[0:14] to our Williamson School Board meeting
[0:15] . Welcome to everyone
[0:17] present this afternoon. I'm Lee Webb,
[0:19] current superintendent of
[0:20] Williamson County Schools, and I'm
[0:21] proud to welcome you. We're going
[0:23] to start this afternoon with an
[0:26] oath-taking process. It is a privilege for
[0:28] us to welcome the
[0:29] newly elected members of the
[0:31] school board at the start of each
[0:32] academic year in an
[0:34] oath-taking ceremony, and we are starting this
[0:35] ceremony at 6:30 on purpose, so that
[0:37] all of our constituents and
[0:39] family members who are here
[0:40] tonight can witness this
[0:42] momentous occasion.
[0:44] In addition, we are broadcasting live
[0:45] so that family members we know
[0:47] who are at home or voters at
[0:48] home can also watch. At this
[0:51] time, I would like to welcome
[0:52] to the podium our Mayor of
[0:54] Williamson County, Andy Marshall, who
[0:56] will introduce and swear in the
[0:59] newly elected school board members. Therefore,
[1:01] I would like to welcome the
[1:02] school board members and their
[1:04] families to the podium at this time for
[1:05] our oath ceremony. Yes.
[1:25] Just make a small circle.
[1:27] Yes.
[1:28] Fill the well.
[1:29] Forward. So, let's
[1:39] swear everyone in at the same time, so there's
[1:41] a little bit of harmony. We'll
[1:44] see. We're in Nashville, right
[1:46] , Tony? So, we'll harmonize our
[1:47] answers, but we're going to
[1:49] swear everyone in at the same time. But
[1:51] , before doing so, I first want to
[1:54] congratulate and thank you.
[1:58] Williamson County thanks you for your service
[2:00] and your willingness to run, win, and
[2:03] serve. So, thank you
[2:05] all very much. So, let's begin the
[2:07] ceremony. I say his name. I
[2:18] solemnly swear that I will
[2:22] faithfully fulfill the duties of the
[2:26] office
[2:28] to which I have been elected
[2:31] and which I am about to assume. I
[2:38] solemnly swear to
[2:39] uphold
[2:40] the constitutions
[2:41] of Tennessee and the United States.
[2:47] And to
[2:49] faithfully fulfill the duties
[2:54] of the office of member of the
[2:59] Board of Education representing
[3:01] the fourth district, performing
[3:03] all the obligations corresponding
[3:05] to said office.
[3:06] Excellent. from Williamson County,
[3:09] Tennessee.
[3:12] Congratulations to all. Thank you.
[3:29] If I can take your oaths so you
[3:32] can sign them before then. Yes, I'm going to have him sign them
[3:34] .
[3:50] Very good, guys.
[3:52] Randy, can everyone make some space?
[3:57] Very good, right here in 3. 1 2 3.
[4:07] Excellent. Thanks, guys.
[4:18] Okay, we'll take a moment to
[4:20] let you all sit down and then we'll
[4:21] begin.
[4:47] Very well, while you take your seats, we will
[4:49] give you an official welcome and
[4:50] congratulate you individually. From
[4:52] District 2, Randy Allen. From District 4
[5:00] , Tracy Anderson. From District 6,
[5:05] Kimberly Caldicott. From District 8,
[5:11] Donna Clements. From District 10,
[5:16] Jennifer Canady. And from District 12,
[5:25] Jessica Licciardello. Welcome and
[5:30] congratulations to all of you.
[5:32] I now call this meeting to order.
[5:34] I request that all
[5:35] board members register their
[5:36] digital attendance at this time.
[5:46] There are 12 members present.
[5:49] Thank you. We would like to
[5:51] welcome and thank our
[5:54] Williamson County Sheriff's deputies who are here tonight,
[5:56] Officer Matt Smith and Officer Jason
[5:58] Curtis. Thank you for your service to
[5:59] our district and thank you for being
[6:01] here tonight. We would also
[6:02] like to welcome
[6:04] Boy Scout Troop 86. Could you please stand
[6:05] , gentlemen? Troop 86 is
[6:12] here tonight from Brentwood and
[6:14] they are working on their
[6:15] communication badge. So, welcome.
[6:17] Thank you for being here with us
[6:18] tonight. And I believe we also have
[6:20] some Summit High graduates who
[6:22] are enrolled at Columbia State.
[6:23] Future teachers, could you please stand
[6:25] to be recognized? Thank you for
[6:27] being here tonight. Thank you and
[6:33] welcome. They are here as part of
[6:35] their class project which they are
[6:36] working on at Columbia State University
[6:37] . Alright, to start off
[6:39] tonight, we'll stand for the Pledge of Allegiance
[6:41] led by
[6:43] Summit High School students
[6:44] Lyric Hudson and Owen Stratton.
[6:46] We will stand firm tonight.
[6:49] We will welcome the singing of
[6:50] our national anthem by the
[6:52] Summit High choir, and when they conclude
[6:54] , we will pause for a moment of
[6:56] silence. So, come closer, Lyric and
[6:59] Owen.
[7:05] Pledge allegiance
[7:06] to the flag
[7:07] of the United States of America
[7:09] and to the republic for which it stands,
[7:12] one nation
[7:14] under God,
[7:15] indivisible,
[7:16] with liberty and justice for all.
[7:49] Oh, can they see in the early light of
[7:56] dawn what we so proudly acclaimed in
[8:04] the last glimmer of twilight?
[8:08] Whose broad stripes and
[8:11] bright stars, through the perilous
[8:14] struggle, waved so gallantly over the walls we observed
[8:21] . And the
[8:27] red glow of the rockets, the
[8:29] bombs exploding in the air,
[8:35] proved throughout the night that
[8:41] our flag was still there. Oh,
[8:44] tell me, does that star-studded flag still fly
[8:48] for the land of
[8:57] the free and the home of the brave?
[9:17] Thank you. Please remain standing
[9:19] for a brief moment of silence.
[9:31] They can sit down. First on our
[9:38] agenda tonight is an annual item,
[9:39] the election of the president and
[9:41] vice president of our board of
[9:42] directors. So, to begin this
[9:45] process, I'm going to ask for nominations
[9:47] verbally. All nominations will be
[9:49] heard until we close the
[9:51] nominations. So, at this moment
[9:54] , I will ask you to open the
[9:56] nominations. Once I close the
[9:58] nominations, I will ask for your vote for
[10:00] president by voice call in a
[10:02] roll-call voting system that will be
[10:03] run by Lydia Glenn. We will begin
[10:07] that roll-call vote first by the
[10:08] first district and then proceed
[10:10] numerically until we have
[10:11] reached seven votes for our
[10:13] new chairman of the board.
[10:16] At this time, I would like to open the
[10:17] nomination process for the position of
[10:19] president of our board of directors
[10:21] for this academic year. Very good.
[10:28] Dr. Driggers?
[10:29] I would like to nominate Dr. Claire
[10:31] Reeves.
[10:32] We have a nomination for Dr.
[10:33] Claire Reeves, nominated by Dr.
[10:35] Driggers. Mr. Bostick? Does he have any
[10:42] nominations? No? Very good. The
[10:44] nomination period is still open. Any
[10:46] additional nominations? At this time,
[10:51] I will close the nominations and we will vote
[10:53] by district. Mrs. Glenn?
[10:56] Tony Bostick?
[10:57] Yes.
[10:58] Randy Allen?
[10:59] Yes.
[11:00] Dennis Driggers?
[11:01] Yes.
[11:02] Tracy Anderson?
[11:04] Yes.
[11:04] Margie Johnson?
[11:06] Yes.
[11:07] Kimberly Calcoat? Yes.
[11:09] Melissa Wyatt? Yes.
[11:11] Donna Clements? Yes.
[11:13] Claire Reeves?
[11:14] Yes.
[11:15] Jennifer Conine?
[11:17] Yes. Yes. Yes.
[11:22] We have 12 yes votes, zero no votes.
[11:25] Congratulations, Dr. Reeves. Come on.
[11:28] Let's take a moment. Let's give a round of
[11:29] applause to Dr. Reeves. We'll take a
[11:37] moment to have the chairs changed. The
[11:39] next item on the agenda
[11:40] will be the election of our
[11:42] vice president, for which we will let
[11:43] our new president lead the
[11:45] process. The process will work in the
[11:47] same way as the nominations and
[11:49] voting for the chairman of the
[11:50] board. In a moment, Dr. Reeves
[11:53] will open the floor for
[11:54] nominations for vice president.
[11:56] We will leave the floor open and
[11:58] then begin the voting.
[12:26] First, I would like to begin by
[12:28] thanking my fellow
[12:30] voting board members for that vote
[12:31] of confidence. I feel I had great
[12:36] respect for our outgoing chairman
[12:39] , Mr. Josh Brown, and I believe he provided
[12:41] strong leadership to this board and I
[12:44] look forward to following in his footsteps. Whenever
[12:48] there is a transition, five
[12:51] board members leave, and tonight we just
[12:53] installed five new members.
[12:55] I believe that change brings
[12:58] opportunity, and I know that each of
[13:00] the five new board members
[13:03] has unique backgrounds and experience
[13:05] , and I welcome the fresh
[13:07] perspective they will bring to this board
[13:09] . Therefore, what I hope to offer
[13:13] are efficient and respectful meetings.
[13:17] My goal is to keep this board
[13:20] focused on policy and
[13:22] governance, and to give everyone the
[13:24] opportunity to be heard.
[13:27] Thank you very much, and now we will return to the agenda
[13:29] . OK. The next
[13:33] item on the agenda is the
[13:35] election of the vice president of the
[13:36] school board. We will follow the same
[13:39] process that we just used for
[13:41] the position of president. Then,
[13:44] I will open the floor for
[13:46] nominations and we will hear the
[13:48] nominations until no
[13:51] more names are presented, and then we will hold an
[13:55] oral vote starting with
[13:57] district one and moving around the room.
[14:02] The floor is now open for
[14:03] nominating the vice president.
[14:06] I would like to nominate Margie Johnson,
[14:09] Dr. Johnson.
[14:17] Mrs. Calcote, you have the honor of being
[14:18] recognized.
[14:18] I would like to nominate Tonya Hickman. Are
[14:24] there more nominations? Well, since we don't see
[14:28] any, we'll close the nominations and
[14:30] proceed to the voting. Mrs. Glenn
[14:33] .
[14:34] Tony Bostick.
[14:37] And this is the person we'll be voting for
[14:38] , Margie, right? For this or...
[14:41] Please indicate the name of the person you would
[14:43] like to support.
[14:44] How will we do it? Very good, Margie
[14:45] Johnson.
[14:47] Randy Allen.
[14:49] Tanya Hibma.
[14:50] Dennis Triggers.
[14:51] Tanya Hibma.
[14:53] Tracy Anderson. Tanya
[14:54] Hibma.
[14:56] Margie Paget.
[14:59] Kimberly Calcoat.
[15:00] Tanya Hibma.
[15:01] Melissa Wyatt.
[15:03] Tanya Hibma.
[15:04] Donna Clements.
[15:05] Margie Paget.
[15:08] Claire Reeves.
[15:10] Tanya Hibma.
[15:12] Jennifer Cannine.
[15:13] Tanya Hibma.
[15:18] Jessica Lucian.
[15:20] Tanya Hibma.
[15:25] Nine votes for Mrs. Hibma and three
[15:28] for Dr. Paget.
[15:29] Very good. Congratulations to Ms.
[15:32] Hibma on being elected vice president.
[15:36] Now we will move on to topics of special
[15:39] public interest. This is our
[15:45] afternoon public commentary segment and I believe we have eight speakers
[15:47] registered. So I'll say we have
[15:51] 30 minutes allotted. Each person will have
[15:54] 3 minutes to speak. I will announce the
[15:56] names of the first three, and
[15:58] please come forward to the podium when they
[16:01] have finished speaking. If the
[16:03] first person has finished speaking,
[16:05] ask the second person to do so
[16:07] immediately to save time. The
[16:11] first three are Lily Graver, Ed
[16:15] Wagner and, oh, Lisa Schraufnagel.
[16:29] Should I start?
[16:30] Begin and pay attention to the time
[16:32] displayed on the screen. Thank you.
[16:36] I propose that
[16:37] Winston County and District schools ban
[16:39] books from school libraries
[16:41] and impose two censorships on
[16:43] newspaper articles and publications. Therefore,
[16:46] policy 4.43 states that
[16:48] Winston County supports the principles of
[16:49] intellectual freedom and recognizes the
[16:51] right of students to access
[16:53] different types of material, and that
[16:55] censorship of instructional material will be discouraged
[16:57] . However, his own
[16:59] track record proves otherwise. A
[17:01] couple of examples I mentioned were
[17:03] The Perks of Being a Wallflower, whose
[17:05] themes represented in this book are
[17:07] trauma, friendship, identity, and
[17:09] growth. In The Catcher in
[17:11] the Rye, isolation,
[17:13] survival, relationships,
[17:14] truth, and justice are shown. And Extremely
[17:16] Loud and Incredibly Close, it
[17:17] shows the pain, 9/11,
[17:19] war, and trauma. Thus, in 2023,
[17:22] it was decided to keep them in the
[17:23] school library, but in 2024 the decision was made to
[17:25] prohibit access to
[17:27] students in Williamston County schools
[17:29] . But I believe the
[17:33] purpose of having a library is
[17:35] that everyone can read books according to their
[17:37] own preferences, not according to what
[17:39] someone else censors, because everyone
[17:40] has a different idea of ​​what is
[17:42] comfortable and appropriate for
[17:44] students. And another thing I want to
[17:47] mention is that the Supreme Court
[17:49] addressed the removal of books from
[17:53] public school libraries in the case Board of Education
[17:55] versus Pico in 1982 and recognizes that
[17:57] students have
[17:59] First Amendment rights to receive
[18:00] information. And that removing books
[18:03] because officials disagree goes
[18:05] against
[18:06] constitutional concerns. And some of them
[18:08] would be Sarah J. Maas, The Hate U Give.
