Board members discussed several athletics-related topics including a proposal to form a special athletics committee, a shortage of athletic trainers at school events and recent student enrollment and test-score gains at South Middle School.

Mr. Cole presented the athletics report and highlighted individual student recognitions and team successes. He said South Middle’s enrollment has grown from about 265 students in 2022 to 408 students as of the report and attributed growth to school culture, career awareness and STEM programs. He summarized three-year TCAP trends and said math and reading meet-and-exceed rates rose from prior years (examples given: math from about 18.2% to 23.9% and reading from about 18.5% to 23.6% in the periods presented).

On athletics staffing, Doctor Alsop told the board “there are no athletic trainers. We have been waiting on the hospital for a couple of years to provide them.” He said the district has contracted two physical therapists to provide coverage for high-school home events and that the PTs can evaluate injuries and provide basic care even though they do not have the full duties of certified athletic trainers. The district is in talks with one PT about a more substantial contract for next year.

Mr. Cole said operating funds for athletics show about $96,500 remaining after open purchase orders, and he noted roughly $164,000 in open POs districtwide (figures presented in the report). He proposed creating a special athletics committee to focus on athlete retention, program development, feeder-program strengthening, community and alumni engagement, and increasing college exposure; he asked the board to approve committee members so the group can meet and return a proposal to the board in January or at a specially called meeting.

The committee roster presented included the district athletic directors, school ADs and coaches (Justin — North AD; Rusty — South AD; Kent — soccer coach; Jason — coach at Franklin County), media member Joe, Mr. Cole, Mayor Guest and Commissioner Shutters. Several board members raised concerns about gender balance on the proposed committee and asked for more female representation. Lisa Crabtree was asked to consider serving and the presenters said principals and other women had been involved earlier in the process but scheduling limited their continued participation; the ADs agreed to follow up and add representatives before formal approval of membership if needed.

Board members characterized the group as an advisory committee with no special powers; its output would be recommendations only. The board did not record a formal vote to create a committee at this meeting; the presenters said they would return with a finalized membership and a recommendation in January.

Why this matters: The committee proposal and the interim solution for medical coverage affect student safety, program quality and community engagement in Franklin County athletics. The district’s shift to contracted PT coverage is an operational change that reduces the absence of certified trainers at some events but does not replace the full scope of athletic-trainer services.

What’s next: Presenters will follow up on committee membership (including adding more female representation), continue negotiations with PT contractors for event coverage, and bring a formal committee membership list and proposal to the board in January.