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Scott County board hears TSBA legislative briefing; approves routine consent items
Summary
At its regular meeting the Scott County Board of Education received a TSBA legislative update covering vouchers, teacher bonuses, testing and funding proposals, and approved a series of routine consent items including bid renewals and budget amendments.
A board member reporting on the TSBA legislative conference told the Scott County Board of Education on an extended report that a statewide voucher measure has advanced and that related legislation and funding proposals are moving through committees.
The board member said the voucher bill as written would trigger a $2,000 bonus for "teachers" but that the bill’s definition of that term appears to limit eligibility to instructional classroom teachers who have students in their rooms, excluding principals, supervisors, instructional coaches, data coaches and guidance counselors. The board member said the board has until June 1 to submit any local options or language the board wants considered.
The legislative report was the meeting’s main nonroutine discussion. The speaker summarized several developments reported at the TSBA (Tennessee School Boards Association) session: a one-time transfer rule was voted down 11–1 by a legislative council; Senate Bill 25 was under active, contentious consideration; a proposal from Representative Kurt Hastings would emphasize the ACT and could remove end-of-course exams; and TSBA was pursuing funding for unfunded mandates in special education pre-K.
On financing, the board member said TSBA is looking at about $44,000,000 to fund special-education pre-K mandates and that roughly $67,000,000 had been added into what the speaker called the TISA fund; the speaker also referenced a separate $400,000,000 figure but noted uncertainty whether that number counted bonuses. The speaker said a goal is for a $50,000 starting teacher salary next year and that teacher raises and the bonus provision appear to be moving forward.
Board member Miss Smith addressed local teachers directly near the end of the meeting: "I just want to reassure these teachers that we're gonna try to make the best decision when it comes to this bonus that's coming up, because we don't wanna leave anyone out. ... We just need to really think about what we're doing here, but we are gonna take care of our teachers."
The board then handled routine business. By roll call the board approved adoption of the meeting agenda and the consent agenda and voted separately to approve overnight trips, budget amendments for fiscal year 02/2024, renewal of a chicken-processing bid with Gold Creek Foods and solicitation of beef-processing quotes and a group pizza-program procurement, and amendments to board policies as recommended by TSBA. Roll-call responses recorded in the transcript were unanimous for the recorded motions.
Votes at a glance - Item 7, Adoption of the agenda: approved (roll call: Miss Smith — Aye; Mister Shelton — Aye; Miss Kidd — Aye; Mister Stanley — Aye). - Item 8, Consent agenda: approved (roll call recorded; no opposing votes noted). - Item 9a, Overnight trips: approved (roll call: Miss Smith — Aye; Miss Kidd — Aye; Mister Shelton — Aye; Mister Stanley — Aye). - Item 9b, Budget amendments for FY 02/2024: approved (roll call recorded; no opposing votes noted). - Item 9c, Food service contracts and procurement group: approved (renew chicken-processing bid with Gold Creek Foods; solicit beef quotes; join group to seek pizza program vendors) (roll call: Miss Kidd — Aye; Miss Smith — Aye; Mister Shelton — Aye; Mister Stanley — Aye). - Item 9d, Amend board policies per TSBA recommendations: approved (roll call: Mister Sheldon — Aye; Miss Kidd — Aye; Mister Stanley — Aye; Miss Smith — Aye).
The meeting closed with board members offering community updates and requests for continued prayers for local families; no additional formal actions on the legislative items were taken by the board at this meeting.
