My First Board Meeting

Tonight I attended my first school board meeting, it was kind of confusing. It appeared to me that Mr. Lewis ran most of the meeting. I was impressed with Nick Fulton and Karen Shoulders, they will represent us well. During the meeting Mr. Lewis asked for approval on items A-E, I wasn't real sure what these were since there was not a conversation about any of them. I did receive an agenda but it was only one page with no details. The issues addressed that I found important as I saw them:

1. Our school system is crowded and our schools are in desperate need of more class room space. The schools I heard mentioned were New Middleton and Gordonsville Elementary. Mr. Lewis is supposed to obtain pricing and growth information based on now then project five years out. If GES does add new classrooms where will it be? Things are already very tight at the school with no room to expand. Tommy Mannng requested the blue print plans Mr. Lewis had for GES.

2. Defeated Creek is the only school that does not offer Pre K. Our Governor said No and we don’t have the funds to start Pre K at this school. No real answer how to correct.

There were a couple issues I was disappointed as to the way they were addressed. I am sure the decisions were based on policy of how school boards are run. This was the part I found so confusing because it seemed they could be resolved tonight instead of dragging into the next month.

1. There was a student that wanted to speak to the board, Karen Shoulders made the request. Mr. Lewis cut her off and explained this was being handled at the school level and policy read if it was a school level matter then the board could not address. I just hope this student doesn’t give up and keeps fighting. I was impressed to learn that he had called Ms. Shoulders several times to try to seek help not a lot of students would do that. I wasn’t really sure why Mr. Lewis was so against him speaking. What if you are not happy with the school level decision, is there an appeal process? Where do you go for help when our director refuses to let you go to the board? How do you get added to the agenda? Who decides what the school board listens to?

2. Dick Fulton brought up the fact that past meeting minutes were not typed according to the tapes of the meeting and wanted to amend them. From what I understood a teachers name was not mentioned in the meeting but when the minutes were typed her name was used three times. Mr. Fulton stated that he and the other members had approved them but they he thought they should be corrected to have her name removed to match the tapes. From what I understood in making this request he was not following school board policy so he would have to request this matter be added to the agenda for next month. Who does he have to go to so this can be added to the agenda or do so many members have to agree? If these minutes didn’t match the tapes from the meeting why is it so hard to correct the minutes?

After the meeting some of the members left right away not talking to anyone in the audience but a couple members were available. Again I am not sure how all of this process works, but this was my view of things, I will continue to attend every meeting to learn exactly how the process works.

Smith County School Board Members:
Scotty Yeaman
664 Ridgeway Drive Carthage, TN 37030 - Home-735-2024
Larry Taylor Wilkerson
639 Lebanon Hwy Carthage, TN 37030 - Home 735-9568
Dick Fulton
33 Morris Dr. Carthage, TN 37030 - Home- 735-2656
Tommy Manning
313 Pig Branch Rd. Brush Creek, TN 38547 - Home 683-6299
Pat Massey
7 Stonewall Hwy. Carthage, TN 37030 - Home 897-2241
Shane Campbell
233 Rural Academy Lane Brush Creek, TN 38547 - Cell 584-2874
Karen Shoulders
202 Toetown Road, Pleasant Shade, TN 37145 – Home 677-6136
Sonja Hammond
434 Hogans Creek Rd, Carthage, TN 37030 – Home 735-1065