Across the Board - March 18, 2024

Published March 19, 2024

The Williamson County School Board approved the proposed 2024-2025 School Budget at its March 18 meeting. The budget includes a General Purpose School Fund of $566,960,603; a Central Cafeteria Fund of $19,941,669; an Extended School Program Fund of $7,009,489; and a Capital Budget of $13,155,596. The proposed budget also includes a six percent annual raise for salaried and hourly employees. The approved budgets will now move through the Williamson County Commission budget and education committees before being voted on by the full Williamson County Commission in late June.

The Board also approved a resolution opposing Governor Lee's Education Freedom Scholarship Act as currently proposed or any legislation to create educational savings accounts or voucher programs in Williamson County, Tennessee. The entire resolution is online.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Jason Golden thanked the community members who spoke during public comment. He also encouraged viewers to go back and watch the March 7 Work Session to see a detailed discussion about the proposed 2024-2025 budget.

In School Spotlights, 31 Reward Schools were recognized for the 2022-23 school year. Those schools are Chapman's Retreat Elementary, College Grove Elementary, Creekside Elementary, Crockett Elementary, Edmondson Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Grassland Elementary, Hunters Bend Elementary, Jordan Elementary, Kenrose Elementary, Lipscomb Elementary, Longview Elementary, Nolensville Elementary, Oak View Elementary, Sunset Elementary, Thompson's Station Elementary, Trinity Elementary, Walnut Grove Elementary, Mill Creek Middle, Sunset Middle, Thompson's Station Middle, Woodland Middle, Brentwood High, Fairview High, Franklin High, Page High, Independence High, Nolensville High, Ravenwood High, Renaissance High and Summit High.

Thompson's Station Middle was also recognized as a Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work.

In Student Spotlights, the National Merit Finalists were recognized. From Brentwood High, Rishika Challa, Lucas Clevenger, Amelia Croney, Garrett Crouch, Ryan Dawson, Jacob Dong, Elise Froehler, Luke Haws, Adam Jaser, Taiga Koyama, Charlotte Landman, Clara Beth Lee, Linden Martin, Kate Mize, Arjun Nayagadurai, Amy Park, Trishita Paul, Ava Rice, Ali Sidiqyar, Brodie Spillane, Davis Veazey, Robert Walch, Grace Walter and Brooks Wheeler were honored.

Centennial High's Tyler Tappersn was celebrated, as were Franklin High's Jason Bowles, Sylvia Brekke, Caden Bridges, Caden Campbell, Coleman Clemmons, Chip Davis, Vasilios Ekimogloy, Jade Horne, Wesley Jordan, Abigail Kabagambe, Jackson McDonald, Hannah Whitfield and Jonathan Zink.

Independence High's Andrew Chatterton, Carmen Onusaitis, Weston Ragan, Kiran Rao, Elijah Sower and Patrick Whitlow were recognized, and Nolensville High's Albin Brejeon, Stephen Job, Annabelle Mullenix, Michael Tadrous and Meghan Wallace were also honored. Page High's Evan Ingmire, Mary Peck, Daniel Pontow and Aarnav Mrida Varanasi were also recognized at the meeting.

From Ravenwood High, the following students were celebrated: Minjae Bae, John Beck, Christina Chen, John Coggin, Aarush Desai, Patrick Fiechtl, Jackson Gardzina, Grace Helou, Yuti Kale, Aayush Kumar, Margaret MacGurn, Sophie McAtee, Jack Meyer, Naman Mukerji, Sneha Mukku, Riya Nanda, Tanmay Neema, Christina Qi, Malvika Rao, Saisarath Ravilla, Madeline Schaefer, Camden Walker, Molly Walker, Sophia Wang and Ria Yesare.

Summit High's Jack Stinson and Drew Wittekind were also honored.

Several WCS students also won their categories in the Tennessee National Speech and Debate Association Tournament. Brentwood High's Matthew Greer won first place in the Original Oratory category, and his classmate Wali Sidiqyar placed first in the International Extemporaneous Speaking category. Their coaches are Harriet Medlin and Matt Grimes. Ravenwood High's Chetan Yenigalla and Vedant Misra won the Public Forum Debate category. Their coach is Brittany Stidham.

Four students won a State title in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) State Wrestling Championship. Nolensville High's Tre McTorry is the Class AA 175 champion. His coach is Johnnie Melzoni. Summit High's Jarvis Little is the Class AA 132 champion; Summit High's Landon Desselle is the Class AA 144 champion; and Summit High's Brayden Leach is the Class AA 150 champion. Their coach is Pete Miller.

The Independence High boys basketball team is the TSSAA Division I Class 4A State champions. They are coached by Mark Wilkins.

In Staff Spotlights, College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) Director Jeremy Qualls is the Technology Educator of the Year from the Greater Nashville Technology Council.

In New Business, the School Board:

• Approved the following 2023-24 School Board Budget items:
  • General Purpose Amendment Donation for Flag Football - $16,000
  • General Purpose Fund Resolution TISA Outcomes Funding - $5,496,232
• Approved the 2024-2025 School Budget (Annual Agenda Item), which includes:
  • 2024-25 General Purpose Fund - $566,960,603
  • 2024-25 Capital Outlay Request Fund - $13,155,596
  • 2024-25 Central Cafeteria Fund - $19,941,669
  • 2024-25 Extended School Fund Budget - $7,099,489
• Approved the following Board Policies on First Reading
  • Attendance
• Approved the Town of Nolensville Request for Sunset Campus Easement
• Approved the High School Courses and Special Course Applications (Annual Agenda)
• Approved the Resolution Re: Governor's Education Freedom Act - per Board Member Request

In Other Business, the Board:

• Approved the Agenda
• Approved the Consent Agenda, which includes:
  • February 20, 2024 School Board Meeting Minutes
  • Request from Middle Tennessee Electric for an Easement at Page High
  • Summit High Storage Shed
  • Page High Ringstaff Gym Awning Modification
  • Field Trip Fee Requests

The School Board meeting in its entirety is available to view on the WC-TV YouTube channel.

The next School Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m.