0012026 work session for the Rutherford County School Board. We will 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. Our prayer and pledge will be led by Mr. Stan Bot tonight. If you'll all just join me in a moment of silence, personal reflection or silent prayer. >> Thank you. 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, we're going to take a look at the agenda. And does anyone have anything any comments or questions or anything they'd
002like to add? If not, we'll move on to the consent agenda. There's quite a lot there. Any questions, comments. Okay, we only have one speaker tonight, but I'm excited to hear this program. Um about six weeks ago, Barbara Long with the city schools uh contacted me about a program out of Nashville and it was the Nashville Antihuman Trafficking Coalition and uh she said that I needed to hear what they had to say and they had a great program and uh we did a Zoom meeting and I really liked what I heard and they have a program they'd like to share with us tonight. So, Mr. Mr. Herring, would you mind coming to the podium, introducing yourself and any of your fellow members of the coalition? >> Absolutely. >> Good. My name is Monte. I'm the
003director of education recognized the Nashville Antihuman Trafficking Coalition. Um, with me tonight I have Mary Trap who is our executive leader and founder. Also have Christina Meadows who was our director of operations and rescue and we have Israel with us as well too who is Mary's executive. I want to thank you to the Rutherford County School Board for the opportunity to be here tonight. I would also like to a special thank you to Claire Maxwell and to Barbara Long for their leadership and support in making this conversation possible. Again, my name is Monty Herring and I serve as the director of educator to recognize at the Nashville Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition. I have a video to show you, but before I do, I want to share why this work is so important to us. Our founder,
004Mary Trapno, grew up here in Rutherford County. Many of you know and respect her family. But what many people don't know is that there was a moment that changed the course of her life. And it happened at a truck stop here in Rutherford County. not just in Rutherford County, but less than one mile from where we are tonight, right across the interstate. And standing there as part of a missional community outreach group, she learned that young girls were being exploited, trafficked, bought, and sold at that truck stop. She didn't yet have the language for what she had learned because human trafficking and exploitation were not terms people commonly used then even less the awareness to recognize the warning signs. What Mary experienced is the reason the Nashville Antihuman Trafficking Organization exists and more specifically why
005our recognized program exist to ensure families, students, educators have the awareness and language to recognize the signs of exploitation early before harm starts or escalates. In other words, prevention and early intervention. And now nearly 13 years later, being here tonight feels like a moment of coming full circle. Returning to this wonderful community, not just with awareness, but with tools, language, and education. Truly an honor. The video you're about to see is based on a real life case NEHT was involved in helping a young girl and her family through a peer-to-peer recruitment situation, which you learn more about in our presentations. But for tonight, I want you to understand that this is a common and often subtle tactics predators use. And every day, more and more of our young people are falling victim to it. This
006will be all. >> Aren't you going to get anything? >> Um, no. I can't afford anything here or anywhere really. >> Hey, I I totally know someone if you need a little extra. What this video shows us, among many other things, is that human trafficking, recruitment, and exploitation does not look the way we're accustomed to seeing it portrayed on television shows and movies like Taken with Liam Niss. Nor is it the white van with an open sliding door. In our communities today, exploitation often begins with grooming. A gradual process where trust is built, boundaries are tested, and secrecy is introduced. And increasingly, technology is the vehicles predators are using. It is how they are reaching and engaging and manipulating our most vulnerable population, our middle and high school students using social media, gaming platforms, and
007messaging apps. That's why education matters. Now, I don't know if your parents were anything like mine, but growing up, whenever I went outside, my mom gave me the speech, right? She told me not to run into the street. She said, 'I better not see you chasing the ball into traffic, and I definitely better not hear that someone else saw you running in the middle of the road. My mom wasn't being paranoid or dramatic. She was being proactive. What she understood were the dangers of traffic and believed that prevention started with awareness, and she made sure that I understood them, too. But how often do we hand a 10-year-old a powerful technological device without ever having a conversation about the risks that come with it? [gasps] That's also why we provide parents with a practical resource
