County Board of Education is now in session. If you will all rise for the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. First item on the agenda is a special presentation. Good evening, board. Before we begin our points of pride tonight, we we do have a special presentation, and I would like to invite mister Steve Haley, who is here representing the Tennessee School Boards Association, to make that special presentation.
Mister Haley? Thank you. And thank you, chairman Griffey, members of the board, and doctor Mena. It's my privilege to be here tonight to present you with the TSBA Board of Distinction Award. This award is one of TSBA's most prestigious awards, and I commend the board for meeting the requirements in the four key areas. Those four areas, as you know, are planning, policy, promotion, and board development. As you're aware, the requirements are extensive and not every board meets their qualifications as a board distinction. However, this board is amongst those few select.
As I look back on the walls that came in tonight, I see that there are 11 of these awards prior to this one. And for those that are watching, the award is anywhere from a two to three year period. So since 1999, this is the twelfth award for this board and boards that are preceding you. So it's great continued work you're doing, and I think you're seeing a good groundwork for future boards too. It's to be recognized. On behalf of the Tennessee School Board Association, I'm proud to present the board distinction award to the Clarksville Montgomery County Board of Education. Congratulations.
Alright. As we continue with our points of pride, the first two students are both from Kirkwood High School. We will start with David Lee. If he could come forward along with any school representatives that are here with him. David Lee is a junior at Kirkwood High School who earned first place for classical art at the National Junior Classical League Convention at Miami University in Ohio. He was the only delegate from Tennessee who won first place on an academic test this year. David studied 100% independently for the n c NJCL classical art written exam, and his
efforts paid off when he scored not only first place within his level, which is Latin too, but also best in show for this exam. To be a best in show, it's an additional award given to the highest scorer on each contest across all levels. This means David earned the single highest score in the nation as a Latin two student when this exam is taken by students all the way up to Latin five and above. And if I remember correctly, there were a couple thousand students who were there. So congratulations, David, on this accomplishment.
And our next student, Ignatius Olgets, if he could come forward, he's actually receiving two points of pride this evening. Ignatius is a Kirkwood High School senior who made a perfect score on the ACT exam. The perfect composite score is 36. This score is an average of the four section scores for English, math, reading, and science. Getting a perfect score on the ACT is very rare. You've heard me say this before. Out of the nearly 2,000,000 students across America who take the test each year, only point three percent of students earn a perfect ACT score.
So that's his first point of pride. Let's give him a hand for that. And, additionally, we are proud to announce tonight that Ignatius is also one of 16,000 semifinalists across the country for the National Merit Scholarship. The semifinalists are academically talented high school seniors who have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,800 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26,000,000 To compete for National Merit Scholarships, semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling several
additional requirements. We are rooting for you, Ignatius, as you compete for the final round, and we are proud of you for all that you've accomplished. And finally, coach Hetland could not be here this evening. He's the head coach of the Clark five school baseball team, and he's, out in an FCA event this evening. However, we are proud to announce that after an exceptional 2025 season, coach Hetland has been named a 2025 American Baseball Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year. This prestigious award presented by ATEC Sports is selected by members of the, Baseball Association
All America and Coach of the Year committees across all nine divisions. Congratulations to coach Hedlund, and we'll send his certificate, since he couldn't be here. That concludes this evening, points of pride. Thank you. Thank you. Our next item on the agenda is public conversation. We have several signed up tonight. Miss Sharita Weisinger will be first. If you will, as you're making your way to the podium, you'll turn on the microphone by pressing the right silver button in front. There will a timer will display to show you your allotted time, and the microphone
will light red to show it's active. The microphone will flash when you have one minute of allotted time left. It will go out when your time has expired. Okay. Here. Go ahead. Thank you. Good evening, chairman, members of the board, director of schools, and fellow community members. My name is Sherita Wiesinger, and I stand before you today not only as a parent, but as an advocate for the young people of Clarksville Montgomery County. I'm here to strongly urge this board to adopt policies that will bring middle school wrestling into our district. For me, this is not just about a sport.
It is an opportunity that can shape lives, redirect futures, and build strength in young people during some of the most vulnerable years of their lives. Let me share a personal story, one very close to my own heart. My daughter, Shania Wiesinger, began wrestling in 2021 after our family experienced the season of unimaginable loss. Within a short period, she lost her only two uncles and four family members. The grief weighed heavily on her. Like many young people facing trauma, she could have gone down a destructive path, but
Shania chose to try out for the wrestling team at her school instead. She tried other sports throughout her life, but nothing quite fit. It wasn't until she stepped onto a wrestling mat that something clicked. On that mat, Shania found her calling. Wrestling became her outlet, her therapy, her safe place. It taught her discipline, self control, and resilience in ways no other activity could. She didn't just participate, she excelled. She went on to win two individual state championships, a team state title, and countless
other awards. Today, she is a college sophomore, still wrestling, and just last year, her team won the national championship. Her journey shows exactly what wrestling can do for students who are searching for their place in this world. Shania has proved that wrestling can change lives, and she is not alone. There are other countless young people who just need that one opportunity to step onto a mat and discover their own strength. Wrestling is one of the oldest and most respected sports in the world, but beyond medals and trophy, it build character.
When a student steps into the mat, it's just them and their opponent. There are no excuses and no hiddings. Win or lose, they absolutely learns accountability, discipline, and perseverance. At the same time, they are surrounded by teammates who push them, support them, and celebrate them. The combination of individual responsibility and team unity is rare in this sport and very powerful. What makes wrestling truly special is the bond it creates. Wrestlers spend hours training, enduring the same challenges, making weight, pushing through practices.
