June 28, 2023 at 5:00 PM - Board of Education Special Called Meeting

Discussion:  (See above)

Discussion:   - Boston led the board members in a Moment of Silence. After a moment of silence, Boston led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Discussion:   (See Above)

Discussion:   (See Exhibit #1) Boston advised, next is the Approval of the Agenda. Hamby advised, I'll make a motion we approve the agenda. Safdie advised, second. Boston replied, okay so we have a first and a second to approve the agenda. Any discussion? No one responded. A Voice Vote was taken. 

Discussion:   - Boston advised,  next on the agenda is the TMSAA. We put this on a special call to give an additional notice to our general public. So that we would meet all of our due diligence in putting it out there to see if anyone had further discussion on it. So I'll open the floor for a motion. Davis advised, I'd make a motion to approve. Boston replied, okay so we have a motion to approve joining TMSAA. Davis replied, yes. Safdie replied, I'll second that. Boston continued, okay so we have a first and we have a second. Do we have any discussion? Hale  asked, I just like to know again how it's going to affect the younger children and the ones that might not can be in this travelball thing that's going to happen? Davis replied, okay, good question. So to put a number on the impact that could play versus not play. I think there was a comment last meeting that allowed us to understand that this was going to be in addition to the number of student athletes that we're playing, as opposed to subtraction, but to further solidify that effort and or concern. There's been a number of conversations around creating different pathways through the way of combining local youth sports with these schools in a way that's maybe not been done before. Hale asked, but don't they have to pay for those local youth sports or do you know? Davis replied, currently most local youth sports are significantly less in financial obligation than school sports. So, on average, I think it's $50 or less typically. There's ways to fund that and or subsidize that via grants, which we've been very blessed with writing this year. We learned that those are great opportunities and that is a very useful way for us to help offset some of those costs for some of the kids that may not be able to. Nichols advised, a couple of different questions that I had received was, what about gym time. You know what would this mean? They would have less gym time and I loved hearing about the dead period, but what it meant was that there are no sports that are played within that period, but other than that period, any gym could be opened by any coach at any time. So there are kids that go in and do practicing and do what they need to do when they need to do that. So it would not take away individual gym time for kids to be there and then I said when the bus isn't running them back and forth how do they get to where they are? Each of the different people that I talked to said parents make sure they get there. If they have a kid that's committed in a sport. Parents make sure that they get there and there was also funding in other places for shoes and uniforms and things that they needed that they couldn't get if they weren't playing school or whatever ball. So that was really the main thing I think that I got. That poorer kids would be left out and every one of the coaches that I listened to that night when we were here, I never heard that and then I called some of them to ask them. What about the less fortunate children in your school that cannot afford to join sports? He said if they are dedicated and they make the team, we find a way to make it work. He said we are not going to leave kids behind. We are in it to coach the kids. It's not about us, it's about them. So we said if they're called and they're stepping up and they're meeting their needs, then we'll fulfill them. We'll figure out a way to do it and we always have. Some of the coaches I talk to are doing other schools for free. I mean they don't even get paid for doing some of the stuff that they do. They just do it because they're coaching and they want kids to go from elementary to middle to high school and then high school to college someday. Maybe to pro ball and then the freedom was also that I liked that I heard at that meeting and then the ones that I called. Was that there's that break in between sports that they could go play another sport. That a kid would be relieved from one season to go into another sport. Like I talked to one that likes to do basketball and wrestling and that would free him up to do those two things. That he liked both of those sports. It wasn't just one that he liked doing. Well I got my questions answered. I asked them a bunch of them. Boston asked, any further discussion? Hale asked, so basically, it's we're voting on rules? Different kinds of rules that we're voting to join this association for the rules of the games? Davis replied, so the governance of it is definitely the framework or the chassis that will support much like the TMSAA, which all high school sports are governed by. It's essentially the same framework for the middle school, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, but within that, I guess within our vote obviously we have to support the additional needs of the coaches and the support staff that are going to be responsible for making sure that it takes place the way that it needs to. So we would be adding positions. We'd be creating; that's where that financial burden comes into play of asking for that additional $17,700 I believe. King advised, I have a couple of things if I could. Boston replied, sure. King continued, for over a year I've listened to parents, students, coaches, principals, teachers, supervisors, and other board members. Plenty of people in the community from all districts. I've listened to everyone. I've asked questions. I represent my district and the entire county. I act on knowledge and experience from decades of being in education. I've been a parent. I still am. A grandparent of athletes in our schools. I was one myself in high school and college. I'm a competitive person. I know that proper training equals success. Shouldn't students be taught in elementary up to high school skills, rules, sportsmanship, teamwork, competitive participation? They need time to develop in a natural way. They need to grow in many ways outside of athletics as well. There are many reasons I've heard that's been listed for us to join TMSAA, insurance, officials, state playoffs. I've listened to coaches, coaches are saying that if they had them from 6th - 8th grade, basically they would have everything they needed to be state champs. I've heard that all other sports are already in middle schools, so what's the hold up on basketball? Joining TMSAA. It will cost $17,700 a year, every year. It's a reoccurring expense. There's a membership, not limit our players in participation. We'd be going down from maybe 100 players to 40 or 60. How is that helping students? If we're being told that if you're cut from a team, it's good for the students to hear. So then why aren't our best players ever learned that lesson. Students have told me that they're choosing not to play in some cases rather than to be blended with another school. Why do we put them in that position? Building two middle schools is a possible hidden motive here, I think. If so, where will we get a couple hundred million dollars to do that? Just have middle schools and the finest comprehensive athletics facilities. Should we not vote for what's the right thing, totally. The totality of the circumstances on some things we agree on some things we don't and that should be okay. It remains a great deal of resolving this properly. I think you're basically, you're darned if you do and you're darned if you don't. Thank you. Boston replied, Mr. King, I would have to agree. Not sure if you're right or if you're wrong or what's the best thing to do for our students, but I think you said it very well.  Any further discussion? Any further comments? Boston advised Stout, I want to give you an opportunity. If you have something to add, you're certainly welcome to. Stout replied, thank you. No, I don't, thanks. Boston continued, then, we have a first and second to adopt/join TMSAA. A Roll Call Vote was taken. 