008you have in front of you tonight. What we often refer to as an anti-trafficking parent kit. It's designed to quickly get families up to speed on key information without being overwhelming. Inside parents will find a national child identification program insert along with NAH's own guide that includes conversation starters, tips for online protection, warning signs to recognize, and guidance on how to intervene and ask for help. The kit also includes a two-sided family safety plan. One side is focused on recognition, the other on prevention. With simple questions, family can work together to answer. It's meant to help parents move from awareness to action and begin to have these conversations in the home right away. Tonight, there's three things I want you to remember. One, educating students helps them recognize unsafe behaviors, understand healthy boundaries, and know
009when and how to ask for help. Fact, the average age that a child in Tennessee is targeted, assessed, and groomed is 13. Two, educating parents creates conversations at home involving internet safety. How and why to set healthy boundaries both online and in person. These are two core elements of our presentations. Fact, every zip code in Tennessee has a documented human trafficking case. As you see, the bubble has been busted. There is no bubble. Three, educating school faculty ensures they are equipped with awareness and clarity around how to support students and their families and the appropriate next steps. In fact, educators are often among the first adults students confide in when something feels unsafe. Making awareness and clarity around next steps critical to prevention and early intervention. I want to share another firsthand example of how
010awareness education truly makes a difference. 3 weeks ago on Christmas just passed in 2025, at 11:00 at night, one of our staff members received a phone call. It was a mom. She was completely distraught. What she told us was that her son had become a victim of online sexion. He had been communicating with someone he believed was a young female. Images were exchanged and in a very short period of time, a span of three days, the situation escalated from sending photos to demands for money. He had emptied his bank account. Sextortion causes acute fear, shame, isolation, and psychological distress. All known suicide risk factors for adolescence, especially young boys who are the targets. According to the Tennessee Department of Health suicide prevention annual report, suicide is a leing leading cause of death for Tennessee youth
011with deaths among ages 10 to 17 increasing by 47% since 2019. These predators had told her son in graphic detail everything that they were going to do to his family. Horrible things if he didn't continue to pay the money. These people had all of his personal information. They knew the family members names, phone numbers, and addresses. To this young man, there was no reason for him not to believe they were going to follow through with their threats. He was suicidal. Then she shared something remarkable with us. She told us she and her son had both attended one of our education awareness presentations just the previous week. She attended the parent presentation and her son had been at one of two presentations we conducted just that Friday to middle and high school students. [sighs] Through tears,
012this mother in told us that it was because of the awareness education her son knew that it was not too late to reach out for help. She learned how to respond appropriately and what those next steps were. The faculty of that school how to respond to the situation and how to support both the student and the mother. That call at 11 was not a failure by no means. It was an absolute success and why we are passionate about the work we do. I want to share one more example of impact. This next video is a testimonial from Critsy Betts of the Saints Australia Academy. I'm Chrissy Betty's, director of personal counseling at St. Cecilia Academy. We're so grateful to the Nashville Antihuman Trafficking Coalition for speaking with our school community here at SCA. We want
013to enable young women, equip them to live Christian lives in the modern world, and empower them to lead lives of integrity. NAH's educate to recognize program fits perfectly with that mission. Monty and Christina offered sobering statistics about human trafficking, but they also gave concrete steps that young people can take to build healthy relationships, recognize early warning signs for human trafficking, and look out for each other. Their message of hope and redemption inspired our students, parents, and faculty. They could barely leave after their talks because so many people wanted to keep visiting with them. Our school and the Nashville community are fortunate to have NAH working along the entire human trafficking spectrum from prevention to rescue to restoration. Thank you, Monty, Christina, and the entire NAH staff. You're a true blessing. And now I'd like to
014take a moment to acknowledge Trish Sutherland, the human trafficking task force director for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, TBI. She is here with us tonight as a partner and available as a resource should anyone have any questions after the presentation. We work closely with Trish and her amazing staff to ensure that our work remains current and aligned with the trends and tactics impacting students and families. We also partner closely with the Rutherford County Vice Unit, including Detective Sam Day, who unfortunately cannot be here tonight due to a prior engagement. And we have worked together on multiple sting operations in the Rutherford County and Murphy'sboro area, which included Christina Meadows, our director of operations and rescue. While we have deep relationships here in Abu County, it's important to understand that the work we do is never