That shared struggle becomes a shared strength. Teammates turn into family, and then there are the coaches. In wrestling, coaches often become more than instructors. They become mentors, role models, and sometimes even father figures or mother figures for the athlete. A wrestling coach sees a student at their highest high and their lowest lows. They teach not just moves, but values, hard work, humility, perseverance, and respect. Many aptly carries the lessons from these wrestling coaches into their adult lives, careers, and
family. This type of mentorship is especially critical during the middle school years when young people are still forming their sense of identity and direction. Middle school is the critical entry point. Research shows that early exposure to structure structured athletics reduces dropout rates, improve classroom performance, and increase social belonging. Wrestling, in particular, has been shown to benefit students who might not fit into other sport. It doesn't matter if your student is tall, short, heavy, or light. There's a weight class for everyone, and it's one of the most inclusive sports, and
it builds confidence in kids who may otherwise never find their place. And this is not just about athletes. Wrestling program strengthen entire schools. Let me emphasize this. Had my daughter not found wrestling, her story could have ended differently. She turned grief into greatness because she was given access to this sport. Imagine the 100 of other of children in our districts who are struggling right now. Whether it's grief, self doubt, or lack of direction, wrestling could be the answer for
them just as it was for her. This is why I'm urging you tonight to support the adoption of middle school wrestling and CMCSS. This is not an expense, but it's an investment. An investment in stronger students, stronger schools, and stronger communities. Our children deserve every opportunity we can to help them grow, heal, and thrive. Thank you for your time, and I ask that you Hunter Gil Stapp.
Mister Stapp, I don't know if you were you listening as I gave instructions about the mic? The red silver button at the right turns the mic on. When it's red, it's live. You'll have five minutes. There's a timer there. When it begins, the red light flashes. You'll have one minute left, and the mic will go silent when your time is up. Yes, sir. Good evening. My name is Hunter Stapp. As someone who is planning to bury a seat on the school board next year, I was glad to see the conversation around middle school sports take place at last month's meeting. And I hope this leads to further discussions and questions on ways we can continue
to provide students with, further opportunities outside of the classroom, opportunities I feel are vital and part of our ethical responsibility as a community. I have been attending these meetings for the past year, and after hearing statements made in last month's public meeting, as a fifth grade teacher at East Montgomery Elementary and a high school wrestling coach, I felt compared, compelled to share my perspective on the potential budget proposal to implement middle school wrestling for the 2627 season and hopefully further
create a comprehensive plan to implement the rest of the sports available through the TMSAA over the upcoming years. I would like to point out that this vote is not about the hundreds of students who already are fortunate enough to wrestle through local clubs. They will continue to have those opportunities. This vote is about all the students who don't currently have the opportunity, the ones that need it the most, but whose families cannot afford the club fees, equipment, and travel expenses associated with the club team. It's about opening the door for students who would otherwise be left behind and left
out. I know this firsthand. I first discovered wrestling while in seventh grade at Richview when a friend invited me to join the future champions wrestling club. I didn't even know wrestling existed outside of what I saw on TV and involves the use of folding chairs. But there I was that afternoon after first hearing about it doing bicep curls at home to get ready for the season with my mom's pink five pound Jane Fonda dumbbells that she bought, but, you know, never really got around to using.
Fast forward four short years, and I had the honor of being on the starting all state heavyweight on Clarksville High's 2,000. That team was the first athletic team from any sport from Clarksville to win a state title in nearly two decades. But even more important than that, wrestling gave me purpose. That next summer, I was asked to lead a week long kids wrestling camp at the YMCA. It was there I realized I wanted to work with kids. That summer, I switched my plan major from civil engineering to elementary education and never
looked back. Without middle school wrestling, I would not be the the teacher or the person I am today. But here's the truth. I was lucky. I had parents who could pay for the equipment, the fees, the travel expenses required to be on a club team. Not every child has that. This past year, one of my fifth graders remind me of that reality. He was bright and showed flashes of leadership, but his home life weighed heavily on him. He showed little interest in school, and with little to no support or opportunities at home, he showed little interest in anything else either, except for football.
He loved football. But with no support at home, he had no opportunity to play in the youth football league. Then during Ridgeview sixth grade preview day this past spring, he found out he could join the school's sanctioned football team with no extra transportation or costly fees. The change was immediate. He lit up. He started asking questions about grades, about what it took to get into college, about staying out of trouble so he could keep playing. School mattered to him in a way it never had before. That is what sanctioned middle school sports can do.
It can change someone's perspective and, in turn, change their life. It won't just help the athletes who already participate in those sports. It will change the trajectory of the students who would have never had the chance otherwise. For some, it may even be the very thing that keeps them connected to school, inspired to set goals, and motivate a dream about their future. You never know what a sport can spark in a child. Even though there are some obstacles and hurdles to overcome, I hope in addition to proving this expense that the Board continues the conversation to include the other available middle
school sports and other opportunities out there for our children to excel outside the classroom. Who knows? One of them might even become a teacher or a coach or even sit on this very board one day. Thank you. David Johnson? Sir John, did you hear the, pushing the button and the timer and all that stuff? Yes, sir. Alright. Alright. So, you kinda heard from, some people earlier. We're advocating for it. I'm back again. So last month, we encouraged you guys to support it. This month, I kinda came up with a different plan.
So I know we got we're trying to get the budget. I'm trying to make it use for this. But I had a different approach after talking with a handful of people, and I'll kinda give you my spill, and we can go from there. But, so just our district is growing. I tried to pull the stats from 02/2010. You know, Centimeters, CSS, we served, 28,000 students. And today, that number is over 35,000. That's more than 8,000 students since 2010 to our present time. That's a 28% increase. Athletic programs now, we just we have far more students than the current schools we're
designed to hold. At the same time, wrestling participation has exploded nationwide. And locally. The rise of girls wrestling has been especially strong, strong with Tennessee and many other states sanctioning the girls division as well. This means more students, more teams, more demand on space. If we don't act now, we're gonna quickly fall behind. Some of the problems that we currently have now. So the problem with shared gyms. Currently, wrestling teams are being crammed into the aux auxiliary gym shared with the basketball, the volleyball, the cheer, the PE team.