[18:11] All have been challenged for
[18:13] sexual content, and yet all were allowed to
[18:14] remain in libraries. And if
[18:17] you start framing them in terms of
[18:18] an adult audience, there would be nothing left
[18:20] to read. It's the story, not the
[18:22] activation warning. And then the
[18:25] other issue I want to mention was the
[18:27] ban on censorship of
[18:28] journalistic publications, which dates back
[18:30] to 2025. This shows that
[18:31] Tennessee already has situations where
[18:33] schools have restricted
[18:34] access because administrators
[18:36] deemed the topics
[18:37] inappropriate. The topics covered
[18:40] were birth control and the
[18:42] LGBTQ+ field, both fundamental to
[18:44] providing students with access to information
[18:45] . And not only are they prevented from
[18:47] reading a newspaper, but they are also
[18:49] prevented from accessing information on
[18:51] issues that directly affect them.
[18:53] It meant that they lost the ability
[18:55] to listen to different perspectives and
[18:57] form their own opinions.
[18:58] He conveyed the message that certain
[19:00] topics were not appropriate because they were
[19:02] controversial. And that has a
[19:04] greater effect on student journalists
[19:05] because it basically discourages them from
[19:07] reporting on issues in the future.
[19:08] Thank you.
[19:09] Next up is Ed
[19:17] Wagner.
[19:20] Good night. I didn't realize I
[19:23] only had 3 minutes, but I understand
[19:24] everyone has the same amount,
[19:26] so it's fair. To begin with, my
[19:29] experience was that I was a
[19:31] primary school teacher and school psychologist for
[19:32] more than 30 years. I am very
[19:35] familiar with
[19:36] public education. I really want to propose not
[19:40] just for this school district, but
[19:42] a regional vocational high school
[19:44] that covers
[19:46] Williamson County, Davidson County, and
[19:49] Maury County. In this way,
[19:53] we lose many gifted children
[19:57] who do not have the opportunity and are
[19:59] forced to go to university. I
[20:01] love university, it did a lot for
[20:04] me, but I'm not a very
[20:06] handy person. I lift the hood of a car and
[20:08] I could point to the engine, and that's about it
[20:09] in terms of my skill level.
[20:12] But I think it's very important and that there will
[20:15] potentially be a million
[20:17] jobs a year looking for people
[20:20] with those skills. Now, I know there is
[20:22] some vocational training
[20:25] in schools, but I mean
[20:27] licensed plumbers,
[20:29] licensed electricians, licensed welders,
[20:31] sheet metal workers, HVAC technicians,
[20:33] not just technology, but I do think
[20:35] technology is important in school
[20:38] . I hope I can convince some of
[20:41] you to meet with me and
[20:43] talk and explore how we could
[20:45] talk to the other districts. I don't
[20:48] mind doing a lot of grassroots work,
[20:50] but I truly believe, as a former
[20:52] educator and in the importance of
[20:55] education, that there are 132,000 children in these
[20:57] three districts. If you took 20%, you
[21:00] would be looking at more than 13,000 children whose
[21:06] needs we may not be meeting, and
[21:09] we could. Well, right now
[21:14] I'm hoping that Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook—
[21:17] I'm not a big fan of his, but he has the
[21:20] Workforce Academy, which tries to train
[21:24] people to work and create the
[21:27] new technological systems they
[21:30] want, or the A1, etc. AI, I should
[21:33] say. The president is starting
[21:37] one where they look to do internships,
[21:39] etc. But those programs could
[21:41] appear and disappear. They are not
[21:43] guaranteed. A vocational high school
[21:45] would be a constant.
[21:47] I would be there every year, every
[21:49] year, for the children who
[21:51] need it. I don't know how much time I have
[21:53] left. So I'll leave it here. I had a
[21:56] lot of information, but I couldn't give it to you right
[21:58] now. But I hope some of
[22:01] you are willing to sit down
[22:02] with me and talk about doing this. I think it would be a
[22:05] wonderful thing for the
[22:07] region and I think it would meet many
[22:08] needs of the children who are left
[22:10] behind. I'm going to tell you a
[22:12] quick story. I met a guy who was a
[22:13] plumber. He is 27 years old. He graduated
[22:16] from high school,
[22:17] unsure of what he wanted to do.
[22:19] After talking to her parents, she went
[22:20] to university. I'm
[22:21] sorry, Mr. Wagner. It's time. It's
[22:23] over. I'm sorry
[22:23] . Okay, thank you very much
[22:25] for your time.
[22:30] Next up is Lisa Schrouth
[22:32] Schrouthnegel. I regret having ruined
[22:34] his name. And after her we have
[22:36] Beverly Purvis followed by Emma Graw.
[22:38] Good night. Thank you all. My
[22:40] name is Lisa Schrouthnegel. I have two
[22:42] students who attend
[22:43] Thompson Station Elementary School. First,
[22:45] I want to thank you all for your work.
[22:46] We love Williamson County and
[22:48] the Thompson Station community. We
[22:50] moved here specifically because of the
[22:51] schools and their excellence. That's why
[22:53] I'm here to talk about what
[22:55] a reasonable expectation of
[22:57] bus transportation is. We have
[22:59] ongoing challenges specifically at Thompson
[23:00] Station. For the last 4 years,
[23:03] transportation was predictable. Whether it was their
[23:05] first or second trip in our
[23:07] area, students usually got back
[23:08] home by 4:20 p.m. m.
[23:10] Parents could plan their
[23:12] work days, childcare, appointments, and
[23:14] activities around a schedule they
[23:15] could rely on. However, since
[23:18] the first day of classes this year,
[23:20] that predictability has been
[23:21] completely diminished.
[23:24] My children's school is 1.4 miles from our
[23:26] house. Our original delivery time
[23:28] was 4:17 p.m. m. Then it changed to
[23:30] 4:42 p.m. m. Without explanation, we are
[23:32] simply supposed to
[23:33] accept it. It set us back 25
[23:36] minutes, almost half an hour. We were never
[23:38] notified of this new standard time. It
[23:40] is not unreasonable for a family to expect to
[23:43] know when their child will return home
[23:45] . I say this with privilege because I work
[23:48] from home. I can't imagine being a
[23:50] single mother who might work outside the
[23:51] home and trying to guess every day
[23:53] when her child will arrive, especially
[23:54] if he is a minor. The impact is real
[23:57] . Those young children wait at
[23:59] school long after
[24:01] dismissal time, as do the staff who
[24:02] look after them. Working parents can't
[24:05] just quit their jobs,
[24:06] join a line of cars at
[24:08] 3:30, and do this every time
[24:09] changes occur. It has been a continuous challenge and I
[24:11] cannot emphasize enough how
[24:13] difficult it has been. I imagine they
[24:15] have much more important things to
[24:16] do than this. That's why being here at
[24:18] the county board to address this
[24:19] issue is like making a mountain out of
[24:21] a molehill. Last Friday, a
[24:23] driver became ill and
[24:25] my children had to be picked up 4
[24:26] minutes before
[24:27] school started. Like many others, I decided to
[24:29] take them to school that day. But
[24:32] I went to the bus stop just to
[24:33] see what was happening, and the bus passed by
[24:35] without any students. So,
[24:36] many parents, again, simply
[24:38] made arrangements to take them to
[24:39] school themselves. It is a reflection of
[24:41] how families have
[24:43] completely abandoned a transport service that is
[24:45] owed to us as taxpayers in this
[24:46] area. After school that day,
[24:49] my children stayed in the cafeteria
[24:51] for almost an hour waiting for
[24:52] the bus to arrive. Illnesses
[24:54] happen, I understand. I have three
[24:56] deceased children who had been in
[24:58] daycare services. I understand. But that doesn't
[25:00] explain the unpredictability and the
[25:01] ongoing challenges and delays that
[25:03] I and many other families
[25:04] have faced since
[25:05] classes started 8 weeks ago. I have requested
[25:08] changes to our program. I have asked
[25:10] that we have different loads. They've given me
[25:12] excuses. There is a shortage of
[25:13] buses. There is a shortage of drivers.
[25:15] Again, I understand. What I'm asking is
[25:17] that they be held accountable for what they're
[25:18] doing about it. I haven't seen
[25:20] any information explaining that my
[25:22] bus is full, therefore, my
[25:24] route cannot be changed. I haven't given any
[25:27] data on how many drivers
[25:29] they need. Again, what's the plan
[25:31] for hiring them? When are
[25:32] our children expected to
[25:34] get home from school on time? They have not once
[25:35] arrived home on time.
[25:37] Thank you for your time. Thank you.
[25:48] Good night. I am Beverly Purvis and I
[25:49] have the privilege of serving as
[25:51] president of the
[25:52] Williamson County Education Association.
[25:54] Tonight, I want to ask you to
[25:55] carefully consider the vote
[25:56] before you regarding the
[25:58] superintendent search process. As you weigh up whether to
[26:00] spend district resources on
[26:02] hiring an outside search firm
[26:03] , I encourage you to consider a
[26:05] simple but important question. If we already have
[26:07] a qualified,
[26:08] reliable, and proven leader performing this
[26:10] role, why spend
[26:11] additional taxpayer money
[26:12] looking outside the district for someone
[26:14] who may be highly qualified
[26:15] but lacks the deep
[26:17] institutional knowledge that has
[26:18] helped make Williamson County Schools
[26:20] one of the
[26:21] top districts in Tennessee and across
[26:22] the country? Dr. Lee Webb is not
[26:25] an unknown candidate. It's not
[26:26] someone we would have to spend
[26:28] months getting to know, nor
[26:29] our schools, our staff,
[26:30] our students, our culture, or
[26:32] our community. She has been an
[26:34] integral part of the leadership team that has
[26:36] guided this district through years of
[26:37] growth and success. He understands what
[26:39] makes Williamson County schools
[26:41] exceptional because he has
[26:42] helped build that success. The
[26:44] reality is that leadership matters.
[26:47] The direction set by a
[26:48] superintendent ultimately influences
[26:50] every school, every
[26:51] educator, and every student in this
[26:52] district. Decisions made at the
[26:55] district level have a
[26:56] domino effect that eventually reaches every
[26:58] classroom. These priorities set by
[27:00] the district leadership affect the
[27:02] working conditions of
[27:03] educators, the
[27:04] learning conditions of our students, and
[27:06] the overall trajectory of our
[27:07] schools. And that is why the WCA has
[27:10] encouraged teachers and
[27:11] educational support professionals across the district
[27:13] to contact their
[27:14] representatives on the school board and
[27:16] share their perspectives on those
[27:17] decisions. Regardless of whether they
[27:20] support Dr. Webb as
[27:22] permanent superintendent or believe an
[27:23] outside search is necessary, we believe
[27:25] educators deserve to have a voice in this
[27:27] process. These are the people who
[27:28] experience the impact of
[27:30] leadership decisions every day
[27:31] . The decision is much more important
[27:34] than filling a position. This is about
[27:35] determining the future direction of
[27:37] schools in Williamson County. It's about
[27:39] deciding whether we continue
[27:40] building on the foundations that
[27:42] have made this district successful
[27:44] or whether we look for leadership and vision
[27:46] elsewhere. As board members,
[27:48] you have a tremendous responsibility
[27:50] tonight and we appreciate it. My
[27:52] request is simply that you listen
[27:53] carefully to the educators,
[27:55] staff, parents, and
[27:57] community members who have invested their
[27:58] lives in these schools. Don't
[28:01] just consider the qualifications on a
[28:02] resume, but also the value of
[28:04] experience, trust,
[28:06] relationships, and proven commitment to
[28:08] Williamson students. Thank you for
[28:10] your service, your careful consideration
[28:12] of this matter, and your continued commitment
[28:13] to the students and employees of
[28:15] Williamson County schools. We
[28:17] appreciate you guys.
[28:19] Thank you, Mrs. Burgess. Next up is
[28:25] Anne McGraw, followed by
[28:27] Tony Caudill and then
[28:29] Robin Baldry.
[28:30] Thank you. My name is Anne McGraw and
[28:33] first of all, I want to point out, just at random,
[28:35] how nice it is to see so many
[28:36] women sitting here. Brilliant! I am
[28:40] the mother of a former high school student
[28:41] and I'm only saying this part because it's
[28:43] incredibly relevant. I am a
[28:44] former member of the
[28:45] Williamson County School Board. It's been 8
[28:47] years since I sat here in
[28:49] Tracy's seat and I'm here to
[28:50] speak for the first time since then
[28:52] because this district is about to
[28:54] make a colossal mistake by not voting
[28:55] Dr. Webb for a permanent position.
[28:58] As someone who has been in
[28:59] Dr. Webb's professional orbit in
[29:01] one way or another since I first
[29:03] showed up at one of these
[29:04] meetings in 2014, here's what I know
[29:06] about her. He is excellent at his job. She
[29:09] is professional, fair, kind but
[29:11] firm, cares deeply about
[29:13] student outcomes, and is
[29:14] incredibly respected and loved by
[29:16] staff and parents. I also know
[29:19] that it scares me a little, in the best way
[29:21] . She always has the answers,
[29:23] is determined to find solutions, and
[29:24] , which is especially helpful for
[29:26] all new board members, will
[29:27] never make them feel remotely
[29:29] like idiots for asking a
[29:30] dumb question. But this is the most important thing
[29:32] tonight. I wouldn't even
[29:34] venture to guess about
[29:36] his political affiliation. I have no
[29:38] idea. Even better, it had never occurred to me to
[29:40] ask until now.
