, 2026 at a cost not to exceed $8,250. This amount to be placed into the 20 26 2027 school district budget. >> How much that total? What? >> $8,250. I'll second this. Doug, you got anything? >> I think we I think we discussed it before. Uh coach was not here during that part of the work session. I gave him a sheet that shows pretty much what our policies are, etc. Um I just think it, you know, I think it's a good safeguard and I'm not going to take up any more time. I think everybody I agree. I appreciate the policy committee being on top of this. Um, anybody else got anything on that? All right. Then,
026um, all those in favor of the move to approve a one-time policy manual review by the TSBA to take place after July 1st, 2026 at a cost not to exceed $8,250. And this this amount is to be placed into the 2026 2027 school big budget. Show by raising your right hand. I believe that's 74 740 against that one passes. And then that brings us down to now the budget amendments that are under new business. We have three general fund 141 number 13, federal fund 142 number six and capital project fund 177 number four. So is there a move on general fund 141 number 13 items 1 through six move to approve that seconded. Any uh discussion? All right. Hearing none, we'll vote. All those in favor of approving general fund 141, number 13, items 1
027through six, show by raising your right hand. 740 against that one passes. That takes us to number two, federal fund 142, number six, item number one. I'll move to approve that. Is there a second? >> Doug or seconds? I'm getting out of here. Any discussion on that one? All right, then. All those in favor of approving federal fund 142 number six, item number one, budget amendment, show by raising your right hand. 740 against. That one passes. And then that brings us to capital project fund 177 number four item one move on this move on that one. Is there a second? >> One second. Any discussion on capital project fund 177 number four item number one. All right. All those in favor of approving the budget amendment for capital project funding 1774 item one show by
028raising right hand. All right 74. All right. That takes us then to school commissioner input. Is there any I I will say this um in regards to the district strategic plan. I want to say I appreciate Doug and Tommy and Dr. Lame, Miss Ramy, Mr. Collins up here and Miss Stanbury for working on that. I mean, that's a comprehensive document there. I appreciate them putting the time in there and that helps our school district, you know, have a a roadway forward and a path and I think that's something that's needed. Um, you got some measurables there that you can look at. So, I appreciate the input and that hard work into that and getting that for us. So, any other input? >> Dr. Arnold, I I noticed they do some grading over at the high
029school for the egg building. Um, do we have any kind of estimate on when they're going to be actually start construction over there? Um I think you'll start seeing you know next thing would be gravel and concrete and steel delivery. U so right now they're not planning on anything. Uh you know even next week we'll have to dry out some. So I would say the end of February you'll start seeing some more staging. Um and then they'll throw that together pretty quick. I'd say by, you know, it'll be finished by the >> June, July, end of June, 1st of July. >> Mr. Martin said somebody told him once they actually start doing it, three weeks >> of Yeah. >> actual construction. >> Yeah. And then there'll be some finishes in there, but it goes up
030fast. I mean, it's a prefab type steel um metal, those type things. And do we have to wait until it's up to actually order all the stalls inside of order and have them ready to go? >> Yeah, I've not seen that. Um, I'll get um Missy to kind of get together and start getting a list of items to go in that 40 by 40 open stalls and things. So, you get with Adam. So, I know he gave us a rough estimate that I've not seen. >> I should know if they have to wait to purchase those until it's done or >> it's uh we do have that available. U we'll start getting a list of items, get some bids, I mean quotes uh for that. We can go from there. >> Yeah. Any other All
031right. I think we took care of our announcements. February 21st, 8 till 12 at the Patriot Academy going to be the board retreat. Um, if there's nothing else, is there a move to ajourn? >> I say Danny on that one. I'll put Paul in the second. All those in favor? All right. New York.