April 11, 2024 at 5:00 PM - Bradley County Board of Education Regular Meeting

Discussion:  Chairman Beaty called the meeting to order and welcomed dignitaries in attendance. 

Discussion:  The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Board Member Amanda Lee.

Discussion:  Chairman Beaty asked if anyone had anything to pull from the Consent Agenda. With no comment, she asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.

Discussion:  No public comment was given.

Discussion:  Hannah Goodson, County Director of 4H for the University of Tennessee Extension office in Bradley County, highlighted 4H and the winners of the 4H Speech Competition. 

Hannah Goodson - "Bradley County 4H goes into fourth through 12th grades. We serve monthly lessons in the month of August through April, with lessons that align with the standards and that grade. Within those lessons, we incorporate life skills such as decision-making, leadership, teamwork, and public speaking. We highlight this in the classroom to prepare students not only for job interviews, but when they get into that job, when they go to certification classes, training, etc. This year alone, we had 455 speeches presented in Bradley County classrooms and that is a huge accomplishment for this year. We do serve 178 clubs per month. A club means just one class, so in the middle schools, there are six blocks, and each block is a club. Out of those 455 speeches, 94 were invited to the sub-county level. Then, out of those 94, 25 advanced to the county level. Out of those 25, there were five students in fourth through eighth grade that were chosen to represent Bradley County 4H in the Multi-County Public Speaking Contest. This multi-county group is called the SEC or southeastern corner. It covers Bledsoe to Polk, and Bradley County always brings the heat, and I'm not just saying that because I'm the county agent. Every year, Bradley County places first in several grades. Tonight, I would like to recognize Miss Wren Parker. She is in fourth grade at Black Fox Elementary and Miss Sophia Hildebrand, who is in fifth grade at Michigan Avenue Elementary. These young ladies and all the other students as well worked very hard. Not only did they have to write a speech in their classroom and then present it in front of their peers and their teacher, then they had to present it in front of the 4H Agent, then they had to go to sub-County, then they had to go to county and then multi-county. So they had to present a speech multiple times to get where they are, and they represented Bradley County so well, and we're so proud of them. We're excited to see how they advance in the future. We also had a seventh grader who could not be here tonight, but Benton Striker from Lake Forest Middle School also did very well in the multi-county contest, and we're excited to see where all of these students go in the future. This is not the end for them. This is just the beginning of public speaking goes through 12th grade in 4H, so we're excited to see them in the future as well. I want to congratulate these young ladies and thank not only the students who put in the hard work and effort but the teachers and administration that support them, and the families as well that support and do all the practices at home. So we really do appreciate you all and Bradley County." 

Discussion:  Dr. Linda Cash - "The film is routinely shown to all involved with the EMA, the Fire and Rescue, Police, and all first responders at local and state trainings. This film will be used throughout our state. This year in collaboration with the 24/7 Movement and the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, the video will be made available to all high schools across Tennessee. The Tennessee Highway Safety Organization and their program of Reduce Tennessee Crashes website is where it will be hosted. There are also resources available through the 24/7 Movement. Beth Vernon Program Manager for THSO said, and this is important, "Bradley County always does things well. No other school comes close to the quality of mock crash than Bradley Central High School produces. The finished product is used across the state in various essential trainings and activities. I think my biggest thing is when I was talking to students and I asked about the Mock Crash, the statement was, "It was so scary, and those were people I know." It really made an impact on the students that were watching it. If you haven't seen the entire video, I advise you to go on. We are really trying to make an awareness to our students and our families to be safe on the roads and to think and to put into practice what they know. So thank you all for letting me share that. I appreciate that. Madam Chairman, that's all I have."

Discussion:  Jeremy Jones, Prinicpal of Valley View Elementary School, presented an Above and Beyond Award to Officer Keith Hixon. Officer Hixon was also acknowledged by the Bradley County Sheriff's Department as April's Patrol Employee of the Month. Principal Jones stated, "Student Resource Officer Keith Hixon exemplifies bravery and selflessness. When faced with an emergency, Officer Hixon's swift and decisive actions made all the difference. His unwavering dedication to serving and protecting the community was on full display as he rushed to the aid of an unconscious person, demonstrating remarkable composure and professionalism throughout the ordeal. His quick thinking and expert knowledge undoubtedly played a crucial role in reviving the individual, showcasing his exceptional skills as a law enforcement officer. Officer Hixon has an unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of those at Valley View School and the Valley View community serves as an inspiration to us all, reminding us of the profound impact one individual can have in times of crisis. His heroism serves as a beautiful example to students of Valley View, embodying the true essence of service and sacrifice."

Discussion:  Jared Waldrop from ATS The Bridge shared the mission of ATS The Bridge and the Student Ambassadors. "I think one of the things that we need the most is for a younger generation to speak up," stated Jared Waldrop. Mr. Waldrop explained the problems students are facing with vaping and introduced Student Ambassadors in attendance. Student Ambassodors each spoke about what it means to be a Student Ambassador and how they see it as something that's important to a part of.