Practices are often shortened, moved, or canceled. We they have to roll mats in, roll them out, which that daily use of them like that, it causes more wear and tear. We'll have to replace them more. Higher replacement cost, greater safety risk due to them just falling apart from the additional use. These spaces were never designed to handle the sheer volume that we have today. Also, the shortage of proper facilities has also another consequence. Families of talented wrestlers are leaving Clarksville. I mean, they're moving out of Clarksville. They're moving to either Cleveland. They're going out of state.
They're going to much better places with the proper facilities, to find better opportunities wherever they can in year round facilities. If we want our best athletes to succeed here, we need to give them the same resources that they're going other places to get. So what I'm proposing is, the benefits of having a dedicated wrestling facility. So having a dedicated wrestling building would solve a lot of these issues. You'd have year round mat setup, involve, improving the safety and extending the mat life
reliable practice space for both boys and girls teams, the capacity for youth teams, summer camps, community events. The aux gyms would also be freed up for all the other sports. They would have more room, you know, less coaches having conflicts fighting the basketball team over space. With that, for the cost comparison, you know, Clarkson now put out an article saying, you know, it's gonna be, like, 2 and a half million dollars for an aux gym. We don't need that. I reached out to Kirkwood. They actually had a quote to be able to build an, you know, not the
best, but an accurate you know, something that could work. They could get nice little 6,000 square foot facility for around 600 to be built on the campus. And if we could do that across the other seven areas that need them, excluding Clarksville since they have the one there, you know, maybe give them extra money to, you know, make modifications and improve it just to, you know, get everything up to date. But I think that would be a better course of our time and our money. Each facility, you know, we you wouldn't have to purchase any more mats. Every school already has high school mats.
You could bring those to those facilities, and now they're there. So we now eliminated an additional cost. Because right now, these schools have more mats than they have space for. So they're constantly they're in storage. The same ones are getting used. We we don't have space. We need better options. Not only with that, with us just saving money, it's about, you know, equity. Students deserve facilities that respect that reflect its growth and importance just like baseball, football, basketball, softball. Dedicated spaces provide safe and inclusive opportunities for boys and girls, strengthen their pride.
You know? These guys, they can't even put up banners and signs in the aux gym and the common spaces. They they need a place that they can do that. In conclusion, you know, our district is growing. Our programs are growing. Our athletes need to grow with them. Instead of pouring, you know, millions into aux gyms, you know, we can make a smarter, more equitable investment in dedicated wrestling facilities, supporting growth, safety, opportunity while saving money for the district. If we did this, this could be a base on each campus. You could have one at each high school, the middle schools, the elementary schools with
the exception of New Providence since that's a little bit away from Northwest. But there's opportunity to put a high school, which could involve the middle school. They could have their space for a program, which then opens the door for elementary or even youth programs, which we currently have. So just a thought to think about. Thank you for the time. Thank you. Monica Meeks. Miss Meeks, were you overhearing the instructions on the microphone? Okay. Good evening, everyone. A lot has happened since I last spoke in April. I was doxed by members of the Republican Party and publicly labeled a woke left
terrorist and a DEI hire on Twitter. That smear campaign led to my termination, but I consider it a gift, so thank you. I am no longer tethered, and I can speak freely. I'm here to advocate for education for all children because last time I checked, Jesus loved the little children. Red, yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Stop pretending to be a victim or claiming your life was threatened. Peaceful protest is a constitutional right. Extend the same grace to your constituents that you offer to the January 6 insurrectionist.
Every child in Tennessee deserves a high quality public education regardless of their race, class, disability, documentation status, or background. Stop weaponizing the Bible to justify your hate. Perhaps this time you actually read the books you're trying to ban. As for resolutions, don't cherry pick what falls under the purview of this elected body. You can't claim vouchers, charters, or off limits for discussion while voting to bring new hospitals to the area.
Both fall under state law. Be consistent or be honest about whose interests you're really serving which is out of state billionaires. Have a good day. Samantha Rosenkrantz press. Were you listening to the instructions? Oh, the one. Right here. Alright. So do I repress the button? Because her time is still going. Ma'am? Do I reset do I repress the button because her time is still on. Go ahead. Okay. Good evening. My name is Samantha Rosenkrantz. I'm a proud member of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Incorporated, a student at Austin
Peay State University, and a Clarksville native who graduated from this very school system. Clarksville raised me, and I know firsthand how our school shaped lives because I am proof of it. The opportunities I was given in Clarksville classrooms built the foundation for the future I am pursuing today. That is why I'm here tonight. Tennessee House Bill seven ninety three and Senate Bill eight thirty six would slam shut the doors of education for immigrant children who deserve the same chance I had. As a daughter of this community, I cannot stand to see this happen in the
city that raised me. Clarksville is a melting pot of individuals, families, and cultures. From APSU to Fort Campbell, our city thrives because of its diversity. But children cannot build their futures if they are denied the very first steps of education, being elementary, middle, and high school. These bills threaten to take that away and in doing so they threaten the unity and strength that make Clarksville the community it is. If these bills pass, they don't just punish children, they hurt Clarksville. Denying education not only harms the individual child, but it weakens the schools that nurture
us and the society we are all building together. Education is the foundation on which we form the society we live in. Without it, we are failing not just the children, but our entire community. Resolutions are not new to Clarksville. Our leaders have passed them to expand schools, to oppose harmful policies like vouchers, and to recognize the value of our community neighbors. Each of those resolutions was a statement about who we are. Tonight, I'm asking you to make another statement. Pass a resolution that affirms all children in Clarksville, regardless of their immigration status, deserve
the same foundation and education that I was blessed with growing up here. And when we say community, we can't forget that the word itself holds unity. There is no community without unity and unity means standing up for all children, protecting their right to learn, to grow, and to dream. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is approval of consent agenda. Motion for mister Mayberry, second from mister McNair. Everyone ready to vote. Please open the vote.
