News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
White County School Board approved the hiring of an additional 11 positions to add to staff next school year.
Those positions include a computer science teacher, special education aides, a counselor, and a new assistant principal for Findlay Elementary. Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said these positions were made possible by the funds from the new school funding model estimated to bring an additional $4 million to the school system annually.
“I was hearing things, especially along the lines of counseling services, behavioral issues in the school, those were a lot of the things we were hearing as administrators in the school,” Dronebarger said. “That came out of that conversation so we sat down with administrators and said these are the things we want to add to make us better next year, things that maybe were financially prohibited before.”
The board also approved a second SRO at White County High School. Dronebarger said they are hopeful that new funding proposed by Governor Bill Lee will help offset the cost for additional desired SROs.
Board Member Jayson McDonald said he would like to see a second SRO at the middle school as well. He said with a campus so large, it would be worth having the additional aid.
“This campus is huge,” McDonald said. “And I know our SRO here would probably enjoy the help I’m sure.”
Dronebarger said he is all for it, but would like to watch where the money goes. He said if the money goes how the governor plans, there could be discussions had about how to best spend it with the Sheriff.
One of the 11 positions included Dronebarger’s son Cameron Dronebarger to serve as the additional broadcast teacher and middle school girls’ soccer coach.
After questions from McDonald and Board Member Dewayne Howard, Dronebarger explained his son was one of three candidates who applied for the position. Dronebarger said that the high school brought the idea before him and that his son comes highly recommended by A/V production teacher Candice Allen.
Howard voted no on the motion to hire all 11 teachers.
