June 14, 2022 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  In attendance:  Chair Butch Campbell, Vice Chair David Settles, Wes Ballard, Roseann Barton, Becky Goff, Amanda Moore, and Jimmy Richardson.

Staff:  Dr. Trey Duke, Sheri Arnette, Ralph Ringstaff, Angela Fairchild, Joe Marlin, Kim Williams, Beth Prater, Natalie Hardiman, Tres Holmes, Glenda Smith, Stephanie Turner, Ken Rocha, Florence Smith, and Lisa Trail.

Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Taylor and City Liaison Bill Shacklett.

 

Rationale:  The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Natalie Hardiman, principal at Reeves Rogers Elementary.

Rationale:  The grateful folks at Mitchell-Neilson Schools would like to thank the amazing agents at Parks Realty- especially Sunnette Peay and Jonathon Dodson for their extremely generous donation of prizes for our annual essay contest.  Students in K through 6th grade wrote about who they see as a Leader and why.  The Parks Realty agents chose 4 winners from each grade level and provided prizes:

1st Place- new bicycle and helmet
2nd Place- $50 Walmart gift card
3rd Place $25 Walmart gift card
4th Place $10 McDonald’s gift card

They have done this every year for at least 10 years and we are so grateful to them for their ongoing support!!!  

MCS is pleased to announce that Quinena Bell, principal at Hobgood Elementary recently received the J. Harmon Home Team Hero of the Month Award.  This honor recognizes the heroes that impact people in our community and change lives in our own backyard. This is the nomination that was received by the J. Harmon Home Team.

"I have great appreciation for Ms. Bell's leadership as principal of Hobgood Elementary School.  She is a dedicated, committed, and compassionate member of the education profession.  Her commitment to excellence is evident in her ability to listen, build consensus, and develop and maintain high expectations for faculty and student performance."

Congratulations to Ms. Quinena Bell!

The Nashville Business Journal has ranked Discovery School in the top 3 elementary schools in the Middle Tennessee Region.  This was ranked by performance score and appears on their book of lists.  Congratulations Discovery.

Rationale:  Kandy Powers presented a PowerPoint on the summer camps being
provided by ESP.  Mrs. Powers thanked the board for approving the
recruitment and retention incentives. She said that since that was approved,
she has received over 150 applicants and she hopes to eliminate the wait
list for the fall.  

 

Rationale:  Dr. Duke presented Ms. Florence Smith, EA at Bradley with the Best of MCS award.  Dr. Duke told of the many ways that Ms. Smith is involved not only at her school, but also in the community.  Several board members commented on what a positive impact Ms. Smith has had on our district and thanked her for truly representing the Best of MCS!

Rationale:  Ms. Taylor went over the scores for each section of Dr. Duke's recent evaluation.  She stated that Dr. Duke scored significantly above expectations. Ms. Taylor explained that an extended contract had been presented to the board. The language of the contract would remain the same. The date of the extension would be July 20, 2022-June 30, 2026.  There were no questions from the board regarding the contract extension.  Chair Campbell did mention that there was no increase in compensation at the request of Dr. Duke, which was commendable.

David Settles stated that he didn't know what else to say about the job that Dr. Duke has done for MCS.  He said that he appreciates his hard work.

Dr. Duke thanked the board, CO staff, principals and teachers.  He said that he works with the best and looks forward to the next four years.

Not only did the motion to extend the contract get one second, several board members seconded the motion.

Rationale:  Mr. Ringstaff told the board that this was a tentative assignment list for the 2022-2023 school year.  The board will receive any updates to this list in August.

Rationale:  In Dr. Duke's update, he told the board that the second week of summer school was going great.  He said that he has received several emails about how everyone is loving it. He wanted to thank Mrs. Sheri Arnette and the Instruction team for their hard work.  He said that there are two weeks left. 

Dr. Duke informed the board that the city council approved the city schools budget for next school year. He said that there may be some changes in revenue, but if that's the case, he will adjust the budget and bring it back to the board.

Rationale:  Ms. Barton stated that she had heard from some people that the board seems to go through items on the agenda very quickly, and she wanted to explain that the board gets a thorough explanation of everything in plenty of time before the meeting. She said that these decisions are not made quickly without thought. 

Chair Campbell added that the memo that Dr. Duke attaches to each agenda item helps tremendously.

Chair Campbell also recognized the MPD officers that attend all board members and thanked them for doing so.

Rationale:  The meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m.