Are all members satisfied with your vote? Please close the vote. The pass is six o. Next item is policy monitoring, doctor Varo. Board, please find in your board packet information on executive limitation 11 capital projects. This executive limitation has eight compliance expectations that our staff follow to ensure district facilities are safe and adequate in order to accomplish the board's policies and priorities. Specifically, projects are prioritized based on a needs analysis. Additionally, the board reviews, adjusts, and approves the list of capital projects prior to allocation
of funds. Decisions are based on economics, efficiency, longevity, and the individual needs of each facility. All land purchases are recommended by the county commission, school board, planning commission, CMCSS operation department, and Joint Land Acquisition Committee. A proposed construction schedule based on careful analysis of district building capacity, student enrollment projects, and planning commission growth data has been developed for the next twenty years. The Joint Committees review total cost, timelines, and quarterly construction reports.
Likewise, leadership teams from school sites monitor ongoing construction projects and updates are provided to the board and County Commission and made available to the public. Projects are prioritized appropriately based on student and staff safety, educational needs, environmental impact, and aesthetics. Projects exceeding $50,000 go to public bid. The lowest and best bids are accepted based on contractor performance, quality, and work history. New school construction or major renovations estimated at greater than $2,000,000 are brought to the
board for final approval of staff recommendations for an architect. Chairman Griffey, this concludes executive limitation 11 capital projects. Thank you. Do I have a motion to accept? Mister Garland, is there a second? Any discussion? Seeing none, discussion is now closed. Please open the vote. And for your notes, miss Bryant, who cast a second, if you didn't see that. I'm sorry. Is everyone satisfied with your vote? Please close the vote. Passes six o. Next item is election of board officers. Mister Goodson, our attorney for the evening, will be having that part of the meeting.
Mister Goodson? Thank you, mister chair. Before we go into that, I believe we have a motion. Yeah. I wanna make a motion to roll this to the last thing we do today instead of being the first thing we do today. Do we have a second? And the motion particularly is to make the, election of board officers the last action item that the board takes. Do we have a second on that motion? We have a second from miss Bryant. All in favor, we'll do a motion this way, because I don't know if we have time to plug that in the system. I was saying, let's do a show of hands on the motion.
All in favor of that motion, raise your hand. The motion does not carry. Thank you, mister chair. We'll move on if there's nothing further, to the election of the board officers. First, just a review of the basic components of this process, and this is under g p 11. The board shall have, of course, two officers, a chair and a vice chair. The chair and the vice chair shall be elected separately. In a moment, not right now, but in just a moment, I'll take nominations for the chair first. And just a reminder to all the board members, no nomination would require a second.
It's not like a motion that would require a second. You just simply make a nomination. But I'll call for nominations in a moment for the chair first. The chair must receive at least four votes to be elected. Once the election of the chair is complete, then the election of the vice chair would proceed using that same method. And just another note for the board, kinda like we did a moment ago, we'll have to do a show of hands. I'll call for a show of hands in favor of the nominees one at a time. So we'll just do a a show of hands affirmatively. The new officers, of course, will assume their duties on the October 2025.
Those things being said, do we have any nominations for chair? Any nominations for chair? Yes, miss Bryant. Mister Lanier. Mister Lanier has been nominated for chair. Do we have any further nominations for chair? I move that the nomination be close close on the said name for chair. We have a motion that the nominations be closed. Any second? I'll check. Seconded by mister Griffey.
The nominations being closed. I'll now call for the vote for chair. All in favor of the chair being Chris Lanier. Raise your hands, please. Seeing we have at least four votes, mister Lanier is, in fact, elected chair of the board. Moving on to vice chair. Do we have any nominations for vice chair of the board? I nominate, Casey Bryant. We have a nomination for vice chair for Casey Bryant. Any further nominations?
Seeing none, the nominations being closed. Oh, do we have one? Miss Berry. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Be closed on the said name. That, motion is seconded by mister Mayberry. The nominations being closed. Do we we will call for a vote. All in favor, please raise your hands for miss Bryant for vice chair. Seeing four votes, miss Bryant is duly elected vice chair. Thank you. That closes that particular portion of the agenda. Thank you. Next item is CMCS depository authorization.
Board, whenever there is the vote of a new chair, we do have to update our depository authorization for all of our banks. So that will require a vote, and and that will take effect in October after the change of chair. I'm moving with change the authorization of signatures on the checks. I can't make the motion. I'm sorry. You're not sharing anymore. I'm waiting on that motion. Do you have a second? Second. Any discussion? Please open the vote. All in favor, please cast your vote. Is everyone satisfied with their vote? Please close the vote.
It passes six o. Budget of middle amendment, middle school wrestling. Mister Mabry, I believe that's your motion. Thank you, mister chair. I am gonna have a little bit of a different motion tonight, but first, I just wanna say thank you to the district for your presentation. And and, mister Johnson, I appreciate, you come up here and sharing all the information you shared as well. I wanna thank the board for the, honest and great debate and deliberation we've had so far on this. I also wanna thank the community, for all the output and and all the wrestling coaches. There's a lot of wrestling coaches out here in the, audience tonight and those who
spoke today. I just wanna, show my appreciation to everybody today. I wanna reemphasize something that mister Johnson said and we talked about on the phone that, we can make middle school wrestling in our current building succeed. So it's something that, him and I talked about this week on the phone, and we believe the district can do. So with that with that and thought, I wanna make a different motion than I made last month. So my new motion is gonna be I make a motion to have the district roll out a new middle school sport at least every two years starting in the twenty twenty six, twenty twenty seven school budget beginning with middle school wrestling.