015in isolation. We partner with local organizations and agencies and school communities across the region because the fight against human trafficking is not the responsibility of one organization. It's a collective effort. When concerns arise, NAHHT's role is to support and quarterback care by working within existing federal, state, and district policies and by utilizing trusted local resources. Our goal is to ensure that the right supports are engaged at the right time in partnership with the communities we serve. NHD's educate torecognized program exists to come alongside schools providing age appropriate non-graphic awareness education grounded in survivor informed insight and focused on awareness connection and safety all leading to prevention and early intervention. I want to be respectful of the time that you have given us. So, in closing, [snorts] what I'd like to do is circle back to
016Mary and the truck stop. Mary speaks often and she has asked many questions. The most common one is why she started NAH. She shares the story of what she witnessed there, but almost always the next question comes quickly. What about the children? What about the kids? Were they rescued? And while we may never know every outcome, what I do know and what we know is that those children were not seen in vain. Mary carried each and every one of them with her in her heart where they were watered, where they grew, and where they became the reason this work exists today in the National Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition. And that is why we are here tonight. Not simply to ask for the opportunity to speak in your schools and protect children before harm ever begins, but
017more importantly to ensure that no children are brought and sold in Rutherford County. Not one more child, not one ever. Will students, families, educators understand the dangers facing our middle and high school students and share a unified focus in fighting against them. Communities grow, pathways to help become clearer, and vulnerability to exploitation is reduced. This is how prevention happens, and it's work we are honored to do together. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, sir. Does anyone have any questions of Mr. Harry or any of the staff? >> Thank you again coming and bringing this important important work that you all do and uh we appreciate this so much and uh I hope that we can bring this to Rutherford County. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Mr. Tidwell. Thank you. >> Yeah. I'm sorry.
018Mr. Tidwell has a question. >> Yes. Do you guys have a a curriculum or are you guys already in schools currently? We have been in lots of schools here in in Davidson County. We've been to CPA multiple times. We've been to Montgomery Bell Academy. We've been to St. Cecilia's. We've been to Curry Ingram. We've been to Harper Hall. Uh we've been to Lipkcom, Belmont University, Vanderbilt multiple times. So, we have curriculum that is for age appropriate. We have some that's for middle school. We have presentations that's for gear for high school students, for college students as well. So is it is it like an ongoing thing week after week or is it something like an event? >> It's a it is a yearly ongoing. >> Okay. >> Because every year the t the trends and
019the tactics of predators change and the methods of how they operate change. So it's a yearly um education. So it's something that we present to the students. We always present to the parents first and you'll see that in the packets that you have in front of you. We always present to the parents first because we want the parents to get on board and we want to have the parents be able to answer the question when their kids come home. So we have a parent presentation that's age appropriate. Then we have a student presentation. We follow that up the following year with the same presentation with new information that we've gathered with TBI and through Rutherford County Vice Unit. >> My last question is who's the lady in the video again? >> Chrissy. >> Yes. >>
020All right. >> Bed bees from St. Cilios >> from where? >> St. Cecilios Academy >> was one of the schools that we presented to. >> Okay. Awesome. Thank you. >> Yes. You're welcome, >> Miss Rosales. Yes. Thank you. So, kind of in the vein of thought of what you were kind of going on. Um, so is is more frisbar city schools doing something with this group? is can is there something that here in Rutherford County we can look at review and kind of bring this message to bring it to our parents to children even if it's just a one day informative I don't I don't know if there's plans already or not but >> there's not this was introductory for me and for the board I think the board would need to approve first any
021curriculum that goes before students the board needs to approve >> second the scale would be my next question um just because we're so charge are we targeting how would we target our middle high school? We just we've got about 31 32,000 middle and high school students together. So it's just scales different. >> Yeah. So, I'm wondering if if we could do something I I I understand about all the curriculum, but if we can just do something start out with just an informative meeting to the parents >> if [clears throat] that's something that we can start out as a as infor like one night two night and we meet at a high school or something a convenient location and we open it up to all the parents and >> we do parent night series. >> Parent
