001Welcome to the April 9th, 2025 work session for the Rutherford County School System. I call our meeting to order. 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. Miss Sharp, I'm going to start with a prayer if that's okay with everybody. Dear heavenly father, we thank you for today, this beautiful weather. Please sustain and make whole those that were touched by the bad weather last week. As we enter TCAP testing, uh give our teachers supernatural energy and strength. Protect our testing systems and let them perform perfectly like never before. Next month, our seniors will be walking
002the stage into adulthood. I pray a hedge of protection to surround them and their families. Give them favor with their professors or in their pending careers. For the rest of our district and board members, I pray for discernment, protection, prosperity, and most of all, a deeper love for our growing community. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. Stand up. I pledge algiance 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. Next, I'm going to give everyone a moment to look over the agenda. and then give you a second to look over the consent agenda. Any questions, comments? Okay, we will Yes, Mr. V. I know we had field maintenance. Uh certain people getting paid for
003field maintenance. Y sir, is that on the turf fields? Yeah, because you still have maintenance on those, but it's up to the schools to fund. Any other questions? Okay, we'll have Rutherford Proud on Thursday. We do have a speaker and um I'm delighted to see Colonel Jeffrey Gaylord is with us tonight to present the 2025 Junior ROC Cadet Distinguished Leader Graduate Awards. Please step forward. Thank you. I'm on the clock, so I'll be brief. Good evening, Dr. Sullivan. Board members, it's that time of year again when we pause to recognize several outstanding JRTC cadet leaders who are about to embark on the next phase of their journey. As you alluded to, there I would dare say that the 18 cadetses that are sitting here are already adults. But here we go. This year we are
004pleased to award 20 deserving cadetses with the Rutherford County JOTC Distinguished Leader Graduate Award. These young men and women have demonstrated exceptional leadership over the past four years by exceeding the criteria for this award. Just a few of the criteria, they have to achieve a minimum of a 3.5 GPA overall. All of these cadets here far exceeded that. They also have to achieve a minimum of a 4.0 GPA in all JOTC instruction. Achieve a minimum score of 22 on the ACT. Participate in a minimum of one extracurricular activity over the past three years and serve as a captain of one of those extracurricular activities. That includes Raiders, our Raider teams. That includes our drill teams. That includes our Jab teams. That's our JRTC li leadership academic bowl teams. It also includes our marksmanship team, our
005robotics teams, and our drone teams. They also have to achieve a minimum of 50 points in each event for the cadet challenge fitness test, which some of you when you were going through school that likens back to the presidential fitness award. So, not only are they scholars, but they are also well-rounded athletes. Tonight, each cadet will receive a Stones River Brigade Distinguished Leader Graduate Stole, a drape with the JROTC medallion in their certificate. These items will be worn at their respective graduation ceremonies to represent their exemplary accomplishments. Without further ado, I'd ask Dr. Sullivan, Dr. Chastain, and Miss Maxwell to please come forward for the presentation of awards. Cadets, as I call your name, please come forward. There's a little bit of a orchestration here. Okay, our first cadet, cadet Captain Jared C. Garner from
006Blackman High School. [Applause] Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Eva R. Huntley, Oakland High School. [Applause] Cadet Captain Christopher T. Gan from Oakland High School. Unfortunately, he was taken ill this morning and could not be here, but I wanted to make sure his name was read. and he will be receiving his distinguished leader graduate awards at his respective school awards ceremony. Our next cadet captain Aaliyah A. Rodriguez from Oakland High School. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Campbell, Riverdale High School. We have cadet major Melania A. Tay who from Riverdale High School. Unfortunately, she had a band conflict and could not be here tonight. Likewise, we will present that at her awards ceremony. Next, we have Cadet Major Crystal Lopez Martinez from Riverdale High School. [Applause] Cadet Captain Samuel A. gravely from Riverdale High School. Cadet Command Sergeant Major
007Kyler Ramirez Harris, Riverdale High School. [Applause] Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Olsen, Rockfale High School. [Applause] Cadet Colonel Jackson Neil from Rockville High School. He is also our stones river brigade brigade commander for this year that designated by his rear [Applause] white cadet major Patel from Rockville High School. [Applause] Cadet Command Sart Major Jonathan Harris from Rockfale High School. [Applause] Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Lily G. Arkinberg from Seagull High [Applause] School. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Elsie H. Unberersac from Stewart's Creek High School and she is our Stones River Brigade executive officer for this [Applause] year. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy R. Prader from Stewart's Creek High [Applause] School, Cadet Command Sart Major Ashley A. Williams from Stewart's Creek High School and our brigade command sergeant [Applause] major. She's also not a bad wrestler. Cadet Major James F. Holidayiday, Stewart's
