School Board takes steps for proposed charter school

The Cheatham County School Board approved a new charter school policy at Monday’s meeting.

The policy is needed after the school district was notified earlier this year that a new charter school is being proposed.

If approved, Cumberland Academy would open in the fall of 2015 and start with the fifth-grade and then add a grade level each year until it reaches twelfth grade.

An application was submitted on April 1 to open the charter school, which would be the county’s first.

The School Board must approve the application within 90 days of submittal.

The policy sets the guidelines for the application process, the creation of a review team to evaluate the application and steps to take after it is approved or denied.

The board also OK’d a review committee to assist in reviewing the application.

Committee members are Beth Batson, human resources, student services and policy supervisor (chairman); Tara Watson, chief academic officer; Andrea Pewitt, special education supervisor; Stacy Brinkley, instruction supervisor; Shelley Mayo, coordinated school health and safety supervisor; and Ann Thompson, executive director of the Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce.

The committee is scheduled to meet on June 10 from 3-5 p.m. in the Board Room in the Educational Annex building, 104 Elizabeth St. in Ashland City, to review the application.

The board plans to hold a special-called meeting on June 24 at 6 p.m. to consider the application.

During Monday’s public forum, charter school supporter Sally Wilson spoke on behalf of more than 20 people about the benefits for the school.

Tracy O’Neill, who is running for the fourth district School Board seat, shared a number of concerns about charter schools and cautioned the board to weigh the information very carefully before making a decision.

School projects

The board gave director of schools Stan Curtis permission to secure bids to build a concession stand/restroom building at the Cheatham Middle School soccer field, the Harpeth High School soccer field at Kingston Springs Elementary School and the Harpeth Middle School softball field.

The estimated cost is about $300,000, but that number will likely change when the actual bids come in, Curtis said.

He said the district has about $114,000 remaining from the Title IX money that was set aside several years ago to address a number of projects across the district. That money will be used to help fund the new buildings and the remainder will come from the fund balance.

The board also gave permission to Curtis to get bids for several other maintenance projects the district would like to address.

Some of those projects include replacing restroom partitions at Sycamore High School, replacing the flooring at the Cheatham County Central High School football field house, paving the driveway at the SHS football field, repaint and stencil the parking lots at CCCHS, SHS and Harpeth High School and replacing a door at West Cheatham Elementary School.

The board hopes to approve the bids at its July meeting.

Tenured OK’d

The board approved tenure for several educators, including Tommy Gossett and Patti Fink, Kingston Springs Elementary; Jenifer Binkley, Cheatham Middle; Michael Wallace, Harpeth Middle; and Gail Debusk, Mallory Beecher, Heath Tyler and Marianne Waddell, Sycamore Middle.

Other business

The board approved a budget amendment of $78,818 to purchase digital radios for school buses.

The money is coming from the back liquor-by-the-drink tax from Ashland City and Kingston Springs.

For decades, many cities across Tennessee have not shared revenue from liquor-by-the-drink taxes with local school systems. The oversight was caught last year.

Ashland City and Kingston Springs have since repaid the school district the back taxes.

The board OK'd funds for camera system upgrades at all 12 schools and the central office. The cost is $364,126.70, and the money will come from the fund balance.

The board approved the purchase of seven new buses, including two special-education buses, for the new school year. The cost is $672,000.75.

The board OK’d a request by daycare supervisor Emily Staggs to implement a new pay scale.