January 30 was the first day on the job for Greg Clay, the new Director of Union County Schools. At the regular meeting on January12, the Union County Board of Education approved a motion by Brad Griffey to accept a three-year contract as negotiated with a minor change to delete the word academic and broaden the scope of the four performance goals.
Clay taught science at Horace Maynard Middle School (HMMS) during its opening year of 1997. Then he transferred to Grainger County to teach at Washburn. Nearly 20 years later, he became the principal of HMMS. Six years after that he pursued a position in Grainger County’s central office and agreed to become the principal of Washburn K-12 this school year. Now he will be the director in the system where he began some 26 years ago.
The board completed a number of other business items at this meeting held in the auditorium of HMMS.
Another contract to provide dual enrollment classes through Roane State Community College was also passed by the board. The board gave the former property owner of the new middle school property until March 31, to clear two barns on the site.
The board approved approximately $12,000 to connect an outbuilding with freezer storage to the cafeteria at Sharps Chapel Elementary School. All budget amendments passed and all finances are as expected for mid-year in the budget.
The board was made aware of a grant that Johnson Control intends to pursue to help with some costly maintenance and energy conservation. Dr. Ronnie Mincey, Federal Programs Supervisor, distributed a report about substitute pay and potential costs and asked board members to review them for possible future action.
Union County Education Association President Carolyn Murr asked that teacher salaries also continue to improve. The board also approved a grant to provide more resources for teachers to teach reading.
Prior to the workshop, HMMS Principal Dr. Tobi Kilgore gave tours of HMMS. During the workshop, he outlined numerous improvements that have occurred since August of this school year. The focus has been to change the culture of the school by getting everyone involved to understand their job and do their job.
Veteran teacher Amy Bullen, who has been at HMMS since its opening, and first year teacher Savannah Day agreed that HMMS is becoming a family where everyone is respected and working toward the success of all.
Kilgore has posted the R.E.A.L. expectations all throughout the school. Surveys of parents, employees, students and community partners illustrate that over 80 percent agree that the culture of HMMS has improved and continues to get better. Students feel safe and are willing to respect the employees and each other.
According to Kilgore, everyone at HMMS is R.E.A.L: Respect Everyone, Education Excellence, Accountable to Self and Others, Live a Life That Matters.
Numerous community and student events are being planned throughout the year, including Zero Heroes on February 3 to recognize excellence and celebrate the achievements as well as build relationships among everyone associated with HMMS.
Finally, the architects, The Lewis Group, presented a preliminary design for the new middle school. The cafeteria, library, and athletic facilities will support 1,000 students.
The building will have a separate wing for each grade level of 6th, 7th, and 8th. Security and administration will be in each wing. Classroom space is for 800 students, which allows growth since the current enrollment is nearly 700.
Each wing will have 11 classrooms. A suite of classrooms and facilities are included for special education with some located in a separate area and others mixed inside the wings. This arrangement affords opportunities for students with disabilities to run the school store as well as learn cooking and other life skills.
Sports facilities include a gym as well as separate fields for baseball, football/soccer, and softball. A band room with practice rooms is also included. The ability to have an outdoor classroom is also part of the design.
There will be a performance stage with access to seating in either the cafeteria or the gym or both. Bleachers in the gym are planned for approximately 300.
Improvements will need to be made to Beeler Hollow Road and John Deere Drive to accommodate bus and car traffic. Due to the slope of the site, the 8th grade will have a one level wing and the 6th and 7th will be in a two-level wing with the 7th on the second level and the 6th on the first level. Each level will have ground exits. An elevator will be installed between the levels.
The main entrance directs visitors through the administrative office and restricts access to the rest of the building. The gym can be accessed without entering the cafeteria or the classroom wings. The projected timeline for the final design is late spring with groundbreaking by summer of 2023 and opening in August of 2025.
Dr. Lauren Maness-Effler, supervisor of curriculum and instruction, recognized the elementary BETA Clubs from Luttrell, Sharps Chapel, Paulette and Big Ridge. BETA Clubs are composed of students who maintain academic excellence and also perform community and school service hours to learn the qualities of leadership. Students from these clubs recently participated at local, state, and national competitions in public speaking, performing arts, drawing, and all academic areas.
Two students from Paulette Elementary BETA Club won individual awards at the National BETA Club Convention. Tyler Jones placed first in Drawing and second in Science for 5th grade and Bryleigh Kay placed fourth in Speech. Sharps Chapel Elementary BETA Club placed fifth in Jewelry at the same convention held in Nashville at Gaylord Opryland.
The next BOE meeting will be on February 9, when some of the board policy revisions will be considered.