008Creek High School. Cadet Captain J. Clemens, Stewart's Creek High School. [Applause] And finally, Cadet Major Samaria L. Burns, Stewart's Creek High School. [Applause] Please give all of these fine, outstanding young leaders another round of applause. Thank Thank you very much for your time and your patience. This concludes the 2025 Distinguished Leader Graduate Award Ceremony. Would all cadetses please exit the boardroom and meet outside for pictures in front of the school in front of the signage. Thank you all again. Thank you, Colonel Gaylord. Outstanding, outstanding young men and women. We got a great bunch of instructors and thank you the board and Dr. Sullivan for supporting such a great program. Thank you. Our pleasing. Just a minute. Yeah. Impressive. There went everybody. There went everybody. mountain. Everybody Yeah, pretty small crowd. Anybody want to move up?
009Okay, next. Number eight, we'll have public comments on Thursday. Number nine, we have legal. Yep. We have several. First, the transfer student discipline under under discipline number one. And Mr. Mr. Glee emailed everybody, but you also have copies of them in front of you. First one, the board's been requested to admit a transfer student from another school system under discipline. The student was expelled for making a mass threat according to policy 6.318. The board may deny admission of any student except those in state custody when a student transfers from another school system while under suspension or expulsion. Director of schools recommendations to deny. Any questions? Number two, the board's been requested to admit a transfer student from another school system under discipline. The student was expelled for a title 9 finding according to policy 6.318.
010The board may deny admissions of any student except those in state custody when a student transfers from another school system under suspension or expulsion. Director of school's recommendation is to deny. Questions number three. The board's been requested to admit a transfer student from another school system under discipline. The students expelled for causing extreme disruption in the classroom. According to policy 6.318, the board may deny any admissions of any student except those in state custody when student transfers from another school system honor spin or expulsion. Director of school's recommendations also to deny. Questions number four. A board has been requested to admit a transfer student from another school system under discipline. The 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
011a student transfers from another school system under suspension or expulsion and director of schools recommendations to deny. Okay. Number five. And number five, the board's been requested to admit a transfer student from another school system. Under discipline, the student was expelled for making a threat. According to policy 6.318, the board may deny admissions of any student except those in state custody when a student transfers from another school system under suspension or expulsion. In director school's recommendations also to deny number six. Okay. Sorry, Miss M. Darby. How is the space in the alternative schools right now? Are they? Yes. Especially this time of the year. Yes, I had a feeling. Y thank you. Number six, this is a disciplinary hearing appeal and it is number 25301. The board has been requested to review a decision of
012the disciplinary hearing authority, DHA, to uphold the remain of a student from Simon Springs Community School. Based on a review of the DHA's record, the board may A affirm the decision of the DHA, B overturn the decision of the DHA, or C grant a hearing before the board. Questions? Okay, number 10. We have several engineering construction. First, Blackman High School video scoreboard request. Principal Justin Smith is requesting to install a video scoreboard at the football stadium. Cost of this project is $256,865 and will be funded with a loan to the field enhancement organization from First American Bank. Schoolboards like one already approved by the board for Rockville High School. Engineering Construction has reviewed the request and has no objections. Any questions, comments? Number two, Blackman High School softball outfield deck request. Principal Justin Smith is
013requesting to construct a 16x6 pressuret treated deck area outside the right center field fence. This area will be utilized as a fan experience area. The materials and labor for the project are being donated and this project is no cost to the board. Engineering construction department has reviewed the request and has no objection. Any questions? Number three, Smyrna High School baseball stadium naming request. Principal Dr. Sherry Sutherland is requesting to name the baseball statement in honor of Sunny Gray. Sunny had a decorated career at Smyrna High in Vanderbilt University. Is currently pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals following extensive career with Major League Baseball. Injuring construction has reviewed the request and has no objection. Any questions? Number four, Mr. Reed, I don't know if you want to talk about this one at all, but I'll read