Mister Okay. I'll I'll do the motion, and then, of course, we need a second before we have comments. But, the motion would be I make a motion to have the, CMCS roll out a new middle school sport at least every two years, as we discussed, specifically, just
to add this context in, the ones that you talked about at the bottom there, just to be very clear, the ones we talked about at the bottom, until those are gone too, not trying to go beyond what you'd you would, propose there, starting in the twenty twenty six, twenty twenty seven school budget, beginning with wrestling. Do you have a second? Second, mister Bryant. Okay. You and chairing the meeting or not. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Any discussion? Mister Garland? I have a one question. Doctor Luna, are we financially ready to do this, and is the county commissioner on
board? So I believe what mister Mayberry is proposing and what we would be looking at would be adding this to the next year's budget. We've already talked with John Miller about the ordering of equipment. So we would not go to the county commission at this time to ask for any sort of budget amendment to add this. We will be adding this, when we are implementing the new budget for next year. Chris Lanier. So the motion that was made is a new sport every two years. How many sports does that include? So, specifically and I apologize the first time I made that motion.
But, when mister Johnson made the presentation last week, he had a section of sports at the bottom that said that these sports could be easy to implement over the next couple of years. He even gave me feedback on the phone that he felt like there may be another one, that could be added with wrestling next year, because, like, I think it was track because it'd be easy to add on. So that's why I said at least not trying to limit it to one sport. But so it'd be just those few, but you can answer that. There we go. Yes. So I I I think and I wanna clarify what mister Mayberry, is talking about
is the sanctioned sports by t, double s, double a or TMS, double a, the ones that are sanctioned by them that were in that presentation. Now I do wanna I wanna state, and and I know this is I don't wanna be out of form or anything by the board, But I do wanna say that the board, ultimately, every April, makes the final decision on the budget. So I I think and this would probably be something if if Mark were here, and I know, mister Goodson, you also are sitting in. I don't know exactly what that looks like since, essentially, you'd be making a motion,
I think, binding on your own body to say that we will make sure that we approve in the budget every year. So, I mean, I that's my only thing. With all of that said, the finances that we gave you all in that presentation about how much they would cost, just, you know, high level. As you saw implementing, there were a few that were, 6 figures to implement a couple. Recurring costs, though, are not as significant. Those are mostly just coach stipends. But I was trying to tally, and I apologize I didn't memorize, but I I think it would be seven, so over, I guess, the next fourteen years.
But I think to the point mister Maybier was saying is as the district and as the board plans the budget, and we never know, I mean, all the way up until about April, we don't know what the forecast will look like. If there are opportunities, I think, at some times, and that's kind of what I was sharing with mister Mayberry, is to not limit it, that it could just be one. Because as a reminder, that one year, we added both, volleyball and cross country in the same year, and those were natural fit. So that's the that was my caution, I guess, is what I'm trying to say is to not just limit because maybe we could have a good budget year.
We could we could offer more than one. I hope that explains. I'm sorry. That was a long spot. Miss Bryant. You threw us a curve ball, Erin. Are there I don't know who to ask this to, but are there benefits to keeping any of the sports nonsanctioned versus sanctioning them as far as facilities or yeah. So I I think that would be the point of consideration each year as we are looking at the budget and we are looking at what comes next and what makes the most sense. I think, you know, we would always have coaches, parents, community weigh in.
There may be some that actually prefer to stay club, and with some sort of subsidizing or or something that we made sure that every student had it available to them. There may not be. I think that's something that each year we would need to look at. As we roll them out, would they would every school would we be able to do it by individual school? So say some schools wanna do it one way, or would it be all across the board? No. So in this district, if we are going to offer a sport, it it would be every school.
So we would not just piecemeal and offer it only, let's say, to three or four middle schools. It would be offered at all eight similar to how we did, football as was mentioned. So there was a point in time when, you know, when my boys played that it was exclusively junior pro and we did transition that. That was a two year program. That was a really expensive program. So that's why we did that in the two years. But we made sure that every single middle school had coaches, equipment, and everything to be able to play. Okay. And then one more question.
According to the this proposal, would we have to add a sport every two years or we would discuss adding a sport every two years? So I can amend this to say this because I understand what you just said, to make a motion to have the district roll, to put in a budget. And then, ultimately, it would be us to vote on that budget. That makes way more sense, and I apologize for that confusion. So I'd just be we would be directing the district to add, these middle school sports to the budget every year, and then, ultimately, it's our decision if we're gonna go forward with them or not at that point.
So I I don't know if I need to restate that. I mean, I can. That'd be a question to legal. What he's doing, we would have the options aboard not to add one we did not need to financially or any other reason because we come up every two years. Did you have a comment on that? Yeah. Yeah. Alright. So we have a motion. Are you withdrawing your motion and making another, or do we have a motion to amend the motion you've got? Whatever's easiest. I can withdraw the motion and do a new motion here to make it clean. Clean it that way? Yeah. Let's do that. So I would draw a motion and make a motion to, have the district put
in the budget a new middle school sport at least every two years. I'm sorry. At least one sport every two years starting in the twenty twenty six, twenty twenty seven school year budget, beginning with wrestling. Did you end up with for the board's consideration? With for the board's consideration. Yes. Is there a second to the new motion? Second, miss Bryant. Now I'm continuing discussion. Mister Garland, what's next? Is your is your discussion still there, or is it changed with the new motion? Still there. Okay. You know, we can come up with all kinds of fabulous plans.