[29:43] It would be hard to find many
[29:44] people more in tune with the
[29:46] last decade of headwinds in politics
[29:48] than me, sad to say, and I don't even
[29:50] have any idea how I vote
[29:52] as a citizen. And that's what
[29:54] a professional looks like. Dr. Webb has been
[29:56] doing on-the-job training
[29:58] for this position for decades, which is what
[29:59] every organization dreams of when
[30:01] appointing a new leader. We don't
[30:03] need to spend a single dollar of
[30:04] taxpayer money to rewrite
[30:06] a succession plan that has been
[30:07] in the works for decades under the pretext that
[30:09] she is proving she has
[30:10] earned it. In fact, it has been crazy to
[30:13] even hear anyone mention the
[30:14] search for a superintendent who
[30:16] might lean in a
[30:18] political direction. I hope I misheard and that this isn't
[30:20] a factor in wanting to conduct an
[30:22] external search using
[30:23] taxpayer funds that are scarce at the
[30:25] moment. I don't know how many of you
[30:27] know this, but parents have to
[30:28] pay out of their own pockets for things like
[30:30] mowing the school lawn and
[30:31] buying blackboards and even
[30:33] new equipment for the teachers. I don't know how
[30:35] anyone could seriously justify
[30:37] spending money on private consultants
[30:38] when we have a very clear
[30:40] and qualified candidate, willing and able to
[30:41] dedicate even more years of her
[30:42] career to steering the ship. And to
[30:44] be clear, this is not a
[30:46] sinking ship. We are at the
[30:51] top of the rankings in every
[30:52] aspect of the state, and Dr. Webb has
[30:54] played a vital role in getting us
[30:55] here. And if there's one thing I
[30:57] know about her, it's that she's ready
[30:58] to exceed expectations as the
[31:00] leader of
[31:01] our county's crown jewel. Ask some
[31:04] teachers what needs fixing here and
[31:05] what they could dedicate all their
[31:06] attention and energy to this year. Or to the
[31:09] parents, the bus idea is a
[31:10] great idea. I agree with that. I would have
[31:12] loved
[31:13] reliable bus transport. But I can promise you
[31:16] that the one thing that doesn't need fixing
[31:17] is replacing Dr. Webb. Thank you.
[31:30] Very well, good night. My name is
[31:32] Tony Cardile. Both of my children
[31:34] graduated from Williamson County schools
[31:35] . I have followed the
[31:37] district closely for years. And two
[31:39] years ago I applied for a position on
[31:41] this board. Tonight I ask you to
[31:44] vote against spending up to
[31:45] approximately $100,000 to
[31:46] hire a company to conduct
[31:48] the search for a superintendent
[31:50] . I understand the argument in favor of the
[31:52] search. They have the important
[31:54] responsibility of ensuring that we
[31:56] have the right person in
[31:57] charge of our schools. But we already
[31:59] have a highly
[32:01] qualified leader acting as
[32:02] interim superintendent. I don't know
[32:05] Dr. Webb personally, but I've
[32:07] seen her work for years. She is a
[32:10] very well-informed person, always
[32:12] prepared, understands this district
[32:14] and this community, and has demonstrated the
[32:15] qualities we should desire in
[32:17] our superintendent. When WCS
[32:20] needed an interim superintendent,
[32:22] the previous board of directors elected her
[32:24] unanimously. Therefore, I would like to
[32:26] ask you a very simple question.
[32:29] Before spending up to $100,000 of
[32:31] taxpayer money and months of
[32:33] your time and the administration's time
[32:34] looking for someone else
[32:36] , why not first determine if
[32:38] the highly qualified person who
[32:40] is already doing the job is the
[32:42] right person to continue doing it?
[32:45] Every year, this district fights for the
[32:47] funding needed to support
[32:49] our schools. Finding $100,000
[32:52] in the budget doesn't mean
[32:53] we have to spend it. Evaluate
[32:57] Dr. Webb, decide what you expect from your
[32:59] next superintendent, and determine
[33:02] if she meets those expectations. If
[33:05] they conclude that they don't, then consider
[33:07] conducting a
[33:08] search. But please, answer
[33:10] that question first. I urge you to
[33:13] vote against hiring
[33:14] a search firm tonight.
[33:15] Thank you.
[33:18] Next is Robin
[33:21] Baldridge, and after Robin Baldridge
[33:23] is Becca Ripley.
[33:35] Thank you. My name is Robin Baldridge.
[33:37] I live on Arno Road in Franklin. I have been a
[33:40] resident of Williamson County
[33:41] for almost 26 years and all three of my children
[33:43] are proud graduates of
[33:44] Williamson County schools.
[33:46] I wish to thank each member of
[33:48] our school board for their service and
[33:50] welcome those who have
[33:51] joined us to serve our county. I
[33:54] also believe that Dr. Webb has done
[33:56] a wonderful job stepping up
[33:57] during this time of
[33:58] transition following Jason Golden's departure
[34:00] as superintendent. I
[34:02] sincerely appreciate your many years of
[34:03] service to Webster County.
[34:05] Really. That said, I support
[34:07] conducting a
[34:08] thorough search for our next
[34:10] superintendent. At the end of that
[34:12] process, Dr. Webb could very well
[34:14] be the person selected. But I think it would be
[34:17] a disservice to conduct an
[34:19] open and thoughtful search, and
[34:21] frankly, I think it would be a
[34:23] disservice to Dr. Webb herself. Because
[34:26] for many years Jason Golden
[34:28] faced criticism because
[34:30] a formal search was not conducted before
[34:32] the board appointed him to the position
[34:34] . Out of an abundance of caution and with respect for everyone
[34:38] involved, including Dr. Webb,
[34:41] I believe it is important that we follow a
[34:43] careful and transparent process
[34:45] during this time. And again,
[34:48] Dr. Webb may ultimately be chosen
[34:50] as our next superintendent,
[34:52] but conducting a search will give
[34:54] the community a chance to have confidence
[34:56] in the process. Thank you very much for your
[34:59] time.
[35:11] Hi, I'm Becca Ripley and I have a
[35:12] middle school student in Grassland and
[35:14] a high school student in
[35:16] Franklin. Hello. Well, let's
[35:19] welcome all the new members.
[35:21] Thank you so much for serving our
[35:23] community and our students. We
[35:25] all appreciate it very much.
[35:28] We currently have an outstanding interim superintendent
[35:29] , Dr. Webb. Dr. Webb's 22 years of
[35:32] advancement within the WCS educational and
[35:34] administrative system have
[35:36] provided her with
[35:40] unique and vital institutional and historical knowledge that would benefit us if she
[35:42] were to take up this position
[35:44] permanently. While it is quite possible that there is
[35:46] no more qualified candidate
[35:48] than our Dr. Webb, and we have her
[35:50] track record right in front of us,
[35:52] and we have this fortuitous opportunity to
[35:54] generate leadership from within,
[35:56] we could still have a
[35:58] competitive and hopefully
[35:59] transparent search process without spending our hard-
[36:01] earned WCS funds
[36:03] on an unnecessary external search firm
[36:05] . For example,
[36:08] Wilson County hired a new
[36:10] superintendent this year, and they received
[36:12] applications from all over the country without
[36:14] paying a recruiter. As a parent of
[36:18] Williamson County schools
[36:20] and a
[36:21] county property and sales tax payer,
[36:23] I find this superfluous expenditure
[36:24] disappointing, discouraging, and
[36:26] frankly frustrating. That
[36:29] search team money could and should be
[36:31] spent on our underfunded schools
[36:32] instead of
[36:34] redundantly lining the pockets of an
[36:36] Illinois corporation whose
[36:37] closest partner to Williamson County
[36:39] is southeast of Huntsville.
[36:41] People all over Tennessee know about this
[36:43] vacancy right here in our county,
[36:45] and there will be no shortage of applicants. Even
[36:48] without the delightful possibility
[36:50] of Dr. Webb's interest in making
[36:52] her temporary position permanent, an
[36:54] exhaustive and expensive search is
[36:56] simply unnecessary. Thank you.
[37:00] so much. Thank you all
[37:06] again for taking the time to be
[37:08] here with us this afternoon and
[37:09] share your feedback. Right now, we will
[37:12] move on to the approval of the
[37:14] agenda. Board members, we will do it
[37:16] by oral vote.
[37:21] Basically, they've reviewed the
[37:23] agenda. Everyone in favor, say yes.
[37:26] Anyone against it? Very good. With that,
[37:29] we have approved the agenda. Next,
[37:32] approve the
[37:34] consent agenda. On the
[37:37] consent agenda, we approved the minutes of the
[37:39] August 17, 2026 school board meeting
[37:41] , the
[37:43] Fairview High building modification request, the
[37:45] band shed, field trip fees,
[37:47] and board policy on second
[37:49] reading 6.415 regarding
[37:51] applied behavior analysis with
[37:53] private payment within
[37:55] school institutions. We will also hold an
[37:58] oral vote to approve the
[38:00] common agenda. Does anyone have any questions
[38:02] about the
[38:03] consent agenda? OK. Very well,
[38:07] since there is no discussion, all those who
[38:09] are in favor of approving the
[38:11] consent agenda, say yes.
[38:14] Anyone against it? Very well, we have
[38:17] approved the
[38:18] consent agenda. Now, we move on to
[38:22] communications with the board with the
[38:23] report from the superintendent, Dr.
[38:25] Webb.
[38:26] Thank you, Madam President. First,
[38:27] I want to thank those who came
[38:29] this afternoon and spoke about the
[38:30] audience's comments. In case you didn't
[38:32] know, at the top of the well,
[38:34] around the center, are
[38:36] all our
[38:37] assistant superintendents from all the
[38:39] Williamson County Schools departments.
[38:41] As public comments come in
[38:43] , they take into careful consideration the topics
[38:45] presented for discussion and the
[38:47] concerns raised.
[38:48] Therefore, in addition to contacting
[38:50] you individually after
[38:51] this meeting, we will also analyze
[38:53] the issues you have raised and
[38:54] ensure we follow up
[38:56] with the board regarding them. A
[38:58] perfect example is our
[39:00] bus and transport department. We continue
[39:02] working on our routes and on the
[39:03] recruitment and retention of our
[39:04] bus drivers. It's something we're
[39:06] constantly working on, so we'll keep
[39:09] you updated on it as well. I also want to
[39:10] thank the students who come to
[39:12] speak. It's very stressful. I can speak
[39:15] from my own seat. Sometimes it's
[39:16] stressful sitting in these
[39:17] seats. But to be a student and
[39:19] step forward and get up on the podium to
[39:21] share something you're passionate about, I just
[39:23] want to congratulate you on your leadership and
[39:24] thank you for being here tonight
[39:26] . And while we continue with
[39:30] our superintendent's report, I just want to
[39:32] share with you my vision for
[39:33] this year regarding our
[39:35] school visits. And, obviously, one
[39:38] of the things I do as
[39:39] superintendent is go in and out of
[39:40] school buildings and classrooms. And
[39:42] this academic year, I made the
[39:44] decision to visit classrooms and
[39:45] schools based on the groups. And
[39:48] for the past 6 weeks, I've
[39:49] been in the Spring Hill group at
[39:51] Thompson's Station and at the schools
[39:52] that feed into Summit High School. And
[39:55] those have been
[39:56] phenomenal conversations and a great
[39:58] learning experience about each group, from
[40:00] kindergarten through 12th grade. On
[40:02] those visits, I have the opportunity to
[40:03] talk with bus drivers,
[40:05] students, staff, teachers, and
[40:06] leaders. They've been pretty phenomenal
[40:09] . Therefore, each month we will highlight the
[40:12] group I have just visited. And this month,
[40:16] in our working session,
[40:18] we celebrated and recognized
[40:20] Thompson Station Elementary,
[40:23] Allendale, Bethesda, and Chapman's Retreat schools
[40:26] . They came to our work session
[40:27] and our students became
[40:29] teachers and taught us a few
[40:30] things. Some of the things they
[40:32] taught us on Thursday night
[40:34] were the mission statement.
[40:35] Our board members have
[40:37] a copy of
[40:38] Bethesda's mission statement. They wanted them to make sure they
[40:40] remembered what they had been
[40:41] taught. We won't have an exam, don't
[40:43] worry, but they showed us their
[40:44] mission statement. We had
[40:46] groups of students who
[40:47] showed us art projects and
[40:49] replicated the process that their teachers
[40:51] had followed to teach them about
[40:53] art and create art. We learned about the
[40:55] books the students were
[40:56] reading as they prepared for the
[40:58] Elementary School Book Battle. It was
[41:00] a wonderful evening and we want to
[41:02] thank the directors, especially
[41:04] Tiffany Dukes from Thompson Station,
[41:06] Anthony Johnson from Allendale, Karen
[41:08] Caldwell from Bethesda and Michelle
[41:10] Hummel from Chapman's Retreat. It was a
[41:11] great experience and the students
[41:13] did a fantastic job. It was
[41:16] great to celebrate them. As part of that
[41:19] group, we celebrated a great practice we
[41:21] saw there, which was the Golden
[41:23] Mentors. We would like to highlight a program that takes
[41:26] place in our
[41:28] primary schools, where grandparents and
[41:29] retirees return to our schools
[41:31] as volunteers and participate in
[41:32] our reading program and
[41:34] volunteer with our
[41:35] students. It was great to hear about
[41:38] that great program that's going on
[41:39] . And of course, tonight,
[41:41] before this meeting, we highlight
[41:43] our high schools. Spring
[41:45] Station was here and we heard a
[41:47] great broadcast from our
[41:48] student broadcasters, the
[41:50] Thompson Station Middle Orchestra, the
[41:51] Summit High School Corrale, and of
[41:53] course, they joined us tonight
[41:55] with some beautiful music. So
[41:57] we want to thank those students
[41:59] for being here and their principal Sarah
[42:00] Lamb, Paula Waits and Jason Loudon
[42:02] for their respectful support of those schools
[42:04] . One of the questions I ask when
[42:06] I'm in the building, no matter
[42:08] who I'm talking to, is, "What do you
[42:10] love about this school? What makes
[42:12] your school community unique as a
[42:14] student, as a teacher, as a
[42:15] bus driver?" Therefore,
[42:17] I want to share with you some of
[42:19] the words that were
[42:20] constantly repeated to me in this group. What
[42:23] students, teachers,
[42:25] staff, and leaders love is the sense
[42:27] of community, the people, the pride, the
[42:30] relationships, the hearts of the
[42:31] people who lead in those buildings.