022night series. Yeah, >> we can do that. >> We will love it'd be great if we could start at least with the parents. Um I don't know what the cost is or what that is all entail involved. I know budget is always tight. So I don't so >> there's no direct cost associated with our presentations. Okay great. >> Um but having said that you know if there's any donations that are made they made to the educate to recognize program. It helps us to continue to do the efforts that we do. >> Is that something where we got to vote as a board to initiate to >> forward with? >> I think it would help to show board support. >> Yes. Okay. Well, I am very supportive to bring something here from the board to start
023with educating our parents. So, um I think I share this with you. Um two years ago, a friend of mine brought two pieces of legislation against human trafficking, especially towards minors, and he asked me to write a piece of article about it, which I did. Um and it got published uh through a publication in and here in Tennessee. So I would love to share that with you. >> So I would love to bring this type of program to our parents. So if we need to put it on the agenda on the board and whatever information we need to make this happen and whatever dialogue, >> let's get it going then. >> Yeah. Normally I would say no, but since this was board initiated and brought by the board, I'd feel more comfortable voted on it.
024>> Okay then. Yeah, we'll for to put it back. Miss Claire, thank you so much for bringing this to us. It's a very much needed topic. Barbara Long, thank you so much for all of you for sharing this, but however we can bring it to the board, let's do it. >> I agree. This is very important for our parents and for our students. >> Any other questions or comments? Thank you, Mr. Herring. >> You're very welcome. And you'll find additional qu hopefully answers to your questions in the package. >> Okay, Mr. Tidwell, you got one more. >> I don't know if you have our emails. I'm sure you probably do, but can we see some samples of some of the different age appropriate curriculum as well? Absolutely. Send that to So I can send those
025to you as well. >> Great. >> I can get your copy. I can send that. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. Mr. B. >> Mr. B. Okay. >> Yes. So what you will find out also in your packets is that when we work with the schools, um we ask that there is who is a counselor, student, faculty, that's going to be our point of contact. They act as that point of contact when we do parent presentations and student student presentations. The reason being um if there is a student that comes up afterwards and discloses information, we want to be able right then and there to have that faculty member know exactly what to do and who to contact. So when we do our parent presentation, we also do a faculty presentation as
026well um to make sure that the faculty and that we have clearly identified who the one, two or three people are going to be that's going to be our point of contact. >> Great >> for that. Awesome. >> But I will send you all that information. >> Great. >> Thank you. Mr. He's got a question for you as well. >> I I don't know that I've got a question for him. I just think it's extremely important. I'd like to get some input from Dr. Chastain somehow how we could if if we're going to vote to push this forward. Let's come up with a plan and I think it needs to be incorporated into curriculum somehow somewhere, some grade, some something. I I don't know that we need to go off halfcock doing this that it
027would be appropriate to route it through. Yeah. Instruction, right? >> Yeah. I was just asking Dr. Martin and Mr. Evans to get with our counseling department and see if we can get with Christine Bryan to see what are our schools doing and how can that be supplemented. I was doing that the same time you were >> Well, I'm I'm sitting here reading body language. I'm think we're all on the same page and put it on record and I don't want to make perfect sense. >> Okay. Good. Thank you. >> Super. Any other questions from anybody on the board? >> Well, thank y'all so much. I appreciate. We will be definitely in touch. >> Absolutely. And lastly, each of you should have a little rectangle box there, which is a pedaphor. Um, you should also have
028a card that informs you of how to order it. But just so you know that those pedaphors are made by members that go through our program um that are on staff and so they're little pieces of hope, but they're made from our members or by our members as a way of acclimating them and getting back into um society. >> So enjoy. >> Thank you so much. This is great. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Next, there will be no public comment. That'll be for Thursday. And we go up to our first board item, which is a resolution supporting expanding financial literacy instruction. >> All right. And this was brought by a board member. Mr. Reid is out of town this week. So, I will read this. So, this is a resolution supporting expanded financial literacy instruction.