Discussion:  Principal Chris Green requested the board's approval and moving forward in the process of purchasing and installing an electronic sign that Black Fox Elementary. He stated that the Black Fox PTO will cover the entire cost of this project. He asked permission to add the sign to the grounds. Mr. Green stated that he has spoken with Cleveland Utilities, Johnny Mull and Chuck McKay to make sure that they would be able to install it in our preferred location, and they all agreed that that is quite doable. He added that he has reached out to some schools and churches that have recently purchased signs to get an idea of specs and costs but have not begun speaking specifically to sign companies yet. With the Boards approval, Black Fox will begin that immediately and hopefully get the ball rolling so that they can have the sign up and running by next school year.

Discussion:  Ellen Smith presented the bid for copy paper. She stated, "After looking at the state contract with American Paper and Twine and the bids that came in for the current school year, the price is 3990, which is better than the prices that came in on last year's bids. So the recommendation is to go with the state contract with American Paper and Twine. They've provided our paper for several years and we've been very happy with our service."

Discussion:  Ellen Smith presented the bid for copy paper. She stated, "After looking at the state contract with American Paper and Twine, and the bids that came in for the current school year, the price is 3990, which is better than the prices that came in on last year's bids. So, the recommendation is to go with the state contract with American Paper and Twine. They've provided our paper for several years and we've been very happy with our service."

Discussion:  Corbett Drew explained that they are not asking for the final approval of everything today. The draft of the contract that went into the board packet was not final. Yet, they have since finalized and gotten Mr. Bennett's comments, negotiated those with the contractor and incorporated those. The bids came in much higher than the budget, so they are in the process of driving that down. Once they finalize that, they will circulate the final draft of the contract to the Board. Mr. Drew stated they are requesting, instead of having to wait till the May meeting, which would put us after August 1 completing the project, that the board approve executive approval. He stated the objective is to get it complete before the start of school.

Discussion:  Dr. Cash gave the following update: "From our last meeting, I have requested from the County Commission funding for the Hopewell project and for the track and field. I am requesting to let you know that, once they have approved the funding, it would come back to this board for continuation of the project. So, we have sent it to the county commission as requested. They are working on a resolution, so once that funding has that resolution has been approved, we'll come back for final approval from this board."

Discussion:  Mr. Drew explained the reasoning for the request for the Geo Services. He stated, "The initial steps before we can launch into design on any of these projects is to get an accurate survey of the existing conditions and to do a geotechnical exploration and get a geotechnical report to identify any issues with the soil and design the foundations. This would be one of the first steps towards launching into it to design on these projects. We have a proposal from Geo Services to do the geotechnical investigation and make recommendations for the Hopewell footings.

Discussion:  Corbett Drew explained to the Board the recommendation for the architectural, which would include all the architectural and engineering fees for construction documents and construction administration for the CDC expansion. He explained they did an RFP for architectural services and gave the administration kind of chance to meet and greet some of these different design teams. They chose Cope and the Board approved Cope at the last meeting, given their history of the project. They have since negotiated their contract and have it before the Board for approval.

Discussion:  Dr. Cash requested approval for the expansion and of Park View Elementary and Waterville Community Elementary. She added that once she has approval of the projects, the board will move to a work session to determine order of construction and timelines. 

Discussion:  Corbett Drew explained that this would be to affect geotechnical exploration and understand the soil conditions and the area targeted for expansion, as a precursor to design.

Discussion:  Corbett Drew explained, "The timeframe for construction, from the time a project is released until an expansion is completed, and the certificate of occupancy is in hand, and we have students occupying that facility is 20 to 24 months. And so, with that in mind, we need an interim solution at Waterville. The proposal before you is to add two portable classrooms. One building with two portable classrooms, near the footprint, but not in the footprint of the proposed expansion, that would help the logistics of the expansion, but it would also alleviate their space needs in the short term."

Discussion:  Kyle Page presented to the Board two quotes from companies. He stated that one company from Kentucky came in much higher than what was budgeted. Mr. Page then reached out to Turf of America. Turf of America is the same contractor that did both of the turf football fields, and both tennis courts. They are in TIPS and have a bleacher vendor that they works with, Southeastern Bleachers. He stated that Southeastern Bleachers looked at the existing bleachers that are there. They have pylon footers that are driven down into the ground, you have grass growing up under, and you've got the pylons that the steel sits down on. This company looked at it differently and said they would rather take and do full slabs, much like the bleachers that is in the band section at Walker Valley where they're fully slabbed. Underneath it's all concrete, then the bleacher system goes erect from there. They've looked at it, they said it will still tie in, but you'll have slabs underneath rather than the big pylon footers that are driven down. They said that was a more costly way of doing the project, but both are structurally sound. 

Dr. Lovingood stated, "It seems like this turf company is becoming a middleman for a lot of different things. They were the middleman for the tennis courts, and they didn't do tennis courts. Now, they're the middleman for bleachers, and they don't do bleachers. You called the company in Kentucky that does bleachers for real, and now we're at a $18,000 difference between a company that does bleachers for a living, and a middleman who's contracting out with a company that doesn't do bleachers. We're talking about $18,000 for a middleman that's doing work, and he doesn't have a good reputation. And my concern is, and I'm all for us, and us having those bleachers at Walker Valley. But, I do not want to spend money with this company, again, and have hiccups, because we just can't afford it. When you got $299,000 and $316,000, Amanda helped me with this and she said that's $18,000 difference. I just want to make sure I agree."