Boston advised, it carries 6 to 3. So this board has voted to join TMSAA with a 6 to 3 vote. With that being said and that being adopted and not since we're in the dead period. I'd like to go ahead and make a motion to do a resolution to fund, I think it's $17,700 that we need to fund. Now Kim help me out. Do I do it in the 22-23 budget for the 23-24? Bray replied, the 23-24. Boston continued, I'll have to do it in the 23-24. Boston replied, okay then I would make a motion that we move $17,700 from Fund Balance in the 23-24 budget to fund what the board has voted to join TMSAA and I will need a second on that. Hamby advised, second. Boston replied, okay so that goes ahead. Any discussion on that? Hamby advised, I have a question. Is that going to cover everything, because there was a question about the $25 per coach. If they are not one of our employees, if we have a coach come in then we have to pay TMSAA $25 per year.  Safdie asked, are you talking about a coach or referee? Hamby replied, a coach and that's what it says. It says that per non-faculty coach. Boston asked, is that not included Kim in those stipends? Bray replied,  no I don't think so. Hamby replied, no it is not. Nichols asked, when would they do that? When would you call in a coach? Patton replied, when we have non-faculty coaches. We have a number of them in the system right now. You know they don't work at a school, they're a non-faculty coach. There's a $25 fee that they have to pay at TMSAA. The team usually covers that out of their funds. Nichols asked, so it was like when Stewart Sitton, he spoke up. Patton replied, correct. Hamby asked, so that's covered out of the team money, not out of our budget? Patton replied, yes. Some coaches will pay it themselves, so it doesn't cost the team. It's $25.00. Hamby replied, okay. That was my question. Boston asked, any further discussion? Safdie advised, I think that from the get-go, when the funding was an issue and some principals brought up, why do we have to spend $300.00 and I think that from the very start of this we suggested that funding the first two or three years be provided by the County Board of Education and that's what I see taking place now. The stipends will be more permanent and how much of the stipends? Boston replied, $15,000 is what they've calculated. Safdie continued, $15,000 and you know we're paying over $500,000.00 for it. Boston replied, $561,000.00 is what was budgeted. Safdie continued, and I see no reason why we shouldn't. Boston advised, well the Budget Committee talked about TMSAA in length. If we joined it this would be a cost. If we voted to join it, we knew the cost would come later. We just couldn't fund it, something that the board had not approved at that point. So this is more of a procedural thing more than anything. We had already talked about it and approved it or discussed it in a very favorable manner. Safdie asked, so the school system sometime in the future can, individual schools will absorb the cost of $300 a year for the membership in the TMSAA and then we as the Board of Education unless something goes awry we will continue to pay the stipends. Boston replied, we pay the stipends on all the other coaches. So I think $15,000 would be certainly in line. Safdie advised, thank you. That is all I have to say. Boston advised, since this involves funding, I'm going to do a Roll Call Vote.   
 

Discussion:   - Botson advised, next on the agenda is the first and final reading of Policy 1.401 and I'm going to turn this over to Mrs. Hamby. Hamby advised, we did have this on our regular board meeting and I apologize that I overlooked it. We are supposed to, as a board, choose an amount of time to allow for Community Comments. Like right now, we do three minutes per person. That will stay at three minutes per person, but how long of a time do we want to allow, 30 minutes for Community Comments? So on and so forth, and again, I apologize that I overlooked this at our meeting. The reason this was added on tonight's meeting is because it goes into law on July 1st and it needs to be done. So that she can get it sent to Nashville. I'm going to recommend that we put it at 30 minutes. That gives ample time for 10 people to sign up for Community Comments. Nichols replied, I agree. Boston asked, now are you making that in the form of a motion? Hamby replied, I am going to make a motion that we insert 30 minutes on page two of Policy 1.404 where it is asking for how long for Community Comments. Earl Patton advised, can I just clarify something? Hamby replied, yes you may. Patton continued, this policy was actually voted on and approved at the last board meeting. Boston replied, yes. Patton continued, the only issue is, there was a blank. So all this board is doing is filling in a blank. Hamby replied, absolutely. Boston advised, just because of the time issue going into law and we want to make sure that we comply with that. Patton replied, I understand and I just wanted to make that point. Boston continued, we have a first. Stull advised, second. Boston continued, we have a first and a second. Is there any discussion? Boston and Hamby asked, Is 30 minutes okay with everybody? Everyone agreed. A Voice Vote was taken. 

Discussion:   - Boston advised, next time the agenda is Old Business. Is there any? Safdie thanked Mr. Dan Schlafer for his years of service and helping in the process of TMSAA. Safdie also thanked the coaches for being here and for being consistent and expressing themselves. Hamby and Nichols advised, and parents. 

Discussion:   - Boston asked if there were any questions from the media. No questions were asked.

Discussion:   - Boston continued, if not, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. Hamby moved and Stull seconded a motion to adjourn at 5:20pm.