014it. Um, number four, Popppler Hill Road and Sewer easements. New Popular Hill School Site requires some widening to Blackman Road to safely access the schools. Roadster County Highway Department has kindly agreed to complete the portion of the road widening work beyond where the school contractor responsibility stops and also to fund the cost of said construction. The school system needs to acquire the right ofway easements along Blackman Road to enable the county highway to to begin. In addition, sewer easements are needed across some properties to tie to sewer to serve the school site. So, Blackman Road with respect to the new school site, we're adding a turn lane and another lane to the road to make it wide enough for school traffic to get in and out of the school site safely. um that will require
015some property to be taken or purchased on the opposite side of the road from the where the school is along the edge of it. That's something we're negotiate with the land owners there about trying to acquire that from them. And then there's also the sewer line that we're running to the um school site. It will be a tight line sewer that's just to serve the school. So, it's not for public use for anyone other than the school, but there'll be a small sewer line running along the road to tie into a manhole there to provide sewer to the service to the school. So we're asking for authority to go ahead and negotiate that with the land owners there and if we have to exercise imminent domain which you have to do at sometimes with respect
016to easements that we be allowed to do that. Any questions? Yes, Mr. T. So this is this is just giving you permission to start the negotiations. Yes. Okay. Any other questions? Okay. Number 11, instruction. All right. Number 11, the Rutherford County Schools academic calendar 2526. Counter committee met and made revisions on March 21st. The new requested changes are shown in red and purple. And you will see that what we needed to be able to do really revolved around um election day. So most of our schools are election sites. We set our calendar before the official election dates are chosen. So sometimes we have to go back and change it. And this is one of those times. Number two, this is the with the board approved adoption last time. This is approving the purchase. Um, just
017as background, the state moved from a six-year to a 8-year textbook adoption process to balance the RCS run schools budget and general purpose 141 last year. Rutherford County Schools cut the textbook line item and communicated the intended intention to use fund balance for upcoming purchase of science textbooks. You'll see elementary is $3,181,95, middle school is $748,555, and then high school is $2,724,764. And so that total um to be asked to come out of our fund balance and county commission and budget has been aware that was coming. We've communicated this for almost a year. Salman. Yep. This is a one-time exponential, correct? Middle school will be a little bit more depending on what we use. That's why that number is so much lower. Um, but it it's a one time as far as over the next
018eight years except for middle school, whatever we don't use and replace and print every year. Okay. And then our next textbook adoption big one is two years away, social studies. Any other questions or comments? Okay, we will take care of that on Thursday uh 13 financial matter. Wednesday tomorrow. That's right. It's Wednesday. So, sorry, Wednesday, not Thursday. Uh we'll go into executive session after the work session um to discuss safety and then we would also go into executive session if the board had questions tomorrow to be able to discuss before the vote as well. So number 13 would somewhat be dependent on number 12. So number 13, this budget amendment is to reflect the receipt of additional state revenue not including the original budget. It includes moving innovative schools model grant funding around to appropriate
019accounts, add funding for weapon detection systems, funding an additional date added to the calendar for 12-month classified hourly employees, and adding funds to maintenance contracted services for multiple projects that have increased expenditures. This amendment has a net increase of both current year revenue and expenditures of $4 million with no use of fund balance. There are not any recurring costs included in this amendment. And so this is the $4 million I guess bonus if you will for performance for our A throughF earlier in the year. So we're going ahead and doing some of our cleanup amendment and weapon detections out of this 4 million. Excellent. Number two. Number two is connected back to instructions request. So that was the request to purchase the science books textbooks. And this is the actual fund balance u motion. This
020budget amendments to reflect the state of Tennessee moving from a six to an 8-year textbook adoption process to balance the RCS fund 141 GP budget. textbook line item was cut in fiscal year 2425 and the intention to use fund 141 unassigned fund balance was communicated previously regarding the purchase of science textbooks. This amendment will decrease fund 145 141 unassigned fund balance and increase expenditure account 71100430 bound textbooks in the amount of 6,654,414 and at last check we were about 98 million or so in fund balance. Is that correct? It was in the 90s. So it is extremely healthy still. Okay. I just I know that's a question that that the county commissioner will ask is what is your fund balance? They want us to be somewhere again state laws 3%. They like us about 15%.