029Local school boards across Tennessee are being asked to partner with the Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission to strengthen financial literacy education for students of all ages. Currently, Tennessee requires financial literacy instruction at the high school level. However, there's no comparable requirement in elementary or middle school grades. This resolution affirms the board's commitment to prioritizing financial literacy instruction at earlier grade levels in Rutherford County Schools. Research and best practices show that foundational financial skills such as budgeting, saving, and responsible decision-making are most effective when introduced before high school. By adopting this resolution, the board expresses intent to ensure that Rutherford County students receive age appropriate financial literacy instruction by the end of fourth grade and again by the end of 8th grade, create a continuum of learning that prepares students for high school, post-secary education, and adulthood.
030And then you have the actual resolution um before you as well. Any questions, >> Miss Maxwell? >> Yes, Mr. Ross. >> Thank you. So, I asked to put this on the agenda and there was a resolution attached to this that I submitted. >> Yeah, it's great. You got a copy of it. >> So, um I didn't see it. Oh, here it's buried underneath. Sorry, my apologies. So, [clears throat] the Tennessee the financial financial financial literacy commission is a state um uh commissioned and so they were here in Rutherford County a few months back and I was under the impression that we all got an email from them. I don't I that's what I thought. If you did not get the email, I'm sorry. I didn't initiate this. So um but so this was an invitation
031by them to come to listen to this presentation where they've done a huge deep dive into where we the Rutherford County stands in regards to homeownership um and all kinds of things of financial metrics compared to the entire state of Tennessee. And what they're finding out is that in many communities there is a um there's not there's a correlation in between homeownership and financial in and in and financial literacy in our um in in the population that lives within that county where it doesn't really um that it doesn't quite bridge the gap in home ownership and that. And so they're wanting to they're trying to do educate everyone including those that are going through the school and the young people that when they graduate if they understand why why is there importance in understanding your
032your um your finances and learning how to budget, why would that be important to have to be able to gain a home, to own a home? And so they have a um a resolution that they've also presented not just for the school board but also for the county. And this meeting that I was invited to you with this impresent presentation that they did um involved lots of key players within our community. There were county commissioners, mayors, and others that are involved in the city or in the county that were listening to this presentation. So I'm bringing this resolution as us in good faith wanting to partner with them in trying to promote financial lit literacy that is age appropriate for all of our kids and currently in high school that you are required to take
033a financial literacy class but it is not required in middle school and in uh elementary school. And they're asking for this financial literacy classes to be in grades fourth and eighth grade because they believe that if you start young by the time you graduate um in high school that you have a better understanding of and having a financial literacy that can set you in a path of trying to own home and all that and having a a strong and good um score. Um oh my gosh, my mind just went blank, but it's all related to that. Okay. And >> I spoke to Dr. Sullivan about this before. I brought it before the board and he was in favor of this. So, I just decided to submit it. >> Okay. Thank you. Any questions or comments?
034Okay. Next up, we have the instruction. >> All right. So, this is our annual charter review committee. So, this is following policy 1.901. So bear with me while I read just a part of this. So if necessary, and this if we have a letter of intent, which we do, the board shall appoint a review team to assist in reviewing and evaluating charter school applications. The team shall be comprised of members of the administ administrative staff for the district, community members, and a member of the board with relevant educational, organizational, financial, and legal experience. At the board meeting in January of each year, the director of school shall make a recommendation to the board on which members of his or her administrative staff should be appointed to the team. And so you'll see the recommendation there
035below. Um and then on Thursday, the other part of this is the board shall name the members of the team at the meeting, but then also select a chair. So it would be my recommendation the way we've done the last couple years is for Dr. McCann to be the chair since that is what he does all day. Um but you see the members there. We've tried to use people their expertise, have a couple new members every year and then the way we have parents is parents apply and then we do a random choice of who was chosen. >> Oh, okay. I was wondering how we chose our parents. So, just random. Okay. >> It's two. So, >> Michelle, who sent the letter >> um Noble Education Initiative with Rutherford Collegiate Prep for K12? >> Yes.