Mr. Page responded, "The one other concern that also led us to looking for other locations was the timing of the project. The company out of Kentucky was looking at not being able to schedule this until October. Obviously, we are in football season long before then. I am aware and looked at the schedule and know Walker Valley is not hosting the big ones this year with Bradley."

After further discussion, Dr. Lovingood made a motion for clarity on bids and scope of work from both companies.



 

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained that this amendment was salary adjustments and is just a matter of moving it to the appropriate line.

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained that this is simply to amend in $4,400 of local revenue for the choir. You can just see it coming into revenue, and then we put it in the expense account for choir. You'll also see that every year as a reserve, because that money cannot be spent for anything else.

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained, "This is also one that you've been seeing for several years. This is money that has been collected by TennCare collections by our nurses. So, they have asked once again to pull out enough money to pay those nurses a stipend for the extra responsibility and work that they have done throughout the year. So, you can see on your note at the bottom how much is for the stipend and then we're also pulling out $1,973.95 for supplies for our nurses. Again, that's all generated through TennCare, that is not regular taxpayer money."

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained, "We talked about TennCare money being raised for two different areas; Nurses and SPED. This is money we're pulling out of the SPED reserve for TennCare money, and then you can see where she has designated that it goes on the expense side."

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained, "This is money that we are amending in from the state for our learning camps for this summer. You can see at the top where it's coming in, and then you can see all of that at the bottom is how that money will be spent, and it balances exactly."

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained, " This is many that we've already talked about moving from 141 into 177 in anticipation of all these projects that we're getting ready to start. You can see down there that it's basically to do the soft cost for any future building projects that the board decides to go to. After your Work Session, we will kind of know exactly how that's going to be spent. It will be for soft costs for those projects. Then, there is a small amount that is going to be used for, well, it's not a small amount of 625,000, this is going to be transferred over there for the Bradley Central's vestibule project."

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained, "This is just the flip side of what you just approved, where it's going to be coming into 177."

Discussion:  Mrs. Willcutt explained, "This last one is actually one you're not used to seeing. Because if you remember, this is the first year for the operating budget for the PIE Center. So up until then, it was all run through 177. So when we did the original budget, we had no historical data to go on, we didn't really know exactly what it was going to look like. So, as with all of our other true ups, this is our true up. It's going to be much more accurate, because now we've got all those months of history to look at. And, we only had to guess on about three months instead of 15, so this is our true up before the end of the year for fund 145.

Discussion:  Chairman Beaty announced that she served on the capital outlay committee as well as Mr. Bryson, Dr. Cash, Ellen Smith, Susan Willcutt, and Chuck McKay. The committee met on two different occasions, 3/19 and 3/26, and they looked at everything that was submitted to Dr. Cash's office. Mr. Bryson further explained, stating that the committee went over the list of requests from schools in detail and called the principals with any questions.  

Discussion:  Ms. Casson read the letter that she proposes the Board send to Legislators. 
 

The Bradley County Board of Education is writing to you with sincere concern regarding the potential ramifications of the universal voucher program on public education. As representatives of both the Board of Education and the community, we believe it is imperative to thoroughly assess the economic effects of diverting public funds to private schools. We feel it is crucial that any voucher program be characterized by openness, transparency, financial sustainability, and public accountability.

Public schools are held to rigorous standards in terms of fiscal responsibility, and we question whether private institutions would be held to the same level of accountability under the current proposed legislation. Our paramount objective is to ensure integrity throughout the voucher program's legislative process and discussion. This entails establishing robust oversight mechanisms, transparency in testing, instructional standards, and financial matters.

Without such safeguards, the program risks susceptibility to fraud and could jeopardize the ability of public schools to deliver quality education to our students. Furthermore, historical evidence suggests that vouchers do not always yield superior educational outcomes or provide sufficient financial transparency to taxpayers. While we respect parents' rights to choose private education for their children, we maintain that such choices should be the financial responsibility of the parents rather than burdening taxpayers.

We fear the program will benefit mainly students whose families can already afford private schooling. Private school opportunities are already accessible through various means such as endowments, financial aid, and scholarships offered by the schools themselves. Therefore, we advocate for the establishment of safeguards such as participant limits, income criteria, protections for all student demographics, scholarship caps, and clear funding parameters.

We appreciate your consideration of our concerns and believe our students deserve nothing less than the best educational opportunities available. We urge you to prioritize their well-being in your deliberations. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Sincerely, 

Bradley County Board of Education

Discussion:  Chairman Beaty announced that the Board will be conducting Director of Schools Evaluation, Contract Review and Action on Contract to be presented at the May Board Meeting.

Discussion:  Dr. Cash asked that two items be added to next month's agenda; Waterville Community Elementary School GeoService Contract and Update on PIE Leases.

Discussion:  With no other items to discuss, Chairman Beaty adjourned the meeting.




                                                                      
Vicki Beaty, Chairman



                                                                      
Dr. Linda Cash, Director of Schools