[42:34] And it was a great experience to feel the
[42:37] culture alive and well in that
[42:39] kindergarten up to grade 12 within
[42:41] that group. Therefore, I want to
[42:43] especially thank our
[42:45] leaders from those schools who are in
[42:46] the room tonight. Thank you for your
[42:48] leadership. Thank you for the culture you
[42:50] build. I would like to ask you to stand
[42:52] to receive
[42:53] recognition if you are here as
[42:54] directors in that group tonight.
[43:05] Thank you for your leadership. I see that
[43:07] we have many principals and teachers
[43:08] here. If you are a teacher or leader in
[43:10] Williamson County, could you
[43:11] also stand up? Thank you for
[43:22] being here. As I continue with my
[43:25] report, I want to remind our
[43:27] community that we are beginning the
[43:29] process of adopting our
[43:30] social studies textbooks, as well as
[43:32] adopting some
[43:33] select courses for career
[43:35] and technical education. And that process begins
[43:38] tonight. We will sign and finalize the
[43:40] committee that will begin that process in
[43:43] the coming weeks. In the coming
[43:47] months, from December to February,
[43:48] we will have approximately 99 hours of
[43:50] community time where
[43:52] community members can come and review
[43:54] those materials. You can see those dates
[43:57] and the timeline for the
[43:58] full adoption of the
[44:00] social studies textbooks. You can see it in
[44:02] our board package, which is
[44:03] on our website. Next year
[44:06] , for 2027-28, we will have the
[44:08] fine arts adoption process and some
[44:10] additional CTE courses, but this
[44:11] year is for social studies and some
[44:13] additional courses there. I would like to
[44:16] give special thanks to
[44:18] our entire Careers and
[44:19] Technology Department. As Mr.
[44:21] Wagner shared in his public comment, you
[44:23] know, we prepare our
[44:24] students for Careers and Technology
[44:26] and opportunity for all
[44:28] walks of life when they cross
[44:29] our stage, whether they go
[44:31] directly into the job market, to a
[44:33] specialized trade, to a
[44:34] community college, to a 4-
[44:36] year university, it is important that we have
[44:37] pathways for every student. And
[44:40] we highlighted those pathways
[44:42] last week in the State
[44:43] of the Schools address we did in
[44:45] partnership with Williamson Inc. And
[44:47] our CTE leaders, Jeremy Qualls
[44:49] , Paula Chilton, and Chris Snyder,
[44:50] led that in our Center for
[44:52] Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and
[44:53] our students did a
[44:55] fantastic job telling the
[44:57] story of what
[44:58] that education is like inside our classrooms
[45:00] as we prepare for
[45:02] those pathways. Well, we want to give
[45:05] special thanks to those leaders.
[45:07] And since tonight we're highlighting
[45:09] Summit High School, one of the
[45:10] student presenters was Adler
[45:12] Smith, a junior at
[45:13] Summit High School, who is an
[45:15] entrepreneur in her own right and runs
[45:16] her own sportswear business, and
[45:18] has been part of our
[45:20] entrepreneurship program since she was in
[45:21] middle school at Thompson Station.
[45:23] So, we also want to say hello to her. I'd
[45:26] also like to introduce
[45:28] everyone to Sam Jackson, who is here.
[45:30] He is our new board lawyer and
[45:31] this is his first school board meeting
[45:33] . So we want to
[45:34] officially welcome Sam.
[45:36] Thank you.
[45:36] Yes, welcome. And now, I'd like to
[45:39] hand the floor to the fabulous Corey
[45:41] Mason from our
[45:43] Communications Department. Welcome, good sir
[45:45] .
[45:46] Thank you, Dr. Webb, and good night
[45:48] everyone. We have a great group of
[45:50] Spotlight Award winners
[45:52] tonight, including four
[45:54] national champions. We'll start with three of the
[45:58] students who won gold medals
[46:00] at the National Special Olympics
[46:02] last summer, including Delaney
[46:05] Heflin from Franklin High School
[46:07] . You see her here, she's on the
[46:09] right with the gold medal hanging around her
[46:11] neck and a big smile. She won the
[46:13] gold medal in the
[46:15] unified women's doubles
[46:17] pickleball competition. I am very proud of her
[46:20] . And pickleball must be a
[46:22] regular thing at Franklin High School
[46:23] because Rogan Rivers, a
[46:26] Franklin High School student, also competed there. He
[46:27] is on the right and won the
[46:29] traditional doubles
[46:31] pickleball competition, earning the
[46:33] gold medal. Congratulations to him. And then there's
[46:36] Kimley Wood, from
[46:38] Ravenwood High School, whose
[46:39] favorite sport is swimming. He won a
[46:41] gold medal in the
[46:44] 4 x 25 yard freestyle relay. Congratulations
[46:47] to them. And continuing with the topic of
[46:49] athletics, at Page High School
[46:51] , their athletic department
[46:53] is doing great things. In fact, they just
[46:56] received the
[46:58] Quality Program Evaluation Designation
[47:00] from the National Association of
[47:04] Interscholastic Sports Administrators. Guys, this is
[47:07] very important. They are one of
[47:10] only two schools in the state of
[47:12] Tennessee to have earned this
[47:14] designation, which is awarded to programs
[47:16] that have exceptionally
[47:18] high standards in the areas of operations,
[47:20] leadership, and safety. The
[47:23] athletic director at Page High School
[47:25] is Benji Gray, and he's doing a great
[47:27] job. Next, we have
[47:30] some state championships that we would
[47:32] like to acknowledge. At
[47:34] Page High School, the Future
[47:36] Farmers of America program is doing
[47:38] extremely well. The students you
[47:40] see here, Grace Snyder, Sam Hatch,
[47:42] Ben Delvin, and Scarlett Hendrickson,
[47:44] won first place in the
[47:48] high school dairy judges competition
[47:50] during the summer at the Tennessee State Fair
[47:52] . In fact, this is the
[47:54] second year in a row that they have won this
[47:55] competition. So they're right
[47:57] at Page High School,
[47:59] where their teacher is Tommy Green.
[48:02] Not to be outdone, Page High School
[48:03] also has an
[48:05] exceptional FFA program. In fact, they have just
[48:07] received the
[48:09] national designation of three-star chapter
[48:11] , which is the highest rating
[48:14] a chapter can achieve in the
[48:16] world of FFA. In fact, this is the
[48:18] third consecutive year they have received
[48:19] this designation. The teacher is
[48:22] Shanna Botella. We talked a little while ago
[48:25] about Page and the great work they are
[48:27] doing in the world of athletics.
[48:29] Well, this is proof of that.
[48:31] We would like to share with you some
[48:32] highlights of our staff. James
[48:34] Ickoff, from Page High School, has just been
[48:36] named the TSSAA Coach of the Year
[48:39] in girls' golf. Congratulations
[48:41] to him. And then Dana Fassano is the
[48:45] girls' lacrosse coach of the year at Page High School. At
[48:49] Independence High School, Luke Finley is
[48:52] seen there wearing the gray t-shirt.
[48:54] He received the
[48:56] TSSAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year award
[48:58] . And then Indy's rival,
[49:03] Summit High School, Warren Reiker, who
[49:05] did a great job at Summit, was
[49:06] named volleyball coach of the year
[49:08] , where he worked and helped the
[49:09] team win a state championship
[49:11] last year. And then our last
[49:15] highlight of the night, guys,
[49:17] is really special. We went to the
[49:19] archives and found a new photo
[49:21] of Harriet Medlin. If they know her, they
[49:23] adore her. Harriet retired
[49:25] last year after 57 years in the world
[49:28] of education. She continues to be a
[49:30] coach, continues to change lives, and continues to
[49:32] do great work in the world of
[49:34] public speaking and debate. Well, the
[49:37] Tennessee High School Speech and Drama
[49:40] League, the THSSDL, let me
[49:42] double-check the name, presented her with
[49:44] a lifetime achievement award this
[49:46] summer for all the work she has
[49:49] done over the years. And
[49:52] not only that, they also went a step
[49:54] further. They gave him the award and,
[49:56] later, decided to name it after him
[49:58] . So, from now on
[50:00] , it will be known as the
[50:02] Harriet Medlin Lifetime Achievement Award.
[50:05] Congratulations to Harriet and congratulations
[50:07] to all our outstanding winners
[50:09] this month.
[50:12] Thank you, Mr. Mason. And Madam
[50:14] President, with this my
[50:15] report concludes.
[50:16] Thank you so much. Okay, the next item on the
[50:19] agenda is the president's report
[50:20] . There is no report from the
[50:22] chairman of the board tonight, so we will
[50:24] move on to new business. The
[50:26] first item on the new agenda is the
[50:29] textbook adoption committee's approval for the adoption of
[50:31] social studies in March. I was going to say
[50:34] Mr. Dr. Webb.
[50:36] Thank you, Madam President. Okay,
[50:38] our first memorandum for your
[50:40] approval here is a point of
[50:41] contention regarding the textbook committee
[50:43] . And again, you will see here that it is
[50:45] for social studies and in the areas
[50:47] of professional and technical education,
[50:49] human services, and administration and
[50:51] entrepreneurship. This includes our
[50:53] teachers, parents, and
[50:54] our school board members who will act
[50:56] as our representatives on this
[50:57] committee. As a reminder, all
[50:59] board members are ad
[51:01] hoc members of the committee, but are not
[51:02] voting members, including Ms.
[51:04] Tanya Hibner, who will act on the
[51:06] committee because you, as the board,
[51:07] have the final vote. Therefore, they are
[51:09] voting members in the end with
[51:11] regard to the materials and their
[51:13] adoption. This is the committee I
[51:15] recommend and I recommend its approval.
[51:18] Very good. Thank you so much. Do we have a
[51:22] motion? Yes, okay. I see a
[51:24] motion by Ms. Calcoat and one
[51:26] seconded by Donna Clements. Now, the
[51:29] floor is open for discussion on
[51:31] this point. Very good. Since there is no
[51:37] debate, we will proceed to the vote.
[51:49] 12 in favor, zero against.
[51:53] And with this, the
[51:54] textbook adoption committee for the
[51:56] adoption of social studies in March is approved
[51:58] . Moving on to the next point, the
[52:01] approval of the collaborative conference team
[52:03] , Dr. Webb.
[52:04] Thank you, Madam President. WCS is
[52:07] in the second year of a
[52:09] three-year memorandum of understanding with WCEA, and TCA
[52:11] stipulates that we must conduct an
[52:13] annual review of pay,
[52:14] grievance procedures, benefits, and
[52:17] working conditions. So, this
[52:19] is your chance to vote to approve
[52:22] this committee. We have asked Ashley
[52:24] Slaughter to chair this committee this
[52:26] year in our
[52:27] Human Resources Department. As many of
[52:29] you know, this is a committee I
[52:30] have chaired before, so
[52:31] we are grateful to Ashley for
[52:33] stepping up to lead it.
[52:34] I recommend its approval.
[52:37] Thank you, Dr. Webb. I see we have a
[52:39] motion from Ms. Wyatt and one
[52:41] seconded by Ms. Kenneine. And now
[52:43] the floor is open for
[52:45] debate. Very well, since there is no debate,
[52:51] we will proceed to the vote.
[52:59] is 12 in favor and
[53:00] zero against.
[53:02] And with that, we have approved the
[53:05] collaborative conference team's approval. The next
[53:08] item on the agenda is the
[53:10] approval of the board's parameters
[53:12] for the 2027-28 school calendar
[53:13] . Dr. Webb.
[53:15] Thank you, Madam President. This is an
[53:16] annual voting point. The
[53:18] school board has the opportunity, before
[53:20] we begin the
[53:22] calendar process for the next
[53:23] school year, to set the
[53:25] calendar parameters if they so wish. In
[53:29] recent years we have not voted on
[53:31] any parameters and have simply
[53:33] allowed our
[53:34] calendar committee to listen to our comments
[53:36] through debate and take them into
[53:38] account as they do their work
[53:40] and report on those
[53:41] feedback points rather than going
[53:43] ahead with the parameters. I noted
[53:46] in our working session that
[53:48] we had three talking points
[53:50] from the board that we requested the
[53:52] committee to consider. The first is
[53:55] the commemoration of September 11th
[53:56] so that this day is added to the
[53:58] calendar. The second was the
[54:00] consideration of early dismissal days
[54:01] for the primary to
[54:03] discuss them with respect to a
[54:04] transition to Fridays. And the third
[54:07] was a consideration of the dates on
[54:09] which we have elections and how we conduct
[54:11] school, whether we should be
[54:12] open or closed, taking
[54:14] careful consideration with regard to
[54:15] election days. Those are the
[54:18] three points of discussion that,
[54:20] beyond any parameters, they will take
[54:22] and move forward with. As you know, this
[54:25] is a committee that I have chaired for
[54:27] the past 8 years, and some of the
[54:29] things I want you to know that this
[54:30] committee does annually,
[54:32] regardless of its parameters,
[54:33] is that its number one goal is to
[54:35] ensure that we have the best
[54:36] possible educational calendar. And that's why
[54:40] they rely, of course, on all the
[54:41] policies of the state and local board,
[54:44] but that's the first objective they
[54:45] discuss. They aim for a balance of days
[54:48] in each quarter. They review the
[54:50] start and end dates,
[54:51] breaks, and attendance data as they
[54:53] pertain to them. They review
[54:55] local and national election days and holidays
[54:57] , and they review feedback
[54:59] from the board and our
[55:01] school community. I don't have a recommendation
[55:04] for them to proceed with the
[55:05] parameters, but of course, that's
[55:07] a decision and a motion they can
[55:09] make this afternoon.
