001meeting for the Rutherford County Board of Education this February 25th, 2026. We'll be opening the meeting with a brief moment of silence or prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the United States flag. No one is required to participate or be present for any of these and being in this portion of the meeting is completely voluntary. Mr. Butch Vaughn has our prayer and pledge for today. >> Please bow your heads. Heavenly Father, just we come to you and we just uh thank you for all the things that you've blessed us with. You blessed us with a tremendous school system, a tremendous group of teachers and principles. We got a great central office staff and great superintendent schools. We thank you for all those blessings. We thank you for the parents and Lord just pray that
002through all this bus situation that we're dealing with that we just thank you that you put your blessings on the people that worked extremely hard to to get this thing worked out and the challenges they've made and they've gone above and beyond. and just uh thank you for providing us with a people with the ability to do that and we just thank you and we come to you in your son Jesus name I pray. Amen. >> Amen. [clears throat] >> 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. >> First up, we have the approval of the agenda. Any comments or questions? >> Move to approve. >> Thank you, Mr. Rosales. Thank you, Miss
003Sharp. All in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. We have no public comments this evening. Next we move to the action to reinstate. >> Yep. Uh first just want to thank everyone for attending. A not very action-packed item today. Um but we do have some buses that have continued to provide information and we could have waited until next Thursday, but I believe in going ahead and being efficient. So instead of taking these buses out of service or delaying bringing them into service, we have an action item to allow these buses to continue operations for these contractors to provide bus service. Bus 187, bus 195, bus 140, and bus 176. And my recommendation would be to move to approve. >> I'll make a motion we uh reinstate uh these contractors. >> Second. >> Thank
004you, Mr. Roses. Thank you, Mr. Vaughn. Any comments or questions? >> Well, you know, I've got a question. So, where where I don't know that it matters who the contractor is, but how have they worked out if they if they were in the pile last night that an entry, what have they done today to rectify that? All four of these contractors were innocent victims who had leased a bus for Mr. uh Carter. They had their own insurance or they've since this all started, they've got acquired their own insurance and leased buses from other contractors. We have insurance in hand. [clears throat] Mr. Reid and I have looked at it today. We believe it's all in place. Um and they are um legal to continue operation. >> If I can continue right there. Good. And that
005sounds great and I'm all for that and everything. It appears to me the stock gap that has got us in this was um either the wording in the leases or the structure of the leases or something to that effect. And that's my only concern. if they have hurriedly done a lease today on another bus. Is it some are we are we getting right back in the same shape? Is this a different structure lease? Help me with that. That is my greatest concern right here. I'm all for these guys. I want them to own their buses. I want them to be in business. I really do. But I don't want to start a pre I don't want to set a president today that allows us to get right back in the same shape we were in
006before. Help. I should have included these four with the other two I did last night. >> Okay. M. >> And if I may. >> Sure. Go ahead. Yeah. >> We we are >> we are setting in motion things over the next few weeks in relation to leases. I've got some contractors that are going to send some forms that they utilize for us to look at and I've got some from other businesses. Um, most of these that got caught in this be like me and you. My car got wrecked. I don't have another car. You got an extra vehicle sitting at the house. Come borrow my car. Well, we probably don't think to put you on my insurance, but some did, some didn't. Um, we're making sure that there is insurance in place that has the
007right names on it and the right numbers and that people have been added to policies. >> Long-term leases, you're correct. I think we do need some kind of and I don't know what that looks like yet, but I'm getting some things together so that we can put some things in place so that we don't end up back in this again. >> I think you and I are on the same wavelength right there cuz I talked to one of the contractors. I was frustrated last night that I wanted to just say, "No, you can't lease a bus. You either own it, you finance it through Midsouth, you finance it through Pinnacle Bank, you do something, you own that bus. I'm not doing this." And one of them begged and pleaded with me and she said, 'Well,
008we all lease buses. I said, 'You all lease buses?' And what she was referring to at any point in time if they had a breakdown, if they had a motor go down, if they had one that wouldn't start, they're all barring other people's buses. So, I think that that's not what I'm after. I think what I'm after is that somebody that comes in here and applies for a 4-year contract with us that we need to ensure that they have the capability and the long-term lease in place that's going to work because it seems like some of them have gotten in it and all year later they decide to change their mind or something like that. I we're on the same wavelength. That was the only thing I wanted to check it with this coming up.
009So, I'm I'm good. Thank y'all. >> Miss Sharp. Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Sullivan, can you tell me what areas these four buses serve? Do you know either of you? >> Your favorite. >> My favorite. >> Yes, ma'am. Lever. >> Lever and Smyrna. Okay. Thank you. >> That's why I need to keep them rolling. >> Yes. That's why I'm here. About ran out of gas to get here. >> That's why I didn't want to wait until next Thursday. >> Okay. Any other questions? Yes, Mr. Tidville. >> All right. So, we have these four right now and we had the two last night. So, we're already starting the ball rolling in the right direction to try to get as many reinstated as possible. Do you foresee there's going to be others that are going to reach
010out to be reinstated? >> I'm working on the next set. >> Okay. >> That will be ready. >> I'm working on the next set. I'll have more people next Tuesday. >> Yeah. I was going to say if if that's a possibility, if you don't you don't I didn't mean to take the mic from you, but we may have a special called after our work session if I've got a couple more Tuesday. So, >> okay. But it won't need to be pushed up like this particular meeting was. >> No. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Okay. We have a motion. I don't think we need a roll. Roll call vote. All in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? Motion passes. >> Thank you all again. Sorry to have to call that, but I thought it
011was necessary. >> We are adjourned.