JOURNAL TENNESSEE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION SUMNER COUNTY SCHOOLS HOSTS ITS ANNUAL CTE DAY Artcle page 20 FINAL LOOK: TSBA SCOPE REPORT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE TSBA ANNUAL SURVEY AND ANNUAL CONVENTION APRIL 2019 | Vol. 36, No. 1 DISCOVER LIFE LESS® COMPLICATED Insurance can be complicated, but the need for it isn’t. The products and services we provide at USAble Life will help you and your family rest easy. We are confdent in this because the products we ofer to protect your fnancial future are the same products we use to protect our own. We are a Platinum Business Afliate of the TSBA, providing benefts and services to over 70% of the Tennessee Public School Systems. USAble Life has been a trusted name in the industry since 1980. LET US BUILD A WINNING BENEFITS PACKAGE 1.800.852.3293 3200 West End Avenue Nashville, TN USAbleLife.com 19L-USAL-0158 CONTENTS SPRING 2019 5 President’s Message Student Congress 6 Executve Note SCOPE REPORT on Policies in 8 SCOPE Report Educaton Report 12 TSBA DOTH Recap 14 School Board Ethics 8 16 Ask an Atorney 18 NSBA Advocacy Insttute 20 Sumner County CTE Day 22 Transforming Schools Through Art TSBA Day on the Hill RECAP 24 Tipton County’s Community Awareness Project 26 Milan Special School District 12 Bulldog Cafe 27 Final Look: TSBA 2018 Leadership Conference and Annual Conventon 36 First Look: TSBA 2019 Leadership Conference and Annual Conventon 38 TSBA District Data Dashboard TSBA Annual Survey 40 DonorsChoose.org 42 Johnson City HEROES Program 44 44 TSBA Annual Survey 53 Deadlines and Happenings 54 Business Afliates Publisher: D r. Tammy Grissom • Editor: Garret Knisley • Assistant Editor: S andy Jones Members of the Journal Editorial Advisory Board are David Baker, Hardin The Tennessee School Boards Associaton Journal (ISSN 0747-6159) is County; R ita Booher, Elizabethton; Teresa Henry, Lakeland; Beth Jackson, published quarterly by TSBA. 525 Brick Church Park Drive, Nashville, TN Athens; S ally Spencer, Fayete County, and Jef Whitmore, Lincoln County 37207; P hone: (615) 815-3900. The cost per subscripton is $20 annually through membership dues or individual subscriptons. Periodical postage Contributons to the Journal are solicited. Contents may be reproduced provided credit is given, except for paid a t Nashville, Tenn., and additonal mailing ofces. materials copyrighted or from other publicatons. The materials published in this issue represent the ideas and beliefs of those who wrote them and do not necessarily refect the ideas and beliefs of the Tennessee School Boards Associaton. POSTMASTER, please send change of addresses to: Tennessee School Boards Associaton 525 B rick Church Park Drive Nashville, TN 37207 Board of Directors OFFICERS Kathy Hall Mark Clark Bret Henley Keys Fillauer Faye Heatherly Johnson City Fayeteville Cofee County Oak Ridge Campbell County President President-Elect Vice-President Treasurer Immediate Past-President DISTRICT DIRECTORS Julie Bennet Marty Burlison Todd Ganger Jimmie Garland Bobby Henderson Marion County Tipton County Washington County Clarksville-Montgomery County Hardeman County Southeast District Director Delta District Director Northeast District Director Mid-Cumberland Southwest District Director District Director Candy Morgan Lee Carter Regina Waller Pat Welsh Maryville Huntngdon Trousdale County Tullahoma East District Director Northwest District Director Upper Cumberland South Central District Director District Director MEMBERS AT LARGE Bob Alvey Helen Martn Dr. Dale Viox Jo Williams Rick Wimberly Jackson-Madison County Warren County Arlington Anderson County Williamson County Ex-Ofcio Member Member At Large Member At Large Member At Large Member At Large NSBA Southern Region Director 4 JOURNAL | SPRING 2019 President’s Message Kids These Days Being a school board member isn’t always an easy or straight-forward job. What is easy is getng caught up in test scores, data, politcs, legislaton, personalites, budget wars, unfunded mandates, ever-changing standards and other people’s mistakes. Sometmes we have to step back and say that the most important job we have as school systems, as communites, as a state and as a country is to give our children the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed. There can be diferent schools of thought on what skills and knowledge are vital, but one of the principles that our country holds dear is the importance of educatng ALL children to the best “Our job as of our ability. school board We have contnued to make strides to make the “all” more inclusive. We have worked to make our educaton system work for children that have physical, mental members is and learning disabilites. We have worked to remove barriers and develop strategies to balance all for those that are diferently abled. We have addressed barriers that existed based on race, gender and