Tennessee training advisory committee recommends select school‑board and charter training courses, declines multiple others
Loading...
Summary
The State Board of Education's Board Training Advisory Committee met electronically April 15 and voted to recommend several school‑board and governing‑body training courses for approval at the May 19 State Board meeting while declining multiple applications, including six from a single provider that did not resubmit requested materials.
The Tennessee State Board of Education’s Board Training Advisory Committee met electronically on April 15 to review applications for local school board and governing body member training courses and to form a list of recommendations to send to the full state board on May 19.
Chair Dr. Maxwell opened the meeting at 2:30 p.m. Central and asked Miss Allie Reed, the committee staff member who led the application reviews, to read a statement of necessity explaining that the electronic meeting was required because members are distributed across the state and a physical quorum could not be assembled. “This meeting is called to determine the committee's recommendation for state board approval of the local school board and governing body member training applications received this cycle,” Miss Reed said as she summarized the committee’s charge.
The committee reviewed providers in two groupings: school board training applications first, then governing body training. For school board training, the committee moved to decline School Board Partners’ Essentials of Empowered School Board Governance (item a), citing missing materials and modules that did not appear to justify the stated contact hours; Chair Maxwell moved the decline and it was seconded. By contrast, School Board Partners’ Mastering Robert’s Rules of Order (item b) was recommended for approval after reviewers found the resubmitted materials addressed prior feedback and reduced course length from 15 to 6 hours.
Sevier County School System’s course on continuous improvement — described by staff as updated annually to reflect state and federal law, local practice and policy — was recommended for approval. The Tennessee School Boards Association’s four submissions also received favorable recommendations; reviewers flagged a broken link in the Association’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) course that should be fixed before offering the training, but otherwise recommended the listed TSA courses.
After discussing the individual items, the committee moved to recommend items b through g for approval in a bundled motion. Miss Reed called the roll and the chair recorded five yes votes, carrying the motion to forward those recommendations to the full State Board.
On governing body training applications, the committee rejected all six submissions from Board on Track because each failed to provide requested revised materials after March feedback. Miss Reed told members those applicants did not resubmit the additional information the committee had requested at the prior meeting, and motions to place each of the six Board on Track courses on the decline list were made and seconded.
Hillsdale College’s Board Development Conference was recommended after the college provided requested signatures. School Board Partners’ governing‑body version of Essentials of Empowered School Board Governance and its Mastering Robert’s Rules submission were both declined for remaining Tennessee‑specific inaccuracies — including incorrect descriptions of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission’s role and a reporting‑completers process that did not align with state board rule — despite other requested legal feedback being addressed.
SchoolWorks’ resubmission was recommended for approval after the applicant added an evaluation survey and provided longer access to course materials; the committee suggested a minor reordering of Tennessee‑specific content. The Tennessee Charter School Center’s Governing for Student Success was also recommended after the applicant amended its survey and clarified its method for tracking course completers to meet the committee’s requests.
Chair Maxwell moved a final package motion to recommend items g, j and k for approval and Miss Reed called the roll; the chair recorded four yes votes and the motion to forward those governing‑body recommendations carried. Maxwell said the committee’s recommendation list will be before the full State Board of Education at its quarterly meeting on May 19.
The committee’s decisions were procedural recommendations to the State Board; they do not by themselves change training approvals until the full State Board acts. Miss Reed noted the committee must deliver recommendations by May 1 for the application cycle, explaining the timeline constraint that limited opportunities to grant further revision time to applicants during this cycle. Chair Maxwell adjourned the meeting with thanks to committee members and staff.
Votes at a glance • School‑board training (bundled): items b–g — recommended to State Board (roll‑call: 5 yes). • School Board Partners item a (Essentials of Empowered School Board Governance) — declined (may reapply next cycle). • Board on Track — all six governing‑body courses — declined (no resubmission after March feedback). • Hillsdale College Board Development Conference — recommended. • SchoolWorks course — recommended. • Tennessee Charter School Center Governing for Student Success — recommended. • Final governing‑body package (items g, j, k) — recommended to State Board (roll‑call: 4 yes).
What happens next The committee’s recommendation list will be presented to the full Tennessee State Board of Education at its May 19 quarterly meeting; applicants that were declined may reapply in the next cycle or otherwise revise materials to meet rule and rubric expectations.
Sources: Committee meeting (electronic), April 15, 2026; on‑the‑record motions and roll‑call votes recorded and read by Miss Allie Reed and Chair Dr. Maxwell during the April 15 meeting.