021Uh really 10 to 15 is where we are. We've been up to 20% in the past and so this puts us still in that 15 range. Okay. Next we go to book review. You can see we've got all the books listed with the recommendations from the librarian committee and we'll do this tomorrow as we've done in the past. I'll say the name of each book with the recommendation and then we will vote each or we'll call vote each book individually. Is that okay with everyone? Okay. Next we have the financial report. So pretty quick. So we are moving into kind of our formal budget adoption process and so the board right now the way to schedule would vote on to pass the budget on May third May 15th. We have graduation dates also that date
022and so what I emailed the board today was we don't set revenue as a county school system and set revenue is proposed by the county finance director and then approved and appropriated by the county commission. We receive our revenue estimates from county finance director and so they ask us to get it as close to May 15th as possible. We may move the timing of that date or that actual date. Um still need to hear back from a couple board members to make that decision, but we'll make that decision and make it public tomorrow. All that to say, fund 143 is our central cafeteria fund. It is a self-sufficient fund. Uh that fund is run by USDA reimbursements, payments by students and parents and adults for lunches and then all of our expenditures for employees for
023the cafeteria run out of that fund. And so what we have proposed was a 2.5% increase to the salary table for our staff. And then that fund balance has been well into the 12 13 14 million. So we will as we get the actual revenue numbers look to run that one two or three million into the negative to be able to spend some of that on equipment um some different projects. You guys have approved painting projects. You're supposed to have about a sixmonth fund balance and we have over that in that account right now. So that's one year we have been spending down and then we'll do fund 177 because it's a much larger one tomorrow night. Okay. But if there's anything that any board member wants to discuss, we had a budget retreat on
024this as well. So if anybody wants to pull something out of 143, we don't have the actual revenue stuff entered yet that gets entered by the county finance department, but we'll have that toward May, but this was just to have the discussion on 143. Trey, sorry. Go ahead. No, you're fine. I was going to say I remember I asked you to go over the highlights, too. No, that's all good. You covered most of it. Um, one thing that I I did bring the March update for this fund. So, I brought all it was handed out to all the board members tonight. Yep. We're running we're actually running a little bit under which is good at this time of the year. Um we are uh to remind everybody our our budget this year was uh page
0254 33,448756 and we're about 65.6% right now. Um that's kind of typical where we are this time of year. We do have some we budgeted a little bit heavier this year for equipment replacement needs. That money has not been uh allocated yet. We are finalizing in the next week to 10 days our equipment needs from all of our different sites and from our managers. That will go out for bid fairly quickly and we probably won't get it bid till right close to the end of the year and we but we will get the money allocated. uh since consolidating our or and centralizing our nutrition staff. Historically in the past, we were in the red. We've been in the black um very well, which is good. Um and um and I think we discussed at the
026board retreat, we are looking to add a few positions this year. We are looking to add an administrative assistant. uh fill a field manager spot that is currently budgeted. Um at a school nutrition technology staff member, we've grown to the point with all of our computers and point of sales and all that is very difficult for our school IT staff that are only in schools once every three days. It's very difficult for them to support nutrition now. So, it's time for them to have their own technology person. We will be adding, of course, the new staff for Popular Hill. Um, we have a manager and assistant manager. Uh, we're proposing three 5 and 1/2 hour employees, but we currently have some areas where based on our meals per labor hour, we're overstaffed. So, we'll probably