[55:11] Thank you, Dr. Webb. I see a motion
[55:14] by Mrs. Hidema and one seconded
[55:16] by Mrs. Kelso. Any
[55:19] discussion? Yes, Mrs. Wyatt.
[55:24] Thank you, Madam President. I believe
[55:26] we also discussed in the
[55:27] working session, I think Dr. Padgett
[55:29] mentioned the continuation of the two
[55:31] years we would have with the
[55:33] school calendar. If we could continue with
[55:34] that, I think our families would
[55:36] really appreciate it. Thank you.
[55:42] Very well, since there are no further discussions,
[55:44] we will proceed to the vote. Well, what
[55:55] we will vote on is that there are no parameters
[55:58] for the 2027-28 calendar, just to
[56:01] make that clear.
[56:08] There are 12 votes in favor, zero against.
[56:11] Very well, we have approved that there will be no
[56:14] parameters for the 2027-28 school calendar
[56:16] . Moving on to the approval of the
[56:19] calendar committee composition
[56:21] , Dr. Webb.
[56:22] Thank you, Madam President. As
[56:23] you will see here, we have our
[56:24] calendar committee that is ready to
[56:26] begin its work without parameters. And
[56:28] I recommend its approval. Jenny Lopez
[56:30] will chair this committee.
[56:35] Very well, I see a motion from Dr.
[56:36] Driggers and one seconded by Ms.
[56:38] Wyatt. Does anyone have any points to
[56:41] discuss? Okay, since we didn't see any,
[56:46] we voted to approve the composition
[56:47] of the calendar committee.
[56:56] The vote is 12 in favor and
[56:57] zero against.
[56:59] Thank you, and we have approved the
[57:01] calendar committee. Moving on to the
[57:03] approval to renew the
[57:05] interim superintendent's contract. Oh,
[57:08] I'll lead the discussion on this.
[57:10] So, we had our
[57:12] district general counsel, Seth Wilson,
[57:14] amend the contract based on
[57:17] our conversation at the
[57:19] work session. Well, you'll see that it now
[57:22] includes, uh, specifies that
[57:24] Dr. Webb's tenure will not be
[57:27] affected if she returns to her position as
[57:29] assistant superintendent of
[57:32] high schools, and we will also pay
[57:34] her entire cell phone bill
[57:36] that will be reimbursed to her as
[57:38] regards work use. So,
[57:40] those two changes have been made.
[57:43] We have a motion in Dr. Driggers' room
[57:45] , seconded by Mr.
[57:46] Bostick. Are there any other discussions
[57:48] related to that? Well, since we didn't see
[57:53] any, we were going to vote to approve
[57:55] her interim superintendent contract
[57:58] .
[58:04] Vote: 12 in favor, zero against.
[58:08] And with that vote, we have approved the
[58:10] interim superintendent's contract.
[58:13] Now, we move on to the approval of the
[58:14] superintendent search firm
[58:16] . So, we discussed this too;
[58:19] we had an intense discussion in the
[58:21] working session. And where we left off
[58:24] is that you are all welcome to
[58:26] make a motion to discuss
[58:28] anything you wish to discuss
[58:30] related to the search process
[58:32] . Well, I see we have a motion
[58:36] from Mr. Allen and one seconded by
[58:38] Ms. Calcoat. The floor is yours, Mr.
[58:41] Allen. I
[58:42] suppose I would like to recommend that
[58:44] a motion be put forward to
[58:46] hire the search firm
[58:48] Zeal Education to search for a
[58:50] superintendent for next year. I'm
[58:54] going to repeat the motion to make it
[58:56] clear. Therefore, it proposes hiring
[58:59] Zeal Education Group as a
[59:01] search firm.
[59:03] Correct.
[59:03] For the search for the superintendent.
[59:05] Correct.
[59:06] Okay. Mrs. Kennan Kennard.
[59:12] Yes, I want to start a conversation
[59:15] about that. Obviously, I wasn't sure
[59:18] what Mr. Allen was going to propose,
[59:23] but I personally would be
[59:25] interested in proposing that the board not
[59:28] hire any of the
[59:30] private companies. However, if we are going to have
[59:35] that conversation, I suppose what
[59:38] I would like to request, before voting,
[59:41] is that each board member disclose
[59:44] for the public record whether they have
[59:46] any personal, professional,
[59:49] financial, employment, or any other
[59:52] type of relationship, current or past, with HYA
[59:54] Associates or Zeal Education Group. I would
[59:59] also ask members to
[1:00:01] disclose any such relationship
[1:00:02] with an owner, employee,
[1:00:03] consultant, associate, or any other
[1:00:05] representative acting on behalf of
[1:00:06] any of the companies. And the reason I
[1:00:10] ask that is because I know
[1:00:12] that one of these proposals,
[1:00:13] specifically Zeal's, came
[1:00:14] before this board was appointed. And I
[1:00:17] 'm not sure how it got to
[1:00:18] us. I'm not sure how
[1:00:19] any of the
[1:00:20] proposals from the private company reached us.
[1:00:22] Therefore, I would love to have a
[1:00:23] conversation about how
[1:00:25] these proposals came to the board before
[1:00:27] the board casts any vote,
[1:00:29] as well as about the disclosure of any
[1:00:31] possible relationships that may exist.
[1:00:34] OK.
[1:00:36] Well, I'll talk about how Zeal, Zeal, the
[1:00:40] Jeff Melendez guy, proactively submitted the proposal
[1:00:43] . I believe it was
[1:00:47] originally sent to Mr. Galbraith.
[1:00:50] knew he was going to leave
[1:00:52] the board. So he asked Mr.
[1:00:54] Melendez to send it to me. At that
[1:00:57] time I shared it with Mrs. Farmer
[1:01:01] and Mr. Jackson. And I asked them
[1:01:05] both if we needed a request
[1:01:07] for quotation or a request for
[1:01:10] proposals or a request for
[1:01:12] qualifications, to which they both
[1:01:14] replied no because it was
[1:01:17] professional services that the board was
[1:01:19] seeking. So that's how
[1:01:23] Zeal came about. I would like to ask the
[1:01:27] other board members present
[1:01:29] if they wish to consider
[1:01:32] disclosing any conflicts of
[1:01:34] interest; I suppose that's how
[1:01:36] I would phrase it. So I'll open a
[1:01:38] debate about that. I mean, I
[1:01:41] have no conflict of interest. I did
[1:01:42] not know Mr. Melendez. So,
[1:02:02] wait.
[1:02:03] Say it again. I
[1:02:04] just want to make sure we have
[1:02:07] a second motion from Mr. Allen. No,
[1:02:10] I saw that you seconded the motion, but it was
[1:02:12] before he made the motion
[1:02:14] . So I wanted to make sure. I've got you
[1:02:16] .
[1:02:16] You ended up being second.
[1:02:18] Ah, okay. There you have it.
[1:02:20] But, but fine. Well,
[1:02:21] there's a second one in the room.
[1:02:22] Yes, now that I know what it is, of course.
[1:02:24] Thank you. That's all I had. I'm sorry
[1:02:28] . Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, I did
[1:02:29] n't mean to...
[1:02:31] we had one.
[1:02:31] Yes. Well, what we're discussing
[1:02:34] is that Ms. Cannine has asked if
[1:02:37] any other board members
[1:02:38] wish to disclose whether they have any
[1:02:40] conflicts of interest with any of the
[1:02:42] search options that are on the table. I'll make it
[1:02:46] clear that I won't. Mrs. Anderson.
[1:02:55] Yes, first of all, I would like to
[1:02:56] thank Ms. Cannine for that
[1:02:58] excellent idea. I think it's a great
[1:03:01] idea. And if I say that I wasn't aware
[1:03:05] of this company before it was
[1:03:07] presented to the entire board. I have no
[1:03:11] connection with any of these
[1:03:13] people. Yes, but it's good to know.
[1:03:20] Who's next? Miss
[1:03:22] Lucian.
[1:03:25] Similarly, I think it's a good point
[1:03:26] to mention, but I had never heard
[1:03:28] of any of the
[1:03:30] private companies before receiving these
[1:03:31] proposals.
[1:03:32] Miss Wyatt. Or, sorry,
[1:03:34] Miss Kelcode.
[1:03:36] I'm in the same situation. I have no
[1:03:37] personal or professional relationship
[1:03:39] with them. My first introduction to
[1:03:42] Zeal Education Group was when it was
[1:03:44] presented to the board of directors.
[1:03:46] Miss Wyatt.
[1:03:47] I don't have a
[1:03:49] professional or personal relationship with them either. Can we
[1:03:51] also know how we received
[1:03:54] proposals from HYA and TSBA?
[1:03:57] Clear. The previous board of directors
[1:03:59] had discussed TSBA as an option
[1:04:01] . And we know very well that TSBA
[1:04:03] provides those services and we are
[1:04:05] members of TSBA. So I
[1:04:08] contacted TSBA as well because I
[1:04:10] realized they were going to be a
[1:04:12] lower-priced option. So, they sent us
[1:04:15] an application and then I asked Mr.
[1:04:17] Meléndez to name a
[1:04:20] major competitor of his company, and he said HYA and
[1:04:23] that he used to work for them, so he
[1:04:25] knew them. So, when I did
[1:04:29] a search, they were always one of the
[1:04:30] top companies mentioned
[1:04:32] for superintendent searches. And I
[1:04:35] also knew they would be at the
[1:04:37] top end. So, the goal
[1:04:40] was to have a lower-priced option
[1:04:41] , a mid-priced option, which
[1:04:43] was Yeager, and a higher-priced option
[1:04:45] . And as we all know, there are
[1:04:49] many different options, but I felt
[1:04:53] that three was kind of a
[1:04:56] standard number and yes, asking for more proposals
[1:04:59] could sometimes make
[1:05:02] decision-making more difficult. So.
[1:05:10] Miss Padgett or Dr. Padgett,
[1:05:12] sorry. You
[1:05:14] can call me Margie. I
[1:05:17] 'm getting used to Padgett too. Thank you
[1:05:20] for asking that question. I hadn't heard
[1:05:23] of any of the companies
[1:05:25] except TSBA, and that's because we
[1:05:26] were members before
[1:05:28] the proposals came to us.
[1:05:32] And Mrs. Clements?
[1:05:33] Thank you, Madam President. I just
[1:05:35] want to point out that I hadn't heard
[1:05:37] of Zeal or HYA until they
[1:05:40] arrived in our package, and of
[1:05:42] course I did know about TSBA.
[1:05:47] Mrs. Hima?
[1:05:50] Yes, I haven't heard of HYA or
[1:05:52] Zeal, but I also reflected a bit
[1:05:55] on why we're doing this
[1:05:57] nationwide search, so I wrote
[1:06:00] some comments that I'd like to
[1:06:02] share before making that proposal.
[1:06:07] I think it's important to ask
[1:06:08] why we are requesting this
[1:06:09] national search. I believe our
[1:06:12] interim leadership preserves the stability of
[1:06:14] our district this year,
[1:06:15] but also gives our community
[1:06:17] a real voice in setting the
[1:06:18] future direction of
[1:06:20] Williamson County schools. The election of
[1:06:23] a chief executive officer is arguably
[1:06:26] the most consequential vote that
[1:06:28] a school board casts. And it's not a place
[1:06:31] for convenience or taking shortcuts
[1:06:33] . Our job is
[1:06:36] fiduciary oversight. To demonstrate to our
[1:06:38] contributors and our families
[1:06:40] that our next superintendent
[1:06:42] survived the toughest,
[1:06:44] broadest, and most validated market possible. And this
[1:06:47] process is not just about collecting
[1:06:48] resumes. Williamson County schools
[1:06:51] are at the top
[1:06:53] of the state rankings, which means that
[1:06:55] status quo thinking is our
[1:06:58] biggest enemy. A
[1:07:01] real national search partner provides us with
[1:07:03] structured community insights to
[1:07:05] manage rapid growth and
[1:07:07] budgets. Oh I'm sorry.
[1:07:10] Structured
[1:07:12] community information to define the
[1:07:14] exact leadership profile we need right now
[1:07:16] . And Zeal offers this profile of
[1:07:19] people, and some of those examples
[1:07:20] would be someone who could manage
[1:07:23] growth and budgets or
[1:07:24] someone who connects
[1:07:27] district operations to run smoothly
[1:07:28] or who plans
[1:07:30] ahead for the future needs
[1:07:32] of the community. Those are just three of
[1:07:35] the different people who share
[1:07:39] with the community. And there are also many
[1:07:41] opinions from the community that I know
[1:07:44] our community wants. We need
[1:07:47] someone who will not only maintain a
[1:07:49] top ranking in the state,
[1:07:50] but also compare us to
[1:07:52] national excellence, while keeping
[1:07:54] daily operations stable for
[1:07:56] our students and faculty. That
[1:07:59] is the diagnostic rigor we
[1:08:00] need. And while I
[1:08:03] deeply appreciate the vital advocacy and
[1:08:06] multifaceted support that TSBA
[1:08:08] provides to our district year
[1:08:10] after year, a mandate of this magnitude
[1:08:13] requires a partner with a singular
[1:08:15] and absolute focus on executing our
[1:08:18] search. And of the three companies we
[1:08:21] interviewed in our
[1:08:23] working session on Thursday, I also recommend
[1:08:24] partnering with Zeal Education Group to
[1:08:26] help us achieve this. Thank you.