036Okay. K12 is what they're looking at. Now that break is over, we are going to schedule a meeting with the charter commission to discuss their current structure and bring it back to the board to see what the board wants to do about who is the authorizer for that school. But >> yes, >> and also thank y'all for serving on this because it's a it's it's a lot. >> It's a lot. So thank you all those >> good y >> any other questions from anybody comments. Okay, next legal. >> We have transfer student under discipline one. The board has been requested to admit a transfer student from another school system under discipline. Students expelled for possession of THC according to policy 6.318. The board may deny admissions of any student except those in state custody when
037a student trans system while under suspension expulsion. Director of schools recommendations to admit and place into alternative school. >> Okay. Next, engineering and instruction. >> Popppler Hill Elementary interior digital display board. Dr. Jason Eaton request to install an interior digital display board. Cost for this request is 30,000. Is at no cost to the board. Engineering construction reviewed the request and has no objections. >> Next, >> we've done softball. Now, it's time for baseball. Christian Middle School scoreboard request. Dr. Kyle Nicks and Christian Middle School been offered the existing Riverdale High School scoreboard. Cristiana Middle will be responsible for relocation and installation. The cost for relocation installation is $6,350. Engineering and construction has reviewed the request and has no objection. >> Okay. C. >> Maples development landscape easement request. The Maples development adjacent to Witworth Buchanan
038Middle School has requested an amendment to the agreement allowing them to landscape. This agreement does not change or alter our easement agreement. The development is to enlarge the parking area and needs to make adjustments to our existing agreement. Engineering Construction reviewed their agreement and has no objections. >> Next >> is transportation contract termination pursuant to section 8.1 of the Rutherford County Board of Education bus contract. Transportation department has received an email notification on January 2nd from Mindy Patterson for bus 251 requesting voluntary termination. >> Mr. Lee, do we have all of our routes covered currently or do we still have some uncovered ones? Uh this will make the fourth route that will be open at this time, but we are following our procedure to reissue these routes and offer them up for new contractors. So
039currently with this one added, we would have four. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions, comments? Okay. 11 financial. >> Thursday, we'll have a review of 2025, kind of where we are so far, and then I'll just go a new director's update. Of course, students return tomorrow. So, glad to have them back. I know parents are glad for them to come back. >> I know they are. >> Okay. In general discussion, I would like to say that during our December 11th board meeting, Mr. Vaughn asked to consider extending the director of schools contract. Um, TCA49-2-203 states, "No school board may extend the contract without giving notice 15 calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting. The meeting will take place on January 22nd, 2026. And I've given public notice. Uh I want to let you
040know that since Christmas time, I have gone out not four or five times and gone to church and have had someone come up to me and tell us what a great job that schools are doing and that they are very proud and I'm very proud. So these scores are out. We've, you know, we can just sit back and realize that we have done a good job. this county is doing a great job and I'm very proud to represent this and I I think this is the the right time to extend Dr. Sullivan's contract. So, I'm glad to go into talks. Any questions, comments? Okay, if that's everything, >> Miss Maxwell. >> Yes, I'm sorry. Yes, >> I have a question. Um, Mr. spot. You had mentioned or talked to the board about potentially uh going
041back to the county and talking to them about the count getting the bus contractors on the county insurance and what that looked like. Do you have any update on that or >> funny you should ask that because that was on my uh highlighted list here. I've got three items to bring up. What I was going to suggest from the dialogue that I have had I I I think there needs to be a motion come from us that we specifically ask u route it through health and ed route it through budget and send it to >> um what's Ed's commit well >> insurance comm >> yeah but it's called something risk management >> risk management thank you I had a mind blank there [laughter] Trey thank you for that but send it to risk management and
