The Williamson County School Board approved its annual budget March 22.
The $412,119,851 General Purpose School Fund includes a four percent raise for WCS employees. Also approved were the Central Cafeteria Fund of $14,068,454 and the Extended School Program Fund of $4,939,162. The budgets will now go before the County Commission budget and education committees before going before the full County Commission in July.
In his report to the board, Superintendent Jason Golden thanked district staff for their efforts throughout the school year. He also spoke about updated COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH).
In Student Spotlights, the district honored more than 50 National Merit Finalists. Brentwood High’s Patrick Baugh, Shilpa Chowbey, Joe Grundberg, Abby Jordan, Parker Kasiewicz, Tristan Kennedy, Julia Lee, Oakley Martin, Isabel Oldham, Kyle Overton, Michelle Qiu, Samuel Robble, Anna Sullivan, Emily VanSchaack, Steven Walter, Elise Wilkins and Ron Ye were all named Finalists.
Franklin High’s Jason Amsler, Connor Beavon, William Foster, Eileen Hsu, Patrick Lama, Daniel Matin, Sara Naughton, Brandon Vaughan, Ella Whatley and Joy Yin were also named Finalists.
From Independence High, Joshua Cannon, Benjamin Dondanville, Amelia Prouse and Emma Sower earned the title. Page High’s Halle Berg, Anika Kaushik, Logan Sava and Leigh Walters also were recognized.
Ravenwood High students Amy Herd, Christian West, Chris Ebrhim, William Fiechtl, Trisha Mazumdar, Eshani Mehta, Selina Wang, Emma Meyer, Ashlyn Harmon, Peter Salmon, Srihita Adabala and Aaron Wu were all named National Merit Finalists.
Centennial High’s Jacob Williams, Nolensville High’s Alex Tyki Jones, Summit High’s Nevaeh Brinson and Fairview High’s Ryan Kilgore also received the honor.
Several of the district’s high school media programs stood out at the annual Tennessee High School Press Association (THSPA) awards. Brentwood High’s WBHS 9 staff won the Mark Madison Best TV Station award. The Brentwood High WBHS 9 football crew won the Best Sports Coverage of a Live Event category. Brentwood High student Harrison McConnell won Best Sports Show, and Brentwood High student Chad Barker placed first for Best Sports Feature Story. Brentwood High also won Best Public Service Announcement for a video created by Alex Wells, Cami Roadman, Jack Wilson and Zach Kammer. Their teacher is Ronnie Adcock.
Franklin High’s Christian Ward won Best Commercial at the THSPA Awards. His teacher is Keri Thompson.
Independence High’s Harrison Kyle and Gabe Hall placed first for Best Commercial, and their classmates Bradley Hicks and Sam Wilde won Best Sports Video. Their teacher is Matt Balzer.
Fairview High wrestler Riley Bennett became the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) A-AA State Champion in the 145-pound weight class. He is coached by James Derrick.
In New Business, the Board:
- Approved General School Fund Amendment GPS Private Grant Award – $5,000
- Approved the 2021-22 School Budget, including:
- General Purpose School Fund
- Central Cafeteria Fund
- Extended School Program Fund
- Approved ePlan Esser II CARES Act Grant and Budget for FY2021
- Approved the following Board Policies on First Reading:
- Report Cards and Grading Systems
- Equal Opportunity Employment
- Separation Practices for Tenured Teachers
- Separation Practices for Non-Tenured Teachers
- Approved High School Courses (Annual Agenda Item)
- Approved Special Course Applications (Annual Agenda Item)
In Other Business, the Board:
- Approved the Consent Agenda, which includes:
- February 15, 2021 School Board Meeting Minutes
- Franklin High School Replacement of Gymnasium Floor and Revised Logo Multi-Purpose Field
A recording of the School Board meeting is available in its entirety.
The next regular School Board meeting will take place Monday, April 19, and begin at 6:30 p.m.