[1:08:30] Mr. Bostick. Yes, I've never heard
[1:08:33] of any of the
[1:08:33] search companies either, so I have no
[1:08:34] conflict of interest. I assume this
[1:08:39] is also covered by our official conflict of
[1:08:40] interest disclosure, correct? Well, I
[1:08:43] 'm not sure about this
[1:08:44] additional audience. Dr. Triggers.
[1:08:50] Like everyone else, I didn't know about
[1:08:51] the other two companies until a few
[1:08:53] days ago, when we received the package. HYA
[1:08:55] conducted an exhaustive search on
[1:08:57] them. HYA faces serious
[1:09:00] legal challenges over some of its
[1:09:02] hiring practices. The only
[1:09:06] superintendent they've hired in
[1:09:09] Tennessee was Shelby Memphis a few
[1:09:12] years ago, a couple of years ago. Okay.
[1:09:17] That's all for me. The other is Zeal, a
[1:09:20] small company that they can
[1:09:23] adapt to. Okay. But they have never
[1:09:27] hired a superintendent in
[1:09:29] Tennessee. So, what it leaves me with is
[1:09:34] the TSBA. The day after Jason
[1:09:38] announced his resignation, I called the
[1:09:41] TSBA and said, "What the hell do we
[1:09:43] have here? They've dumped this on us." And
[1:09:48] I spoke with Ben Torres, the deputy director,
[1:09:50] and with his legal advisor. OK
[1:09:53] ? We talked about the new statute that
[1:09:58] Tennessee has. Nobody has mentioned the
[1:10:01] hot topic here. The
[1:10:05] Tennessee legislature has given
[1:10:07] school districts a new way to specifically search for a
[1:10:09] superintendent. It's never been
[1:10:14] tried, not in Tennessee, as far as
[1:10:17] Sam is concerned, help me with this. I
[1:10:21] don't think any other state is
[1:10:23] using
[1:10:24] Tennessee's new superintendent search, although
[1:10:26] the idea might be floating around
[1:10:28] . So it's never been done before. If we
[1:10:33] do that, the TSBA has already drafted the
[1:10:36] template. They've already figured out how we would do it
[1:10:39] . We would be the first district in the
[1:10:42] state of Tennessee to use the
[1:10:45] new law to find a
[1:10:46] superintendent. I mentioned in the
[1:10:50] work session that if we are the
[1:10:52] spearhead and the first
[1:10:54] district to use the first
[1:10:57] new law that the legislature gave us, yes,
[1:11:01] there will be problems to solve because
[1:11:04] we will be the first. And no matter what we
[1:11:07] do, someone isn't going to be
[1:11:09] happy. I don't mind. Let's go
[1:11:13] back. Sam, I'm putting you in a
[1:11:16] tight spot again. You have collaborated in the
[1:11:18] searches for superintendents in the
[1:11:20] state of Tennessee.
[1:11:21] Yes sir.
[1:11:22] And you've worked with the TSBA on some
[1:11:25] of those searches.
[1:11:26] Yes sir.
[1:11:27] Okay. The TSBA would do it faster and
[1:11:32] for much less money, and it's the only
[1:11:36] firm that knows how to hire a
[1:11:40] superintendent if the board accepts
[1:11:44] Tennessee's new law. Nobody else knows
[1:11:48] how to do it. OK? And the TSBA
[1:11:53] has hired 30 superintendents in
[1:11:55] the state of Tennessee in the last
[1:11:57] 5 years. I haven't heard any
[1:12:00] problems with those 30 new registrations. So,
[1:12:04] for those reasons and maybe some others
[1:12:06] , if you asked me, I would support the
[1:12:11] TSBA for those reasons. Now, we can
[1:12:15] discard this second part. Nobody
[1:12:19] knows Williamson County better
[1:12:22] than the TSBA. Nobody knows the
[1:12:26] school district better than Dr. Webb. Spot. They do
[1:12:30] n't exist. You're not going to go anywhere
[1:12:32] in the other 49 states and find
[1:12:34] someone who's better or
[1:12:36] smarter than what we already have. And
[1:12:39] we pay our TSBA membership fee, which was
[1:12:41] established by the legislature to
[1:12:42] help school districts. And they
[1:12:46] are there to help us. So I
[1:12:49] say let's give them a chance. That
[1:12:52] 's all. I don't know where that leaves us with
[1:12:55] the motions, but
[1:12:56] hey, we're still debating.
[1:12:58] OK. OK.
[1:12:59] Mrs. Cannine. Well, I
[1:13:01] just wanted to echo
[1:13:03] Dr. Driggers' statements
[1:13:06] regarding the TSBA. As I mentioned
[1:13:09] before, I personally would be inclined
[1:13:10] not to vote for either of the two
[1:13:12] private firms. So, if that's what we
[1:13:16] 're putting to a vote, my
[1:13:18] vote would be no. I have no objection to
[1:13:21] considering the TSBA, and I have no objection
[1:13:23] to considering Dr. Webb's appointment
[1:13:24] , but I just wanted to put that on
[1:13:25] record during our discussion.
[1:13:30] Dr. Padgett.
[1:13:33] In the working session, one of
[1:13:36] our concerns with the TSBA was
[1:13:38] whether they could conduct a
[1:13:39] nationwide search. So, I contacted
[1:13:42] Ben Torres on Saturday, and they are indeed conducting
[1:13:45] a nationwide search. He
[1:13:48] shared with us that they have networks where
[1:13:50] they can post
[1:13:52] job offers. He mentioned some
[1:13:56] states: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho,
[1:13:58] Illinois, Indiana, etc. They also
[1:14:00] partner with consultants in 38 other
[1:14:03] states. And then another question I
[1:14:06] asked them was, well, in how many counties
[1:14:12] in Tennessee have you conducted searches
[1:14:14] comparable to ours or
[1:14:16] larger? Well, they did searches in
[1:14:18] Sumner County, they had 15
[1:14:20] applicants, eight of them from out
[1:14:21] of state. In Rutherford, seven
[1:14:23] applicants, one from out of state.
[1:14:25] In Clarksville-Montgomery, they had
[1:14:26] some applicants from out of
[1:14:28] state. In Knox County, they had
[1:14:29] some out-of-
[1:14:30] state applicants. And one thing that really
[1:14:33] impressed me about the TSBA was their
[1:14:34] two-year warranty. So, if the
[1:14:36] superintendent were to leave within
[1:14:39] two years, they would conduct the
[1:14:40] search again free of charge. And so far
[1:14:43] , in those four large counties I
[1:14:45] mentioned, the superintendents
[1:14:47] are there. My other concerns
[1:14:50] with search companies, you know
[1:14:52] , I have 30 years of experience in
[1:14:55] education. I have worked in three
[1:14:57] different states, and each state has
[1:14:59] a very different education law. And when we
[1:15:03] conducted a nationwide search, we still
[1:15:05] wanted someone who was well-
[1:15:08] versed in Tennessee state law.
[1:15:11] Because, as I said, every time I went to
[1:15:15] a new state, I had to figure out,
[1:15:16] "Okay, what are the laws here and
[1:15:18] how do I operate?" And the last thing I want to
[1:15:22] warn you about regarding
[1:15:24] educational consulting firms is that they have their
[1:15:27] network, but often people have to
[1:15:30] attend their events or pay their
[1:15:32] fees to be part of that network. And
[1:15:36] one of my concerns is that
[1:15:38] we'll get someone who keeps
[1:15:40] rising through the ranks in different
[1:15:43] districts and that with that process... So I'm
[1:15:46] going to vote against Zeal. Very
[1:15:51] well, Mrs. Anderson. I
[1:15:56] just wanted people to know that,
[1:15:58] at first, when I was looking for
[1:15:59] search companies, I had
[1:16:00] different doubts. They had an
[1:16:06] extraordinarily expensive company. Um, where uh, not only was its base level high, uh,
[1:16:12] but also the additional cost you
[1:16:15] could incur was also
[1:16:17] high. And that made it seem like, uh, I
[1:16:21] couldn't say for sure if it would be worth it
[1:16:24] . Now, I had some
[1:16:27] doubts about Zeal until I was
[1:16:29] advised to get in touch and
[1:16:32] talk to Mr. Malendez myself
[1:16:35] . And these are the things that
[1:16:38] stood out to me if we decided to do
[1:16:41] that. The people in charge of
[1:16:45] the search and who are in charge of
[1:16:48] our account have been
[1:16:50] superintendents. So, for every
[1:16:54] candidate they analyze and send to us,
[1:16:57] these are analyzed by four or five
[1:17:00] actual school district superintendents
[1:17:03] . So, while I'm very
[1:17:06] good in my experience, I couldn't
[1:17:08] tell you who the best person in
[1:17:10] this particular group is without a certain
[1:17:13] amount of reasonable guidance.
[1:17:16] Some other things he mentioned, and
[1:17:19] this is something I think is very
[1:17:22] important, is that part of this
[1:17:24] consultancy involves engaging
[1:17:27] the community to provide their
[1:17:30] opinions on what the
[1:17:32] priorities are for a superintendent. The
[1:17:38] previous superintendent was appointed
[1:17:40] without much input from the community
[1:17:43] . I have no complaints against the
[1:17:47] previous superintendent, but something I
[1:17:49] 've heard time and time again is that there were
[1:17:51] some people who probably would have
[1:17:53] preferred someone with an
[1:17:55] academic background. Those people
[1:17:58] should be able to make their voices heard.
[1:18:01] People in
[1:18:04] special education departments and parents who
[1:18:06] have such children should be able to make
[1:18:08] their interests and concerns heard.
[1:18:14] Bus drivers should be
[1:18:16] able to... If we don't have a system in
[1:18:18] place where we can take
[1:18:21] community opinions into account,
[1:18:23] then I personally believe we
[1:18:26] 're not serving the community in the
[1:18:28] best way. The other thing, and I appreciate
[1:18:32] all the information you sent us, I
[1:18:35] wanted to say that it is the
[1:18:38] stakeholders who make me tip
[1:18:41] the scales in favor of hiring a
[1:18:45] medium-sized search firm
[1:18:48] . In fact, I also
[1:18:51] contacted one of the references
[1:18:53] after speaking with him and said, "
[1:18:55] Well, I'm not sure about this." He said to
[1:18:58] speak with the superintendent
[1:19:00] about the search we had conducted
[1:19:02] in South Carolina. And she...Here's
[1:19:07] something interesting about that
[1:19:09] particular community: they're south of Charlotte,
[1:19:11] so even though they're in
[1:19:13] North Carolina, they have middle-class people, they
[1:19:17] actually have a lot of
[1:19:18] students from the local Indian reservations
[1:19:20] . They had many students from
[1:19:26] other communities who are more...
[1:19:28] what's the best way to put it? These were
[1:19:30] disproportionately lower-income communities
[1:19:34] , and they used to have
[1:19:37] school board meetings with 500 people in which they
[1:19:39] very clearly expressed the
[1:19:41] concerns they had about what had
[1:19:43] been a bankrupt district. In the
[1:19:47] end, they managed to unite the entire community
[1:19:49] because the community felt
[1:19:51] that they were being heard. According to what
[1:19:55] this lady said, they got the
[1:19:58] Tribal Leadership Group Council,
[1:20:01] the council, the NAACP, and Moms for Liberty to
[1:20:05] agree, and I was
[1:20:08] speechless. And the reason he
[1:20:12] said that is because of the expert who came
[1:20:14] during the entire week in which they
[1:20:16] have community meetings. I can
[1:20:19] tell you that I don't feel qualified
[1:20:21] to have these community meetings
[1:20:24] with this opinion from the community, and
[1:20:26] for me, the opinion of the community
[1:20:28] is very important. Finally, I want to
[1:20:31] thank the community for the feedback we
[1:20:33] 've received, the email support
[1:20:35] , the calls for
[1:20:37] fiscal responsibility, and I want to
[1:20:38] highlight the excellent
[1:20:40] interim superintendent and candidate, Dr. Webb.
[1:20:44] I want to ensure that this search
[1:20:45] includes a process in which Dr.
[1:20:47] Webb is considered within the pool
[1:20:49] of candidates and fairly evaluated
[1:20:51] alongside them. When
[1:20:53] the final candidate is selected, this
[1:20:55] process will validate that they are absolutely
[1:20:58] the best person for the job and
[1:21:00] will create a foundation of legitimacy. A
[1:21:02] search can fail in two ways.
[1:21:04] You can hire the
[1:21:06] wrong candidate and that becomes obvious quickly, or you
[1:21:08] can fail to clearly define the
[1:21:09] job parameters within the
[1:21:11] community, and that's also a failure, just a
[1:21:13] more subtle one. Finally,
[1:21:17] regarding cost, the minimum cost of the
[1:21:21] TSBA is $15,000. Therefore, it
[1:21:23] is not zero. They don't do the
[1:21:26] community outreach work we
[1:21:27] 're talking about here. They don't have
[1:21:31] staff whose job is to find
[1:21:33] candidates. The other company says it
[1:21:37] will conduct criminal,
[1:21:39] financial, DMV, and
[1:21:41] media checks on the candidates they
[1:21:43] screen for us. The TSBA doesn't do
[1:21:47] that. And this other company is at around
[1:21:53] 50,000 plus maybe a small
[1:21:55] amount for travel expenses. An
[1:21:58] excellent superintendent will make up for
[1:22:01] that difference in no time. Out of a
[1:22:05] budget of $500 million, this
[1:22:08] cost is 1/10,000 of one percent
[1:22:13] of the budget. So that's what I
[1:22:16] wanted to say about it, and
[1:22:18] I'll vote for Zeal.