The state ain't gonna give us no money to implement this. We have a partner that's gonna finance whatever we hopefully, for whatever we ask for. But one of the things that we gotta do, we gotta make sure that they are in the position to actually finance this when it come to pass. This year, they have taken 7,000 over $7,000 per child that wanna go to a private school, public charter school, however you wanna call it. Now we wanna take millions of dollars to put in a sport.
Got no problem with sports. Don't get me wrong. But we definitely need to make sure that our partners that actually finance our ask that they are in a position to then be able to do it. I don't know whether anybody actually sat down and talked to them. If we haven't, I think that we'll be going rogue, to actually try to enforce this on them every other year. That is my position. I believe that every child need to be able to excel. I I believe every child need to, be able to do the sports that they
want to do. But my question is also, how many children have actually signed up for this sport in Montgomery County School System? Not out in the private sector in Montgomery County School System. How many children of the 39,000 that we have have actually called and asked, said that they want to be part of this wrestling team? And I'd have no more nothing else to say about this until the vote. Miss Berry. Thank you, mister chair. I know that our county commission has been more than generous to CMCSS meeting the
needs of students academically. Should I think we should be academically focused more so than anything else. I'm not against sports, but can we afford to fund all of these middle school sports? Like mister Garland said, can we afford them? And our county commission should not be burden because we are so focused on supporting
sports. Now I believe that, again, academics should be our priority. Most of the funds should be used for educating our students. I think children should have extracurricular activities, but I do not think that the constituents of this county or the burden on our commission because of middle school sports. You know, if we have the statistics on high school sports, it's very expensive.
And then we're gonna do the same thing for middle school. And in some instances, looks like they want wrestling in elementary school. We must be realistic. We don't live in a dream world. Our county commission, I've never known a time when they didn't support something that was going to make our schools better and increase the academic performance of our students. I think we need to table this and then to talk about add one every
two years. What will our economy look like? What will our budget look like, county commissioners? We don't know. So a lot of that would depend on do we increase taxes? And I don't know about you, but my constituents do not like increasing taxes. I don't mind paying my fair share, but we must be realistic. My budget if I go over my budget, the creditors are coming after me. I'm going to pay. If we go over our budget, what the county commission can deem necessary, I'm just
saying that we have to make sure that we're doing what's right for students and for Clarksville, Montgomery County. Mister Mabry. Mister Taylor, could you tell us the budget number for CMCSS this year? The the whole number. Whole number for GP fund was 456,000,000 and change. $46,050,000,000. Thank you. Yes. We have a budget of 460. Say it again. 456,000,000. Thank you. 456,000,000. We are not talking about millions of dollars for sports as mister Garland just said.
Wrestling was a 160,000 onetime startup cost. And then was it a 160,000? 200. $262,160,000 onetime cost. And then this we're funding coaches from that point forward. Other sports had almost no cost. It was very, very little. We're talking about a $456,000,000 budget, and then we're talking about $260,000. The fund budget, as we discussed last week, needed to be 13,000,000 by state standards according to our overall budget, which I don't think it needs to be there.
But we're talking about it currently being at 86,000,000 that that that'll be from the county commission next month. We're talking about adding in to our budget to support our children in our district. By the way, the state gave CMCS says about 10 to $12,000,000, and that can be confirmed right over here. This year, we give the state gives the district more money every year. This is not millions of dollars. This is thousands of dollars. Academics are greatly impacted by sports, greatly in increased sports.
And our county commission, they're definitely going to vote to either approve or disprove the budget. That is their role. But our role is to give and lead this district. That is our role. And so I'm just simply asking, as a board, we give the district some direction. The direction is that we, as a board, if we vote on this tonight, want to see our middle schools expand in their sporting. I believe it'll have great dividends to our community, and I've already shared all that
last month in great detail. I believe our academics will grow tremendously. The health of our children, as we heard today during public comment, will be greatly impacted in a great way. There are currently hundreds of students. I don't have the exact number, but hundreds of students I know for a fact are in our wrestling programs at the high school level. This is a great investment, and this is not and and I mended this, by the way, to be a new sport every two years because I thought it was incredible what I heard from the district's explanation of all the different sports we could
implement, and I got excited about that. And I heard from the community saying, we want bowling and we want I think it's one of them. Is it? Yes. And we want track and and all these other sports that are that are potentially on the horizon that we could do. I I'm excited about that. So, now, I wanna urge our board. It's within our it's in our purview to give direction to the district about what we wanna see the district do. Just like the areas, focus that we we give that we vote on every single month, that we reaffirm every single month, we'll be able to vote on this again
when the budget comes through. So this will be simply put in the budget. At that point, we can have the discussion again if you'd like. But if we don't give the direction now, it potentially won't be there. And then that's kind of a never ending kicking the can down the road scenario where if it's never there, we can never vote on it. If it's and there that never happens. I'm just simply saying as a board, I would love to see us invest in our children, invest in their ability to have these, athletic opportunities. And that's why I brought this forward. Thank you. Chris Lanier.