027move a couple of positions around instead of adding. But we are going to budget for these members at this time. Um overall I would expect us to probably be up labor is a large portion of it. We have 2 and 12% raise. We'd probably budget another four to 5% for our other items. Uh and then the new position. So it won't be a large increase. And then if we budget into a deficit so that we can utilize some of those fund balance, it'll be somewhere around probably about where we're sitting now. It won't be a whole lot of difference from an overall expenditure for next year. I'll be glad to answer any questions. I have a question, Miss Maxwell. Yes, Miss Rosales. Thank you. Um, so you said that we were running in the red
028before and now we're in the black, which is great. So, what were the contributing factors to causing us to be in the red and now we're in the black? Uh, there was not a lot of continuity to to our cafeterias. Um, we were overstaffed in a lot of places. uh in centralization uh it allowed us to use a uniform metric to better manage our staff members so that we ran more like a business. Um we did not terminate any employees. We let those positions as people retired. We just did not fill them and we began to reduce our budget based on those uh retirements and those staff members moving out. Um, and it allows us better flexibility to control menus and be able to move staff members around to be able to fill in so
029that we're not as topheavy as we once were. Any other questions? Add to that. We we used to operate basically every school site was their own restaurants. The best way that I know how to say it. Now we operate as one restaurant that has off sites. Mhm. And so does that mean that as running as one big restaurant, there's someone that's kind of eyeing the operation, especially when it comes to like the buying side of it, the food aspect. Yes. Be as much shrinkage. We have uniform buying policies that we use and all of it's FDA mandated. We're we are watching that. the the biggest thing for us and it's just it it for the nutrition it's no different than our regular budget. Labor's the biggest carrier of it and if you're very topheavy and
030you're way overstaffed you can you know most businesses and I'd have to verify with Brian but most businesses run their burden somewhere around 60 to 70%. So for every dollar you spend, you expend another 70 cents for, you know, for that employee to carry them. So, so it does get very expensive and and as you get those numbers back in line with your national trends for um what it should be and I and if I didn't uh um at the retreat, we're looking to stay in that 17 to 19 meals per labor hour range. And that's a fair range. Uh we even have a couple of schools that are super efficient and they're a little bit over 19 and we've talked to those managers and they don't want additional help. They they tell me I
031don't need somebody stumbling around under my feet. I'm not going to argue with somebody that's got their staff lean and mean and and got it going the way they want it. Um and we still have some work to do. Um but but overall we're a much more efficient operation than we used to be. The other thing that kind of got us, we did not do a real good job of keeping our kitchens up to date with our equipment and that's why we've been focused the last couple of years. Before we started budgeting into the fund balance, our focus was to analyze our equipment and our in our cafeteria because if if they've got pieces of their equipment that are breaking down every two to three days, not only are they inefficient making your numbers look
032wrong, they're they're also causing undue work for the staff. So, so if we get that equipment straightened out, which I think after this year with what we're going to buy this year, not everybody has brand new stuff, but it's all going to be in the 8 to 10 year range, which for kitchen equipment, that's a good range to be in. Uh we had some stuff that was much older. Um and so that's that's the type of things that we're doing um to to keep us efficient. Mr. Tidwell, thank you. I got to have a just a two-part question here. See if this is Now, this is this particular fund 143. We're trying to spend down a little bit, right? It's a little bit higher than what we'd like for it to be. Um the kitchen