[1:22:21] Thank you, Mrs. Padgett, Dr. Padgett.
[1:22:24] Well, I'm glad you
[1:22:25] mentioned that TSBA does engage with
[1:22:28] voters because they hold meetings with
[1:22:30] them. They also conduct surveys and
[1:22:32] said they would give us a few
[1:22:33] more days if we felt it was
[1:22:35] necessary. For me, the big difference
[1:22:40] between TSBA and Zeal is that Zeal has
[1:22:42] some advantages. They have the people
[1:22:45] and they have a control panel. TSBA
[1:22:49] has committed to holding meetings and
[1:22:55] surveys with voters and then
[1:22:57] providing us with the data. And now, with
[1:23:00] survey data or
[1:23:02] survey tools, it's not
[1:23:03] difficult to take that data and
[1:23:05] turn it into a kind of
[1:23:07] dashboard. Zeal costs $48,000,
[1:23:13] plus travel expenses. None
[1:23:15] of them live here. So if
[1:23:17] they come here for a week,
[1:23:19] how many people do they send each night, including
[1:23:24] food, flights, and hours? Yes, it's now
[1:23:29] $48,000. However, what
[1:23:32] will the final bill be? Well, and you
[1:23:35] know, I'm very conservative when it comes to taxes,
[1:23:38] so I'm always worried about money.
[1:23:42] That's all I have for now.
[1:23:43] Okay, Dr. Triggers. Once
[1:23:45] again, I'm back with Mr. Jackson.
[1:23:49] Given their personal and
[1:23:51] professional knowledge, having worked with the
[1:23:54] TSBA on so many searches, they have bought
[1:23:57] at three levels: $5,000, $10,000 and
[1:24:00] $15,000. The $15,000 fee
[1:24:03] is the platinum level, and I believe that
[1:24:06] includes community meetings and
[1:24:08] outreach. Someone said they don't do
[1:24:11] that. Yes, they do. So, uh, that's
[1:24:14] true. The
[1:24:15] understanding is that
[1:24:19] they will put on the website whatever we
[1:24:21] tell them to put on the website, which is what
[1:24:23] we are looking for. And if we choose
[1:24:27] the 15,000 program, then they
[1:24:29] will come to Williamson County and
[1:24:32] help establish it. We haven't really
[1:24:36] gotten that far. I think everyone
[1:24:38] wants the community's opinion,
[1:24:40] okay? Everyone wants the
[1:24:42] community's opinion. I don't know if Dr. Webb would
[1:24:45] apply for the position or not. Don't
[1:24:48] answer that. But if he does,
[1:24:51] he would be on equal footing with
[1:24:53] other applicants, and would then either
[1:24:55] succeed or fail based on his track
[1:24:57] record. And I think that's all we
[1:25:02] can ask for.
[1:25:06] End of my comment.
[1:25:08] Thank you. Mrs. Anderson.
[1:25:11] Just one last thing. I just wanted to
[1:25:14] point out that
[1:25:20] Zeal's primary business model is to take
[1:25:22] superintendents and find them, and their
[1:25:25] primary business model is to
[1:25:28] engage the community. And they're also
[1:25:33] doing
[1:25:35] leadership profile development training and
[1:25:37] bias training
[1:25:40] for the board, and other things like that. This
[1:25:43] is a very important decision. And
[1:25:45] I want to make sure that people
[1:25:48] whose primary job is not
[1:25:54] interpreting the law in Tennessee,
[1:25:55] which is very, very important, but who
[1:25:57] are not recruiters, who are not
[1:25:59] superintendents, and that's the only thing
[1:26:01] that makes me a little nervous about the
[1:26:02] TSBA. I'll be happy with whatever
[1:26:06] the board chooses, but since I've done these
[1:26:08] additional interviews, I wanted
[1:26:10] people to know.
[1:26:13] Mrs. Clements.
[1:26:14] Thank you, Madam President. First
[1:26:17] I had a question for Sam. Could you
[1:26:23] help and guide us with this new
[1:26:27] Tennessee state law? Because that was
[1:26:30] one of the attractive things about TSBI,
[1:26:32] that they know the law, but can they
[1:26:34] make sure we stay in
[1:26:36] our lane? I
[1:26:38] can try, but here's what I'll
[1:26:40] tell you, which I think everyone has
[1:26:42] pointed out, the new law, we'll be the
[1:26:44] first to... So let's walk
[1:26:46] together on the ice. But yes,
[1:26:49] ma'am, I'd be happy to help you
[1:26:51] overcome it and give you my best idea of
[1:26:53] how it would work.
[1:26:54] Good. Thank you. Secondly
[1:26:56] , I think that was the only thing we saw
[1:26:58] when we analyzed the TSBA model, they
[1:27:00] only had one day to communicate. I know they
[1:27:03] said they'd be back for more,
[1:27:04] but for me, what makes Zeal
[1:27:06] more appealing is that it offers a
[1:27:08] much greater amount of
[1:27:10] community interaction. I think that's very
[1:27:13] valuable in this situation. I
[1:27:17] was also doing some research today, I went into a
[1:27:20] little bit of a topic and a little bit about how we
[1:27:22] 've done
[1:27:24] superintendent searches in
[1:27:27] Wilmington County in the past, and I saw that
[1:27:29] we put a limit on a firm that we
[1:27:31] put in place years ago, like a couple of
[1:27:34] decades ago, but we did limit travel
[1:27:37] and assignment. So I think
[1:27:40] we could have some framework for that,
[1:27:42] especially with video and Zoom, to be
[1:27:44] able to have some meetings where we do
[1:27:45] n't have to incur a lot of
[1:27:47] travel expenses. It's just an idea. And
[1:27:50] finally, I just want to say that,
[1:27:53] although I know we're thinking about
[1:27:56] making it a public or
[1:27:58] search company, that doesn't disqualify, what
[1:28:01] great work, Dr. Webb. I mean,
[1:28:03] Dr. Webb is currently doing
[1:28:05] an interim job, and it's been fun
[1:28:07] having a front-row seat to watch
[1:28:09] you in this role. And I know you'll be a
[1:28:11] strong contender. So I just
[1:28:13] want to assure the community that I
[1:28:15] know you will shine in this position, and we
[1:28:17] look forward to working alongside
[1:28:18] you and seeing you perform in this
[1:28:20] new role throughout this year,
[1:28:22] sir.
[1:28:24] Mrs. Calcote. I
[1:28:27] just wanted to second
[1:28:29] Mrs. Clements' comments. One of the things I
[1:28:31] deliberately asked TSBA on
[1:28:33] Thursday afternoon was how much time they
[1:28:35] give us to receive feedback from the
[1:28:38] community. And in the plan, there's only one
[1:28:40] day, whereas with Zeal, we have
[1:28:42] a whole week of
[1:28:44] solid community feedback, including
[1:28:47] public assemblies, Zoom calls,
[1:28:49] the ability to survey our
[1:28:51] community, and, you know,
[1:28:53] community forums. It's simply a
[1:28:56] more robust approach to ensuring that all
[1:28:58] stakeholders in our community—
[1:29:01] parents, teachers,
[1:29:03] community leaders, and any
[1:29:05] contributors—can have a say. And then,
[1:29:08] the other thing that... That's why I think
[1:29:10] Zeal is the best option, because I don't
[1:29:13] think that by choosing HYA we'll get
[1:29:15] stronger
[1:29:17] community feedback or more services that
[1:29:19] justify the extra money. Another
[1:29:23] thing I know is
[1:29:24] constantly mentioned is the fact that it is
[1:29:25] a new law. This is the first
[1:29:28] time a school district has used the
[1:29:30] new law. For Zeal and HYA, and
[1:29:34] obviously my vote is for Zeal, but
[1:29:37] one could argue that Zeal has
[1:29:40] more experience than TSBA or us
[1:29:43] because they have conducted
[1:29:46] confidential and public searches. So,
[1:29:49] whether it's Tennessee law or another
[1:29:51] state law, because they travel all over the US,
[1:29:53] they have more experience than any
[1:29:55] of us in these kinds of searches.
[1:29:58] I believe their guidance will be
[1:29:59] crucial to ensuring that
[1:30:01] we comply with the law and that this process
[1:30:08] is transparent. We are receiving the
[1:30:10] most feedback from the
[1:30:12] community and are accountable to
[1:30:13] our internal candidate to
[1:30:15] ensure that everything is
[1:30:16] transparent. Therefore, I believe that
[1:30:18] in order for us to conduct our
[1:30:20] due diligence as a board, it is
[1:30:22] really important that we hire
[1:30:24] a firm that has experience in
[1:30:25] this area, especially if
[1:30:27] we decide to use this new approach
[1:30:29] under the new law.
[1:30:32] Mr. Bostick.
[1:30:35] Yes, regarding the cost
[1:30:38] , I understand that Rachel
[1:30:39] was discussing that topic
[1:30:41] last Thursday. It might put you in a
[1:30:45] difficult position, Rachel. I'm sorry. But you
[1:30:48] had given us a rough estimate of
[1:30:50] how far we were going to get there. Because I think there's
[1:30:53] a misconception that we're
[1:30:55] asking for additional funding or
[1:30:57] taking money from other
[1:30:59] resources to pay for it, or whatever. And
[1:31:02] that's not the case, right?
[1:31:07] Correct. So, there were funds for
[1:31:09] the superintendent position, funds
[1:31:11] for the assistant
[1:31:12] high school superintendent that were in the
[1:31:13] budget that you all voted for.
[1:31:16] The agreed-upon salary for the
[1:31:18] interim superintendent was less than
[1:31:20] the superintendent's budget. And
[1:31:23] then there's also money left in that
[1:31:25] assistant superintendent line.
[1:31:28] So, that's where the
[1:31:29] money to cover it will come from.
[1:31:32] Whoever they end up voting for
[1:31:34] next month, we will introduce a
[1:31:35] resolution to move the money from a
[1:31:37] payroll line to a
[1:31:39] contracted service line. But we weren't going to
[1:31:42] do that until we knew how much
[1:31:44] money, or how much estimated money,
[1:31:46] needed to be moved. So, if the
[1:31:48] money is not spent, if it is moved, every
[1:31:50] time money is not spent, and this is
[1:31:51] true for any
[1:31:52] budget line, it will be transferred to the
[1:31:54] balance of funds at the end of the year. We can't
[1:31:56] just move or spend
[1:31:58] money on anything else. It will
[1:32:00] always depend on you how
[1:32:02] the funds can be spent if
[1:32:04] a change is made.
[1:32:05] OK.
[1:32:06] Can you give us a rough estimate of
[1:32:08] what that is?
[1:32:09] It was one hundred thousand dollars, Thank you. Yes,
[1:32:15] I believe it is important to make it
[1:32:16] clear to everyone the
[1:32:18] exact origin of that money in
[1:32:20] question. Also, I'm undecided
[1:32:26] between TSBA and Zeal. I'm leaning towards Zeal.
[1:32:30] I think everyone has given very
[1:32:32] good arguments about this. But I know I'm
[1:32:34] totally in favor of
[1:32:36] doing a real search. And that's
[1:32:40] because I think it's the fairest thing for
[1:32:44] Lee. Lee is amazing. I have
[1:32:49] thoroughly enjoyed my time on the board
[1:32:51] getting to know Lee, and especially
[1:32:53] since he took on this new role, he has
[1:32:55] impressed me greatly so far. But
[1:32:59] I want you to know that if you receive this
[1:33:01] position, you have received it on your own
[1:33:04] merits and it was not given to you because it was
[1:33:06] the easiest and cheapest thing to do.
[1:33:10] I believe we also owe him that
[1:33:12] confidence in his work. It's incredible. I
[1:33:15] fully believe that. Never, but if
[1:33:17] everyone else believes it too,
[1:33:19] we should allow her to continue the
[1:33:21] process and defend herself. And that's all I have to
[1:33:23] say about it
[1:33:25] .
[1:33:26] Thank you. Mrs. Connine, you have all the
[1:33:28] recognition. I
[1:33:29] just wanted to thank Ms.
[1:33:33] Anderson for mentioning the fact that
[1:33:35] Zeal uses current
[1:33:37] or former superintendents as part of its
[1:33:39] search process. I'm not sure if
[1:33:44] anyone investigated the people
[1:33:45] appointed to our
[1:33:47] search team. I sought out the people on
[1:33:50] our search team because that's just the way I
[1:33:52] am as a person. And I think it's worth
[1:33:57] noting that none of the
[1:33:59] senior associates who would be part
[1:34:01] of our search had trouble-
[1:34:02] free superintendent careers
[1:34:04] . In fact, one was
[1:34:06] sued by his state for not
[1:34:07] implementing the curriculum
[1:34:08] correctly. That was Dr. David
[1:34:10] Myerschough, who is one of the
[1:34:11] main associates of our
[1:34:13] Zeal search team. And Dr. John
[1:34:16] Barrile or Briel, whichever is his
[1:34:18] correct name. He faced a
[1:34:22] vote of no confidence from his district
[1:34:23] during his term, two years after
[1:34:25] deciding to resign and dedicate himself to
[1:34:27] higher education and work at a
[1:34:29] university. I think that's something
[1:34:32] worth mentioning. I respect their choice to
[1:34:35] use
[1:34:36] superintendents. I recognize that it's a
[1:34:38] job that can only be understood if it's
[1:34:40] actually been done, right? But I
[1:34:42] also think it's worth
[1:34:43] asking who these
[1:34:45] superintendents are. I don't believe that the fact
[1:34:48] that they have superintendents on their
[1:34:49] teams automatically implies that they
[1:34:51] are more qualified than the TSBA. I
[1:34:54] also wanted to state that I think it's
[1:34:55] absurd to imply that the
[1:34:57] TSBA has no experience in these
[1:34:58] searches. They have literally performed
[1:35:00] 30 in the state in the last 5 years
[1:35:01] . Well, and not just the
[1:35:03] small districts, as they pointed out with the
[1:35:05] information sent today. Therefore, I
[1:35:06] just want to make sure we all
[1:35:07] keep that in mind. I believe that
[1:35:09] implying that the TSBA does not have this
[1:35:11] experience is simply a fallacy.
