WCS Across the Board – January 18, 2022

The Williamson County School Board approved the open-zoned schools for the 2022-23 school year at its January 18 meeting. More information about open-zoned schools and the application process may be found in this InFocus article.

The Board also voted unanimously for a three percent raise for salaried employees and a dollar per hour raise for hourly employees. The County Commission will review the item at its February meeting.

In his report, Superintendent Jason Golden thanked the Board members for their work and acknowledged the Tennessee School Board Appreciation Week, which begins January 23. He also encouraged viewers to watch the January 13 School Board Work Session recording to see discussion on several topics, including COVID, ACTs and library books.

In Student Spotlights, the Board recognized Centennial High’s Jackson Pfefferkorn, Franklin High’s Zachary Bouve, Franklin High’s Lillian Shi and Franklin High’s Russell Warsetsky for earning a perfect composite score on the October ACT exam.

Dozens of students were recognized for their musical talents. Several earned spots in the Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association (MTSBOA) All-State Band. From Brentwood High, Atlas Stallings and Rina Xu were honored, as was Centennial High’s Colin Miller. From Franklin High, Rachel Collins, Vasilios Ekimogloy, Judy Hsu, Jessica Huang, Rinaz Jamal, Sam Swan, Lukas Varden and November Varden were recognized. Malek Chmayssani, Casey Martens and Nathan Montpool, all from Nolensville High, were also called. Page High’s Cadem Mohnke, Ravenwood High’s Emily Barnes and Summit High’s Dorothy Burt were also honored.

Many students also played their way into the MTSBOA All-State Orchestra. Andrew Gan, Joanne Kang, Daniel Olopade, Amy Xu and Brian Xu from Brentwood High were recognized. Centennial High’s Preston Khetsavanh was honored, as were Franklin High’s Marcus Cheung, Dylan Cook and Chloe Robinson. From Nolensville High, Ella Goggans, Anna Mandrell, Kerrigan Mandrell and Ethan Oh were celebrated. Several Ravenwood High students were recognized, including Caitlin Castleberry, Saurav Chakraborty, Luka Hernandez Palmer, Ash Huang, Alice Koh, Megan Loh, Diana Lu and Mitchell Loh.

Students were also celebrated for earning a spot in the Tennessee Music Education Association (TMEA) All-State Choirs. Brentwood High’s Sam Holt, Adeline Spears, Kate Smith, Andrew Stanworth, Olivia Webber and Alexander Wilson were honored. Centennial High’s Helena Aertssens, Sivani Kasibhotla, Merritt Hanemann, Colin Miller, Riley Tuttle, Kyle Varenkamp and Nicole Varenkamp were also recognized. From Franklin High, Ash Henshaw, Adeline Sexton and Molly Volker were honored, as were Independence High’s Emily Dobberfuhl, Michael Gordy, Caden Smith and Wyatt Wheatley. Nolensville High’s Jeremy Stineman and Isabella Wickham were also celebrated. Ravenwood High’s Claire Dall, Faith Dengate, Ann Dickerson, Evan Dovgalyuk, Kyle Dovgalyuk, Sterling Jones, Caroline Meyer, Ella Miller, Emily Miller, Natalie Porter, Benjamin Seegmiller, Levi Seegmiller and Grady Vasilevskis were also recognized. From Summit High, Logan Benton, Grace Greenman and Trevor Young were called.

Mill Creek Middle students made an impression at the Junior Theater Festival. The theater team, directed by Aly Isom, won the Excellence in Music Award. Mill Creek Middle’s Claire Street won the All Festival Inspiration Award, and both Lainey Allred and Will Brown won All-Star Awards.

In athletics, Summit High’s Dustin Wade is the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football for Division I 6A. His coach is Brian Coleman.

WCS staff members also received accolades. WSC Student Support Services Executive Director earned the Special Educator Tennessee Association for Administration in Special Education (TAASE) Cup. Kenrose Elementary art teacher Virginia Nix was named the Tennessee Art Education Association Elementary Art Educator of the Year.

In New Business, the Board:

• Approved the following 2021-2022 School Board Budget Amendments:
  • General Purpose School Fund Amendment Disproportionality ARP IDEA – $318,670
  • General Purpose School Fund Amendment Middle School STEM and CTE Grant – $40,000
• Approved the General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Staffing – $3,404,971
• Approved the General Purpose School Fund Resolution Raise – $3,914,269
• Approved a Retention Bonus for School Psychologists
• Approved Open and/or Closed Zoned Schools for 2022-23 (Annual Agenda Item)
• Approved a Charter School Review Committee 2022
• Approved the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) Legislative Agenda
• Approved the COVID-19 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Disability Accommodation Protocol

In Other Business, the Board:

• Approved the Consent Agenda, which includes:
  • Approval of November 15, 2021 School Board Meeting Minutes
  • The following Board policies on second reading:
    • Student Wellness (New)
    • Virtual Education Program
  • Recommendation for Field Trip Fee Requests
  • Annual Review of School Board Policies (Annual Agenda Item)

The Board meeting in its entirety may be viewed on the WC-TV YouTube channel.

The Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting will take place Monday, February 21, and begin at 6:30 p.m.