socio-economics. the issues our schools face and Kids these days aren’t like they were even 10 years ago. When they go home for the day, many of our students face situatons that make learning difcult or make sure we impossible. We need to make sure we are addressing these barriers as we would are putng our any other barrier to learning. students frst I wish there wasn’t a need to look at caring for, understanding, and educatng kids that have sufered multple traumas in their lives. I wish our conversatons weren’t with our policies, so ofen about mental health. I wish our budgets didn’t have to expand to include rigorous safety plans. But today’s reality is diferent and we need to do what it our advocacy takes to prepare today’s students for a bright future. and our budgets.” There are about 975,222 diferent stories in classrooms in our state. No two of them are alike. Each one enters a classroom with a special set of needs. Public schools are the only place where we can level the playing feld, open our doors to everyone and make sure each child has the opportunity to succeed. Our job as school board members is to balance all the issues our schools face and make sure we are putng our students frst with our policies, our advocacy and our budgets. As we look at the mountain of educaton legislaton fled this year, it is important that we tell the stories of our students and their needs. It is important that we tell the story that in public educaton all means all, and that is what makes this country great. Find the issues that you are passionate about and lend your fre to them. We as individuals can’t do it all, but we can speak where we know our voices are strong. Thank you for serving. The work you do can truly change lives. Do your best and be proud. Kathy Hall TSBA President JOURNAL | SPRING 2019 5 Executive Note Educaton in Tennessee is a functon of the state. The authority for its operaton is found in the Tennessee consttuton. But the consttuton does not outline the framework of organizaton and administraton of a public school system. This responsibility is placed in the hands of the legislature. The legislature established the State Board of Educaton, the Tennessee Department of Educaton and local boards of educaton to oversee public schools. Artcle IX, Secton 12 of the Tennessee Consttuton specifcally states: “The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools.” Tennessee is legally and morally obligated to support our consttutonally mandated System of public schools because, as the “School boards framers of our consttuton put it, “The State of Tennessee recognizes the inherent ensure that the value of educaton and encourages its support.” hopes, ideals Through the operaton of local boards of educaton, the control of public schools and aspiratons is kept close to the people of the community where it belongs. School boards ensure that the hopes, ideals and aspiratons parents have for children will become parents have for a reality and that the community, state and naton will contnue to thrive and their children prosper. will become a Public educaton is a signifcant determining factor in the future of everyone. reality and that Public educaton must not be allowed to become a tool of any single group or person. Educaton exists to serve all people equally. the community, state and naton We all want our school boards to do their very best to educate children to their highest potental and then send them out to take their place in a free society. This will contnue is the American traditon…the American ideal. to thrive and There are 1,822 schools in Tennessee providing hope for 975,222 children. Hope prosper.” comes in many forms in our public schools and can be witnessed throughout the schools through caring principals, teachers, school counselors, cafeteria and maintenance personnel and administratve staf. All these individuals work together to provide a clean, welcoming and excitng learning environment full of possibilites for students. Possibilites that can lead to solid careers, scholarships to college and a beter life. An environment full of hope. Tennessee public schools raise our citzens out of poverty and ignorance and make them solid, responsible, taxpaying members of our community. Citzens who care about their communites and want the very best for their own children. Thoughtul citzens who understand and observe the rule of law. Educaton makes that diference. As a state, we must not drif apart. We must instead invest in eforts to help us grow together. We need to focus our atenton on contnuing to improve our public educaton system by embracing educatonal reforms that work thus, raising the learning level for all children. There is litle chance that economic opportunites Dr. Tammy Grissom will improve among key segments of our populaton if we don’t stay focused on TSBA Executve Director providing quality educaton for all.