042and if the board would So do this and I don't know that necessarily needs to be me but I think Brian uh you know from a budgetary standpoint um the I think the dilemma Caleb is the the loss runs were so exorbitant the reason they want to get rid of it. So my question is what what can we do? What can the school board offer to limit those loss runs? um you know, can we can we put a deductible on it? You know, that the drivers themselves, the contractors themselves have to pay the I don't know, first 5,000 of a claim. I'm I'm throwing something out there so nobody get excited. Anybody that hears me right here, just don't get excited yet. Trying to figure out a way to navigate this because if we can
043if we can offer insurance back to the contractors, I think there is a potential of over a million dollar savings. that that's what I'm after. I'm after that million dollars because it that that'll go a long way to this budget year. So, I don't mind working on it. I think it needs to go through, you know, our finance something. Don't want to leave Trey out of it if he wants to be I I don't know what the ideas are here to do it. But I, as the bus lay on, I don't mind talking to the contractors myself. Uh because what they've got now, I mean, you know, it's okay. But if if we can, as Michael Smith told me, he thought the coverage if you broke it out was about $500 or $600 a vehicle,
044you know, and these guys, we're paying them $4,000. So even if it I if we can adjust those loss runs somehow, you know, and put it out on bids. I know they're getting close to get ready to to to formulate this thing. So my preference would be that we as a board route it through health and ed unless y'all tell me do it a different way and all of us stand together that we would like to be able to offer that you know starting Janu uh July 1st this year. >> Mr. Tidwell. >> Yeah. Uh yeah I'm definitely interested in the ideas especially in the savings. Um, what is the deduct? Is there a deductible now, Trey, for or is the school just taking care of everything? >> No, it's all on the contractors. They
045don't take care of anything. >> Let me rephrase my question. Prior when they were on prior, we were on the hook. We were on the hook up to 300,000. >> Then that our insurance took over. >> There was no part by the contractor to have to step in. >> Contractors have never paid anything till this year. Huh? Did not know that. >> And and yeah, to kind of follow that back up without Madam Chairman, I don't want to get into back forth, but I think he Caleb and I are on the same wave right here. I think that was the problem is and and I'm going I know some of y'all hate for me to say this, but 40 years ago this year was when I first served started serving on the county commission. And
046that very first year, if y'all can believe this, our health insurance policy in this county had a zero deductible and it was in the red and the county commission moved it to $100. And then three years later, we moved it to 250. And now look what health insurance is done. I I mean all of every one of you shaking your heads. We've all had to deal with the deductibles. So, Caleb, to follow that up, that logic that that we went through 40 years ago for health insurance, it seems to me we ought to be able to use some of that logic on the bus for the bus contractors and to the bus contractors, if that makes any sense. And if they want to pick up a reinsurance policy that covers that deductible or whatever we
047want to call it, then then so be it. You know, that would be kind of up to them. I don't know. I'm trying to think outside the box. I'm trying to save us some money, save the taxpayer some money and and and you know, ease this burden because some of some of our contractors are paying as little as $2,500 a year to 3,000. Some of them are paying $18,000. There's a huge discrepancy. And and with that out there, it's going to be very difficult to get young people interested in being bus contractors, which leads us to something else. >> The young people, I'm sorry, I'm going to interject. The young people can't because they have to have three years lost run record. And without being a driving for a contractor, that's the only way they're
048going to get the three years. >> You you you see we're in a catch 22. So, we need to figure out something here to promote if we're going to stay in this model that we've got. And I and I'm okay with it. Um, then we've got to work with them somehow and work with the insurance companies, I think. So, thank you for bringing that up. >> Yeah. Just a final uh note on that. I I think that judging from all the differences and what I've heard back from contractors as well that they would be willing to bend a little bit if that is a deductible or whatever we're talking about whatever makes this happen um to kind of go back onto the county insurance. I think that's going to be a win overall for the