Not that middle school wrestling's a a bad thing or anything. I think we Yes. Do us for a loop because if you obligate the future boards every two years to to vote I know. But still, we have to put it into the budget. You're obligating them to to think about it. And then, I don't think you meant bowling, but bowling requires another facility. But, yeah, I think just the motion, I think I think we kinda got off
from wrestling into this other kinda gamut. So just let you all think about that. Mister Garland, you you know, I, I'll sit and listen to, Aaron, and, he has a good I mean, he has a good rep. I mean, what he's saying might make sense to him. But, you know, he said that the community was asked. No one from my community have asked me that I know of that might be
my some of those people that spoke might be in my community. I don't know. But no one have come to me and told me that, mister Garland, it's imperative that we have sports, that we have wrestling at the middle school. No one has come to enact me that. So I don't know who he's been talking to. I don't know what constituents he's been talking to. Bottom line is, I you know, like I say, wrestling may probably is a good sport. I have no problem with it. But the bottom line is if we can't afford it now if our partners who's
gonna fund this? We can think of all kinds of great things. But if our partner's not in a position to fund it, something's gonna have to be taken out of the budget in order for the budget to pass. And so what are we gonna give up? When I first came on, it was nurses. It was staff at this level. It was principals. It was all kinds of people that was let let go so we can do some of the things that we want to do. Now we have someone that got a big idea, want sports all kinds of sports
added to the curriculum, but ain't nobody bringing any additional money into Montgomery County without, as missus Berry said, raising taxes. And that is not what we should be about. We if we're gonna raise taxes, let's be for academics. If we're gonna if we are going to do this, let's be let it be for academics. Wrestling, good sport. If the board passes, that's something we're gonna have to deal with. But I really do believe that we need to talk with the county commissions before we actually entertain this again.
Mister Migrin. Yeah. And it's the same time increase in taxes has been brought up, and I've already, addressed this once, but no one's calling for increasing taxes. And if you think we need to increase taxes of $260,000 and some coaches, I mean, that's not no, I'm not calling for that. No one's calling for that. I just wanna make that abundantly clear. Mister Lanier, I just wanna say just back to that is, I'm not obligated future boards to do anything. I'm just asking for something to be in the budget that I've been asking for a lot several last several years and to have the opportunity to vote on, and
it hasn't been. That's our opportunity as a board to get that direction. That is within that's what it's our purview is what we do. And that's just simply why I'm asking. I just wanna be able to have have it in a budget. And at that point, if the board decides they don't wanna do it, then we would have that vote. I'm just having asking for the opportunity for it to get in the budget, and then you can hear from the community. Mister Bryant. I had a whole write up for wrestling tonight that was prepared. But I'm gonna go into a little personal story. Sports basically saved my life. I had a pretty rough time in high school, and, I got a soccer scholarship,
a walk on soccer scholarship to college. And so it's because of sports that I'm probably not dead in a ditch right now and put me through college. So this is pretty near and dear to my heart. When my daughter my daughter does wrestling, central, and when she joined decided she wanted to join the wrestling team, I thought it was the weirdest thing in the world. I had never watched a wrestling match, specifically for girls. But as we got more and more into the wrestling community, I realized actually how pretty amazing that community is.
The the kids there's no politics in wrestling because the kids have to compete for their position. So it's a it's a really amazing sport. And I will say also being involved in that community, there's a very, very large demand for wrestling in our community, both for boys and girls. And, and I realized that. I mean, we've had we've got hundreds of kids going through the high school, and it's a lot having both kids that are competitive with sports. If they don't start in middle school, it's really hard to be competitive in high school.
My daughter just started as a freshman. She lost pretty much every match last year her first year. And I really wish that she would have had an opportunity to start sooner. So with that being said, is there I think, Aaron, you just kinda threw us for a loop. I don't I'm not sure how this goes, but if we can go back to the original proposal and just focus on wrestling, I think that we'll have a better chance of making progress tonight. That's just my thought. Miss Berry. You know, one of the things that my family enjoyed was going to the wrestling
matches, paid to go. But when I think about wrestling, it's a dangerous sport, and it's near and dear to my heart because we have a child in this very district that got his neck broke. We have I mean, broken. We haven't said a word about that, and I don't wanna be the negative one. But face reality. According to the information, that child broke his neck, has a damaged spine, may never
walk again. If parents want to risk their children's health, do it. I'm just not going to sit here, you know, and just say that wrestling is good. Like I said, my mom paid for us to go every week down in Columbus, Georgia. We drove, like, forty five minutes to go to the wrestling match, but that was a parent choice. And parents can make choices, and you can pay for it. I know that I have a grandchild in softball. They have to pay for everything.
You know? We choose to have our children. I did. And everything she participated in, I paid for it. And when she got in high school, there was interest in her being on a team. That was sponsored by the school. But I don't think everything in middle school needs to be sanctioned. And I my heart goes after that child who probably would never walk again. Paralyzed, wrestling, smart kid, bright future.
Think about all of it, not just part of it. Reality. It might be the fact that I'm looking at this affects a child's life forever, not just today, not just, selfish ambitions, but for students to look at what's best for them for the rest of their lives. And like I said, I'm not a negative person, but we must look at reality. Mister Mayberry. Miss Bryant, you mentioned going back to the original motion.
Are you talking about the original motion by taking it out of the fund balance, or would you want the would you be supportive of the motion being to just add it to this upcoming budget that for us to vote again? The first or the second? Okay. So I'm gonna withdraw my motion and make the motion to have the district put in this upcoming budget for middle school wrestling to be included in the budget for us to vote on in the upcoming budget season. That would need a second. So you're are withdrawing the motion about every two year thing and going back to
restate that motion? I wanna make a motion to add the district add in middle school wrestling to the twenty twenty six, twenty twenty seven school budget to press a vote on. K. Is there a second to that motion? I have a second. Any further discussion on this motion? Seeing none, we'll close the discussion. Please open the vote. Is everyone satisfied with your vote? Please close the vote. It passes four one four four one and one. So motion passed.
Next item, Fort Campbell School liaison officer. Good evening, doctor Luna Vedder, members of the board and commission. My name is Karen Watkins Jouf. I'm one of the school liaisons representing the Garrison at Fort Campbell. We're excited for the 2025 twenty twenty five, twenty six school year. Over the summer, our collaboration and partnership supported many families and we look forward to keeping this momentum strong. Together, we launched programs that provided real time transition support, connected students with resources before the first day of school, and strengthened ties between our schools and military families.