033equipment that we're purchasing for the new elementary school, is that budgeted into the construction price like with the furniture and everything else? Yes, sir. it is that since we need to spend this fund down would it be possible to use some of this fund because it can only be used for certain things right correct would it be possible maybe this is this is a question for you Dr. sold, but to buy the equipment out of this fund, which we're trying to spend down, and that frees up the same amount of dollars that we already have in construction, but the dollars that can be used more versatile. Yeah. I think once we get the rest of the facilities to the point we need them to. Absolutely. Yeah. We go through right now when we have some
034of our staff go through, especially from technology, we build this account, if you will, to help cover some of that. I think it just could free up I mean it's the same amount of money. It's just freeing it up in an area that we're a little heavy in and making those dollars be put to use in a different way. Yeah. Once we get this budget get once we see the equipment that we're going to purchase this year and see what that number is and what we budget into the deficit and we see where we are fund balance, then we can make a determination of how much more we want to spend down. and and that we're trying to get we've spent the last three or four years getting to this point because I wanted to
035be efficient w with our funds and and the other thing we haven't done we haven't raised our meal prices either. Uh we've tried to keep them as low as possible as well as part of this because if we let that I'm trying to keep those numbers as close as we can without putting undue stress on us or having us to the point that if we had a major something happen we didn't have the funds to take care of it. Appreciate that. I know a lot of families appreciate that. Yes, Dr. Sa. Only thing I'd add when Trey is talking about top heavy we're talking about the school level, not district level. So, schools had their um schools had their ability with cafeteria managers controlling their own restaurants to hire kind of as they wonder as
036they saw fit with positions and that no longer occurs. I have another question. Yes. I thought bad meal debt being in this account. No, which account is that at? Uh it bad meal debt is um today I had them look at it for me this afternoon right before we came. 940,000 today. 940,000. I have a question. So last well while when they did the change of the coding for Medicaid and stuff like that and technically that will have had helped us with especially with economically disadvantage on the TISA side because we will get $500 per kid that was coded that way. How much did we lose when they redid the coding and causes to lose that $500 and now we're looking into a higher bad meal debt. Luckily the governor this year has gone back
037and done 75% so still about a million and a half. a meal and a half that we lost. But that would have been in 141, not 143. Yeah, on that side, right? Because it was Tissa. Yeah. Any other questions? One more thing. And just I know the board asked us last year to put a committee together and come up with ideas and we've implemented all of those ideas except for one and it's the one that's none of us want to do and that's taking the parents to court. Other than that, we have implemented everything that was asked or recommended and the and the schools are still doing a good job at we're sending out notices and sending out phone calls and emails and we're trying everything that the committee came up with. So, we are
038still working on this is we we haven't thrown in the towel yet. Yeah. Um, I know you didn't want to look into this. Um, about just districtwide free and reduced. If our number our percentages are there, can we I mean, at the end of the day, we're going to eat this cost if it doesn't get paid. So, why not sure we would qualify right now? You think it's lower than 45? No, 60%. It's close. I'd have to see where our numbers are right now without the Medicare and Medicaid in. Okay. Well, if you can check, that'd be great. Okay. All right. Thank you. Anything else? I'll do directors of it tomorrow. Okay. Um, uh, Tennessee legislative and federal. Uh, Mr. B, you have anything for tonight? [Laughter] I'm sure. Next, we have general discussion. Mr.
