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Superintendent reports 75% participation in virtual day; updates on Hunter Elementary, CTE, cameras and buses
Summary
Dr. Carfender reported roughly 75% participation in a recent virtual day and updated the board on Hunter Elementary timelines, safety‑system upgrades, CTE and middle college successes, and the district's purchase of 18 buses over two years.
Dr. Carfender, staff member, reported to the Carter County Board workshop that the district’s recent virtual day had high participation and provided multiple operational and program updates.
"We had about 85% participation. Oh, wow. 75%," Dr. Carfender said, characterizing turnout on the virtual day and crediting principals, teachers and parents for ensuring completion. He said the state department of education was “very impressed” that the board instituted make‑up school days.
On facilities, Dr. Carfender said work at Hunter Elementary remains on schedule and that the district needs to plan cafeteria construction so portables can be removed. He described a plan to transition students at Lake Elementary into different grade configurations as part of that work.
On programming, Dr. Carfender highlighted career and college pathways. He said the district expanded career opportunities through work‑based vocational settings and CTE and built “one of the largest middle college programs in the state of Tennessee, allowing students to graduate high school with an associate's degree.” He praised a former student, Brooklyn Adams, as an example of the program’s outcomes.
Dr. Carfender also said the district is upgrading safety systems, including replacing older cameras with state‑of‑the‑art systems. He mentioned staff working on the camera upgrades by name (Gary, Mark and Steve) and described the system replacement as a multi‑year effort.
On transportation, he said the district purchased 18 buses in two years and that the district has not canceled routes except for weather; he noted the district last missed regular routes on Nov. 3 of the previous year. He said staff continue to prioritize reliability without asking for new tax revenue.
Dr. Carfender said the district was awaiting a preliminary cost estimate from a vendor who met with staff; he said the vendor expected a one‑ to two‑week turnaround for the estimate to inform scholarship decisions and program funding.
Why it matters: High virtual‑day participation, new buses, facility improvements and expanded CTE/middle college options affect daily operations and student opportunities. The transcript shows status updates and staff commitments; it does not record new board votes on these items in the provided excerpt.
A board member commended the work. Staff said they will return with further details where needed.
