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Tag Archives: BEP

100 Percent Of Jackson Students Qualify As Rural In New Funding Formula

Jackson County Director of Schools Kristy Brown saw one of her biggest wants addressed in the new proposed school funding model. Brown said that as a member of the rural school districts subcommittee, it was important to her to see a district’s ruralness acknowledged and factored into the budget. “They have basically a five percent additional weight for each student ... Read More »

Putnam Resident Brought Parental View To State School Funding Committee

One Putnam County resident has been giving a parent’s perspective as the state finalizes a new funding formula for public schools. Baxter Primary PTO Vice-President Wendy Jarvis has served on the Parents Choice and Voice Subcommittee since October. Jarvis said she worked with a wide variety of political leaders, school officials and other parents. “I’m kind of new to the ... Read More »

Community Members Voice Concerns About Funding At BEP Town Hall

A local attorney said it is important public tax dollars continue to fund public schools at Tuesday night’s BEP Town Hall. Anne Austin said she worries that there’s more to the idea of revisiting the BEP formula. “I am a strong proponent of a strong public education system,” Austin said. “That means funding it with taxpayer dollars whether they’re federal ... Read More »

BEP Town Hall Discussion Focuses On Equity In School Funding

Equity. That was the word most used at Tuesday night’s forum on public school funding. Jackson Schools High School Supervisor of Instruction Deb Whitaker said that when the state recognizes smaller counties have had to make do with their resources. “We have to do the same things that systems ten times our size do with one-tenth the number of people,” ... Read More »

Jackson Middle Hosting One Of Eight TN School Funding Town Halls

Jackson County Middle School will host one of only eight town halls in Tennessee to discuss school funding. The town hall on November 30 at 5:30 PM will be for the entire Upper Cumberland region. Director of Schools Kristy Brown said that with Tennessee’s BEP currently facing a lawsuit, there will be questions about what changes the state and department ... Read More »

All Jackson County Teachers, Staff Getting Raises In School Budget

Jackson County teachers and staff are getting raises after the school system’s budget was approved by board members on Thursday night. Teachers will be getting a $1,200 raise, with staff receiving a 3 percent raise. Director of Schools Kristy Brown said this is the largest raise during her 17 years in the school system. “That’s exciting for them and certainly ... Read More »

Clay Co. Using Other Revenues For Teacher Salaries After BEP Shortfall

The Clay County School System is again using other money in the budget for teacher salaries. Director of Schools Matt Eldridge said it seems to be an annual occurrence. Eldridge said the BEP formula does not provide enough money for teachers with advanced degrees. “They allot you for masters, and we got some teachers with another degree, which would be ... Read More »

Rep. Windle Says UC Needed More Assistance In Governor’s Budget

State Representative John Mark Windle said that more could have been done to help the Upper Cumberland in the 2021 state budget. Windle said that broadband infrastructure was cut from $200 million to $100 million by Governor Lee. Windle said rural Tennessee is seeing an influx of new residents but they need the bandwidth for today’s jobs. “We need to ... Read More »

Clay County BOE Approves Third-Party Virtual Learning

The Clay County Board of Education unanimously approved a plan to hand off virtual learning to a third-party company for the 2021-2022 school year. Director of Schools Matt Eldridge said they’ve spent the last month assessing cost and effectiveness and agreed Edgenuity was the most cost-effective route. Elrdridge said there has been outreach to gauge parents interest over that time ... Read More »

Clay BOE Exploring Virtual Options For 21-22

The Clay County Board of Education is considering using a third party virtual learning provider for the 2021-2022 school year. If approved, students that choose virtual learning will be taught by licensed teachers employed through Edgenuity. Director of Schools Matt Eldridge said he thinks the program is needed as teachers have became overwhelmed with teaching in-person and virtually. “We are ... Read More »