039Sharp. Thank you. Um and um Madam Chair, I apologize for failing to mention that Gary Nixon, the first high school principal at Blackman, has passed. So y'all please keep his family in prayer. Um and I've got a few things if that's okay. Go ahead. So Jazzfest, we're rocking along. We've got about 20 bands. We could u stand to have a couple more sponsors just to put us over the edge. Um we've got a lot of vendors that are coming for the kids. We have one for the special needs. Several of you have have gotten that. Um, but we're doing well and that's going to be the 25th and the 26th, last weekend of April at the fountain. So, everybody come out. The weather's going to be beautiful. We're not going to have to worry about
040it. And we're going to have a lot of food and everything from the fountain. So, um, a couple Well, back in February, somebody sent this and I'm sorry that they, uh, spent all this money because every school board member was sent this and, um, it was suggestions on policy changes. Well, we have a policy meeting at the end of the month, the 29th, I believe. So, I gave the information to um Miss Ridley, and we're going to look at that at the policy meeting, and I couldn't find Mr. Smith. I'm sure this is an alias. Uh but I couldn't find him on Facebook or a number or anything. So, I sent him a card. The card came back today from the address through inner office mail. So, Mr. Justin, Mr. James Smith, we have looked
041at this and we're going to look at it uh at the policy meeting just so you'll know u about that because I don't know who sent it but he they obviously spent some money to send it to each and every one of us board members. So we will be looking at that at the end of the month. Also um Mr. Lee, can you give us an update on the Smyrna Kroger or Smyrna um high school? Uh yes ma'am. I attended the planning commission last week. Um the town planning commission did approve moving forward with the developers request to um provide the Kroger um project a move forward. It will still uh there's still enough land left that they could build 250 apartments. Uh had it been zoned uh with an appropriate developer, there could have
042been 750 apartments, but there was there's still a potential for 250 even with this development. They did mention they they did not mention a time frame. Um, and they also did not u mention any uh the out parcels at this time. They do they did say they were talking with two or three I'm going to use their language higherend um clients for those out parcels, but that they just said two or three, but phase one of the project was approved by the planning commission. It'll go now go to the town council. Thank you. So, um, I've had several phone calls of this and and the constituents and the residents out there are not happy about this being put next to the school. Um, I've followed up with the planning. Uh, Mr. Riggsby is not there,
043but I spoke with his assistant on yesterday. And as far as we can tell, this property has not been sold. Now, that doesn't mean that it's not under contract somewhere and it hasn't been completed, but this board needs to seriously consider uh for the Smyrna residents us purchasing that land over there. Uh because I too have concerns like they do as far as security and having people just like the dump at Leverne Lake would allow people who shouldn't normally be on on school property, it's going to allow them to be closed on school property. So, um just something for y'all to look at. Um the people at the school are not happy and the residents in Smyrna are not happy. So just y'all think about that and see what we can't do. Is there any
044other general discussion? Miss Maxwell. Yes, Mr. Rosales. Thank you. Um, so I just wanted to say that uh thank you to the board for voting to start a incorporation for the foundation and we actually had our first meeting with the board last two weeks ago and it went great and we've nominated a chair and a vice chair. So uh so we're really excited about that and good things are going to come out of it. Thank you. Any other comments? If not, oh, sorry, Mr. Bot. Well, I feel obligated to bring y'all up to date on the school bus contract. Um, the U or the bus drivers. Um, we have had three, and I'm going to call them very successful 4-hour sessions with representatives of the association. Um, I'm meeting with the budget and finance director
045in the morning. and Trey, we're going to try to put maybe put our heads together and have something back to you guys. I guess what Dr. S, a couple of weeks or something, I think the 24th for sure. Yeah, they they and and the drivers have been or owners drivers owners, they've been very, you know, I don't want to say on pins and needles, but they're very anxious to see what, you know, the proposal is going to be. But, uh, I don't I don't really feel I don't want to bring something to the board that that we know cannot get funded. So, that that's kind of where I am right now if you if you wanted to know where the discussions were. So that's reason to bring in uh our good friends at the courthouse
046to make sure whatever we do here and be funded. So anyway, we're we're meeting in the morning. So maybe we'll make a little more headway. And I want to thank you for you've been working really hard. My pleasure. I I love these people and a lot of them are my good close friends. A lot of them are good small business owners, independent people. They're they're they're the folks I've been around all my life. So I've enjoyed it really. Thank you. We appreciate your hard work on it, Dr. Svin. Yeah, we'll definitely need a proposal to vote on by the 24th so that we can have budget approved and everything by the 15th for sure. Okay. If there's nothing else, Mr. D move to go to executive session. We get