During our state of education brief that was held on the September 9, Laquivion and I shared that CMCSS, we shared the status of being a 100% purple star district as well as ways we collaborate to ensure military student transition success, our engaging adopt a school program, a hundred and first band strong presence at various events throughout the school year, and the readily and available support that we receive from Kimmy and the
accountability department. And mister Massey and the student service department, whenever we call, email, or text, they support. Achievements like these set us apart and highlight your commitment to serving military families. Thank you for your continued support with Fort Campbell. Together, let's make this another great school year. Thank you. Thank you. C MCAA representative. Good evening, director, chair, and board. My name is Chris Gerald, and I am the vice president of the Clarksville Montgomery County Education Association. Our president, Steffi Outlaw, who usually speaks at these meetings, couldn't be here tonight.
So she asked me to step in, and I was happy to oblige. We are living in uncertain times. Policy decisions at the state and federal levels can shift quickly and the resulting pressures can easily make us feel divided or discouraged. But moments like these are exactly when our partnerships matter the most. Educators and school board members share more than responsibilities. We share values. We believe in preparing every student for the future. We believe in treating educators with dignity and respect, and we believe that strong schools build strong communities. Partnership is not about always agreeing, but it is, however, always about listening.
It is about building trust even as we navigate challenges together. Our association is committed to sitting at the table with you collaborating in good faith and working towards solutions that keep students at the center. When educators voices are heard and when the board and staff move forward together, we show our community that we are united. That unity inspires confidence, helps us attract and retain great educators, and most importantly, provides stability for the students who depend on us. As we move forward, I urge us all to focus on what binds us together, not what tears us apart. Let us reaffirm our shared commitment to public education, lean into our partnerships, and remind
our students, families, and communities that we are on the same page. Because no matter the mandates or uncertainty in the funding, the certainty is this. Together, we can ensure that every child in CMCSS receives the education that they deserve. Thank you. Good night. PG representative. Good evening, board and board members. Short and sweet tonight. Just wanted to let you know that my fellow educators and I were able to box up and ship out over 2,000,000 pocket constitutions this last couple of weeks to educators in schools all across the district and all across 50 states.
So So we celebrated constitution week last week because it's our fourth and eighth grade standards that we have to study. So I just wanted to let you know the success there. Thank you. Commencement County Commissioners. Thank you. Just just a quick one, and I hate to be the dad in the group, but I'm gonna have to be the dad tonight. Anytime you have a board, a committee, or a commission, you do not have the power to obligate future boards to take your directive. That's a mistake. It would have been thrown out anyway. I'm glad you changed the motion, but I'll admonish you, you cannot obligate future boards,
to take a certain direction because you don't have that power. So, anyway, have a good night. Alright. Comments for, board members. Mister Mabry. I just wanna, thank the board for the the great deliberation there, and I appreciate the conversation. I do also wanna say to all the kids tomorrow, participate in the sea at the pole. We love you, and we're praying for you. Thank you. Carol Berry. Thank you, mister chair. I just wanna say that. Make sure that you think about what you're doing before you do it. You're not the only person in this room, in this world.
Try putting others before yourself. Don't mistreat people just because you can or because they're different from you. And what does it cost us to be kind, loving, and caring. The children are watching us, and they wanna be just like us. I kid you not. Thank you. I don't normally make any, but I got one or two tonight. First of all, the award that was put into the board early on for the
board of distinction, I'm grateful to get. The board is grateful to get, but we want to recognize it's not the board's award. It's the school systems award. The board could do nothing without the help of the staff, the parents, the commission, and the superintendent, our director of schools, and it's a team effort. So the county has been honored tonight, not just the school board. Second, I want to, congratulate, mister Brainerd and mister Bryant for the election of new
officers, and I look forward to working with both of them. And I wanna say thank you to this board for the times that I've served as your chair. I appreciate greatly the opportunity, and I look forward to working in the trenches with other board members now. Keshi Bryant. Mister Griffey, I just wanna tell you, thank you very much for serving as our chair. You've done an amazing job, and I've learned a lot from you already. Thank you. Mister Mabry. Yeah. I hit my button again because I I had to say that.
Mister Griffey, three years ago, you became the chair. You did an incredible job. I appreciate your leadership. I appreciate your mentorship over this past time, and, I'm thankful for you in my life and and call you a friend. Thank you so much for your leadership. Yeah. Director of school's report. Good evening, board members. I'm excited to announce that our high school student advisory has elected one of their members to serve as the first student representative of the CMCSS Board of Education. Elijah Fuller will make history this October when he joins you to bring student voice
to the work of the board and represent his peers with distinction. Elijah is a well rounded student currently enrolled in three dual enrollment courses with an above average GPA, a member of the football team, and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He serves his school as a student ambassador to welcome new students to campus to ensure they feel supported and connected. Elijah is also actively engaged in his church youth group and serves each summer as a counselor children's camp. As mentioned in the established timeline, Elijah's first meeting will be October 21 and he
will be present each month at the formal meetings. He is a member, a senior, currently at Kirkwood High School. Student advisory did also select Joseph Taylor, a student from Kenwood High School to be an alternate when Elijah is unable to attend. I look forward to welcoming them both next month. Next, we are working collaboratively with Montgomery County government and the election commission to find the next school board member to fill the vacant seat for District 3. Applications are currently available through Wednesday, October 29.
County commissioners will hear from all qualified applicants at their informal meeting on November 3 and make a selection on November 10. I encourage everyone to be present either watching online or in person and let your County Commissioner know your choice for school board member district three. Finally, as a reminder, students will be in attendance tomorrow. It was originally scheduled for a professional development day, but training has changed to October 7 to accommodate the special election being held in our schools on that date.
Mister Griffey, this concludes my report for the evening. Thank you. And that concludes our