[1:35:14] But I would like to highlight the
[1:35:15] superintendent's concerns
[1:35:16] regarding the particular search team
[1:35:17] that was assigned to us.
[1:35:20] Dr. Driggers.
[1:35:22] Yes, I wanted to go back and be clear.
[1:35:26] The board has not yet decided which
[1:35:28] search methodology we will
[1:35:31] use. The thing is, the
[1:35:34] newest thing in Tennessee is the
[1:35:36] executive session, but there hasn't been a vote on it yet
[1:35:39] . Well, I mean, we're still
[1:35:42] trying to decide which way
[1:35:44] we're going to go.
[1:35:46] We discussed it in the working session, and
[1:35:49] I would
[1:35:49] say it's the board's opinion. We did
[1:35:51] n't vote. I do
[1:35:52] n't think it requires a vote.
[1:35:54] OK.
[1:35:55] So, we went and reached a
[1:35:57] consensus on the use of the
[1:36:00] closed session, and the next step is
[1:36:02] that we have to approve a policy
[1:36:05] related to that. And then, Seth
[1:36:08] is going to draft a policy for us to
[1:36:10] review at our
[1:36:12] October policy meeting regarding
[1:36:14] that.
[1:36:18] Therefore, the way the board
[1:36:20] chooses a new superintendent does not
[1:36:22] require a board vote. There are no
[1:36:28] yeses or nos.
[1:36:30] I think they're going to have to vote on
[1:36:31] that policy.
[1:36:32] Yes, we will vote on policy.
[1:36:34] When we return to politics, that's
[1:36:36] fine.
[1:36:38] Yes, yes, yes. I'm sorry
[1:36:40] , I didn't mean to interrupt.
[1:36:41] No, it's fine. That's how it is. Mrs. Anderson,
[1:36:45] you have the honor of speaking. I
[1:36:47] just wanted to thank everyone for the
[1:36:49] excellent contribution and I appreciate
[1:36:52] everyone reviewing it and also, if we are
[1:36:54] concerned about some of the people in the
[1:36:56] search, we could ask other
[1:36:59] people, but I really appreciate it.
[1:37:01] That's an excellent point.
[1:37:04] Mrs. Calcote.
[1:37:06] Well, I just wanted to put on record
[1:37:08] that I wasn't implying that the TSBA
[1:37:11] lacks experience, but I think
[1:37:13] even Sam mentioned that no one has
[1:37:15] conducted a search with the
[1:37:18] executive group. Therefore, taking
[1:37:22] this into account, they have no experience
[1:37:24] in conducting this type of research that
[1:37:26] we expect to be... I believe Dr. Dryger
[1:37:28] used the word guinea pig
[1:37:30] to refer to this in the
[1:37:31] working session. Therefore,
[1:37:35] we will be the first to embark on
[1:37:36] this type of search, and I believe that, for this reason
[1:37:38] , it is helpful to have someone, a
[1:37:39] search firm that has
[1:37:41] experience in this, to guide us
[1:37:42] through that process. While this is
[1:37:45] the first time Tennessee has had this
[1:37:46] law, many other states have this
[1:37:48] option as a choice for
[1:37:49] superintendent searches.
[1:37:54] Mr. Allen.
[1:37:56] Yes, thank you for tonight's discussion
[1:37:57] , my fellow board members
[1:37:59] . Well, the reason I'm not
[1:38:03] voting for TSBA is because we have some
[1:38:05] history with
[1:38:07] Williamson County and TSBA, and it didn't go well for us,
[1:38:08] so I don't want to get involved in that again
[1:38:10] while I can represent
[1:38:12] my district. So, obviously, I've
[1:38:15] made the motion, so I'll be voting
[1:38:17] for Zeal.
[1:38:19] And I don't see any more applications for...Okay,
[1:38:23] Miss Wyatt.
[1:38:25] Thank you, Madam President, for
[1:38:27] keeping her alert. I just wanted to
[1:38:29] address the teachers and
[1:38:31] community members who contacted us.
[1:38:33] Thank you so much. Thank you for being in
[1:38:35] touch. We listen to you. I support them. We
[1:38:39] have heard many of you
[1:38:40] supporting Dr. Webb and I have been very
[1:38:43] outspoken in my tremendous support and respect
[1:38:46] for her. So thank you, thank you, for being in touch with
[1:38:50] us about this. I join Miss
[1:38:53] Canine in considering
[1:38:55] offering the position to Dr. Webb and not
[1:38:58] considering a search. But I understand
[1:39:01] that if the majority of the board wants to
[1:39:03] hire a firm, I return to my
[1:39:05] comment from Thursday night
[1:39:07] that a nationwide search
[1:39:09] can confirm a strong internal candidate
[1:39:11] . And I see that in Dr. Webb, so
[1:39:14] I can move forward with faith using
[1:39:16] that information. Thank you.
[1:39:19] Mr. Bostick.
[1:39:23] I request that the question be approved.
[1:39:25] Very good. So, we will proceed to the
[1:39:28] vote, and just to be clear,
[1:39:31] what is on the floor that we
[1:39:33] are voting on is a motion to
[1:39:35] use Zeal Education Group as the
[1:39:39] superintendent search service. Please proceed to
[1:39:42] the vote.
[1:39:56] is eight yes, four no.
[1:40:00] And with that, we have approved the
[1:40:02] use of Zeal Education Group
[1:40:04] for our
[1:40:06] superintendent search. Okay, let's move on to the
[1:40:09] next point, the adoption and
[1:40:10] approval of the board's objectives
[1:40:12] and the affirmation of the
[1:40:14] strategic plan. So, this is another
[1:40:18] point we discussed in the
[1:40:20] work session, and for our
[1:40:23] board goals this year, we are simply going to
[1:40:26] support our
[1:40:28] interim superintendent in each of the goals we
[1:40:30] set for her as a board in June
[1:40:33] . Would you like to discuss the
[1:40:35] strategic plan, Dr. Webb?
[1:40:38] Of course. We are in the fourth year
[1:40:40] of the five-year strategic plan. I
[1:40:42] will update you each week in our
[1:40:44] regular communications on where
[1:40:45] we stand in those steps, just
[1:40:47] to keep you, especially
[1:40:48] the new board members, up to date on
[1:40:50] where we've been. We have worked
[1:40:52] hard in several departments and have
[1:40:54] brought that strategic plan to life. Please pay
[1:40:56] attention to that communication and I
[1:40:58] recommend that we continue to ratify
[1:40:59] the strategic plan as it is
[1:41:01] written. OK.
[1:41:03] Thank you. We have a motion from Ms.
[1:41:06] Hidma and one seconded by Ms.
[1:41:08] Cannain. Has anyone mentioned that?
[1:41:13] Since we don't see any, we will proceed to the
[1:41:15] vote.
[1:41:27] 12 in favor, zero against.
[1:41:30] We have approved the board's objectives
[1:41:32] and ratified the strategic plan
[1:41:34] . We move on to the next item, the
[1:41:37] review of policy 1.2021 on
[1:41:39] the school board's code of conduct
[1:41:41] . Everyone signed the code of
[1:41:45] conduct at the work session.
[1:41:47] We review this code of conduct every
[1:41:49] 2 years when new
[1:41:51] school board members are sworn in.
[1:41:53] So, thank you all for signing
[1:41:56] that document, and let's work to
[1:41:58] make sure we comply with it.
[1:42:01] We have a motion in Mr.
[1:42:04] Bostick's chamber, seconded by Ms. Kelcoat.
[1:42:06] Any further discussion? Since we don't see
[1:42:11] any, we will proceed to the vote.
[1:42:18] is 12 in favor and
[1:42:19] zero against.
[1:42:21] And we have approved the code of conduct
[1:42:22] for school board members.
[1:42:25] The next item, the next series
[1:42:27] of items, is related to the
[1:42:29] school board budget 26 27.
[1:42:31] So, the first item is the
[1:42:33] approval of amendment 09.26 of the
[1:42:35] general purpose school fund, the
[1:42:37] United Way grant in the amount
[1:42:39] of $52,080. Dr. Webb?
[1:42:42] Yes, thank you, Madam President. For the
[1:42:44] fifteenth year, United Way is
[1:42:46] providing funding to the district for
[1:42:48] tutoring for grades 1-5 in
[1:42:49] our elementary schools, and
[1:42:51] I recommend its approval.
[1:42:53] Thank you. We have a motion from Mr.
[1:42:55] Bostick, seconded by Mr. Allen.
[1:42:57] Any other discussion? Questions? Since we do
[1:43:01] n't see any, we will proceed to the
[1:43:03] vote.
[1:43:09] was 12 in favor and
[1:43:10] zero against.
[1:43:12] We have approved the
[1:43:14] general purpose school fund in the amount of $
[1:43:17] 52,080. The next item on the
[1:43:20] agenda is the approval of the
[1:43:22] amendment to the general purpose school fund
[1:43:24] 09.26 regarding
[1:43:27] sports donations in the amount of $45,223.50.
[1:43:29] Dr. Webb.
[1:43:30] Thank you, Madam President. Our
[1:43:32] Wilco sports event, which we organize
[1:43:34] every year to celebrate our
[1:43:36] athletes from across the district, is
[1:43:37] funded by donations like this one.
[1:43:39] Therefore, tonight's approval
[1:43:41] is made possible with donations from Play
[1:43:43] On and Teal Property Groups. They have been
[1:43:45] supporting this event and
[1:43:47] I recommend approving the acceptance of
[1:43:48] those donations. Thank you.
[1:43:50] So, we have a motion from Ms.
[1:43:52] Clements, seconded by Mr.
[1:43:54] Bostick. Any further discussion? Since we do
[1:43:57] n't see any, let's proceed to the
[1:43:58] vote.
[1:44:06] 12 in favor, zero against.
[1:44:10] Very well, we have approved those
[1:44:11] sports donations. The next
[1:44:14] item on the agenda is the
[1:44:16] approval of resolution 10.26 of the
[1:44:18] general purpose school
[1:44:20] bus fund in the amount of
[1:44:22] $3,367,130. Dr. Webb.
[1:44:25] Thank you, Madam President. It is at this
[1:44:26] time of year that we begin to
[1:44:28] project how many school buses
[1:44:29] we will need to replace for the
[1:44:31] next school year. We need to
[1:44:33] replace 15 general education buses
[1:44:35] and four
[1:44:36] special education buses. We will finance this
[1:44:39] through the balance of funds, as this will be
[1:44:40] funded, and I recommend
[1:44:41] approval so that we can order
[1:44:43] those buses and have them headed
[1:44:44] here.
[1:44:46] We have a motion from Mr. Bostick and it is
[1:44:48] seconded by Ms. Wyatt. Any
[1:44:50] questions for the discussion about
[1:44:51] buses? Since none are seen, a
[1:44:54] vote will be taken.
[1:45:00] The vote is 12 yes, zero no.
[1:45:05] With that, we have approved the
[1:45:07] funding for the buses and the
[1:45:09] last item is the approval of the
[1:45:11] schedule for preparing the
[1:45:13] 2027-2028 budget. Dr. Bob.
[1:45:15] Thank you, Madam President. It's
[1:45:16] budget time. Are you excited,
[1:45:18] good people? I think we're all
[1:45:19] excited. It's time to talk about the
[1:45:21] budget, and this is our
[1:45:23] budget timeline prepared
[1:45:24] for you in response to your
[1:45:26] feedback in the working session.
[1:45:28] On page two you will see some
[1:45:30] highlighted areas where we will ask at
[1:45:32] four strategic moments if you would
[1:45:34] like to have additional sessions
[1:45:36] outside of the scheduled meetings.
[1:45:38] We will continue to offer them, but if
[1:45:40] you have individual questions, those
[1:45:42] one-on-one sessions with Rachel Farmer will
[1:45:44] give you answers and the
[1:45:46] knowledge you need to
[1:45:49] succeed in how we move forward with the
[1:45:50] budget. Therefore, I recommend
[1:45:53] the approval of this timeline.
[1:45:54] Very good. We have a motion from Ms.
[1:45:56] Anderson, seconded by Mrs.
[1:45:58] Clements. Any discussion
[1:46:00] related to that? Just a
[1:46:02] reminder that everyone can
[1:46:04] schedule a meeting with Rachel anytime
[1:46:07] until March, I guess,
[1:46:10] right? She loves it. Yes. Very
[1:46:13] good. Since there is no discussion, we will take
[1:46:15] our final vote of the afternoon.
[1:46:23] Vote: 12 in favor, zero against.
[1:46:26] And we have approved the timetable for
[1:46:28] preparing the 2027-28 budget, and
[1:46:30] with this the session is adjourned.