049contractors and the county. I've been, you know, nailing that for a while. But the uh the question of whether or not they should have the deductible, I do think they should have some skin in the game. I mean, I I did not know that was happening prior. Um, but it wouldn't affect you. The deductible don't affect you unless you are, you know, you have a loss, but if you have a loss, then there's likely, you know, if you were liable as a bus contractor, then you have some fault in that. And if you have some fault in that, then we all have deductibles for that. So, I'm open to that. And I think uh just from conversations I've had so well I didn't want to let this go um I think there would be a
050lot of people that would be overall I think they'd mostly be on to that. They're probably not going to like having deductible but like you said the the rates are all all over the place. So you're going to get a lot of um a welcoming for any kind of changes that gets them back on county insurance. So let's I'm as quickly as we can discuss and and come around on to that I am open to hearing more thoughts about it. Dr. Salt, >> for our scheduling purposes, I'd like to put it on the agenda for Thursday if everyone's all right with that. Um, just because I health and ed's going to meet in January. We're I don't know when this is going to go out for an RFP, so I'd like to get it done
051this month because anything we can have going in this budget season would be very helpful. So, we'll add this to Thursdays. Any objection to that? Okay. >> Any other? >> Yes, Mr. Mr. Ba. I had two other things. Trey, can you give us an update on the appraisals on the McFadden properties where we stand there? Two of those owners have called me today and I told him I'd try to give him up update this week. >> Uh the board has authorized Mr. Reid to handle all that and I've had no conversations with him. >> Okay. All right. So, we'll ask him. >> He is out of town. >> Will he be here Thursday? >> He won't. And the money technically hasn't moved yet. It goes to budget on Thursday. All right. So, >> and then
052full commission a week from Thursday. >> Okay. So, good enough. So, it's on the agenda to flow through then far as >> whether or not it passes, I'm not sure as you all heard on in December. >> Well, that's fine. That's fine. >> Yeah. >> Third thing that I want to bring up is is the movement on the Dism property. U you know, we've kind of had that on hold for a couple of months now. Jeff called me during the holidays and wanted to know do we, you know, are we going to pursue it? You know, he signed a contract with us. I would like to bring it up, whether you bring it up Thursday night or we put it on the agenda for the 22nd. I think we really need to talk through that.
053Uh, one request I would make that if you did, if we were able to purchase the property, what you know, do we need to ask Rob what the tenative school zones would look like? Could we pair that site with the Popular Hill Middle School and again use it as a feeder school and create that three school complex? Cuz one thing I'm going to ad advocate here for is that neighborhood type situation. After what we've been through, the the the two controversial deals, the people that I see them getting the most upset about with us is reszoning. every time it comes up, somebody's mad, somebody's hurt, somebody's put out. You know, some people say, "Well, that's just life. That's the way it is in Rutherford County." I can, again, going back in my memory. The reason
054Blackman became such a success was that it was a three school complex. It was a, you know, model for the county to find uh to follow. and then Seagull and now you've got Rock Veil and Stewart's Creek and that's where you can say what you want to but that's where everybody wants to buy a house if they can come to Rutherford County and they want to locate they get in one of those complexes where they can stay there and it just boggles my mind that we would let the Dismuk property slip through our fingers knowing that he's you know he's in a position needs to will sell the property this year You know, I'm not wanting to abandon the Lee property at all. That's not what I'm saying. I think you hold it in your
055back pocket. It it comes around as a elementary and a middle school later on. But I I firmly believe that we need to expedite that and move forward. If the county commission votes it down, it's on them. It's not on us. They'll have to explain it to the parents why we have to go through reszoning all the time. But I I I just think it's a it's been laid in our lap if we don't pursue it and pick it up. Um, I just think we're foolish at this point in time. So whether or not we put it on the agenda Thursday night or we if you preferably I'd like to do it the 22nd and get Rob to look at the tentative school zones because I I I really think that would make a difference
056in me especially for me to look at that see if they could parallel. So anyway, that was my three comments. >> Well, thank you Mr. V. Anything else? Okay, if we have nothing else, we are a journey.