School Board Candidate Forum on Monday

Parent-led advocacy group Strong Schools is hosting a forum for School Board candidates on Monday, June 2nd at 6:30 PM at the Hendersonville Public Library.

Candidates from all districts up for election have been invited to attend.

This year, seats in districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11 are up for election.

The candidates are:

District 1: Vanessa Silkwood (incumbent) and Tammy Hayes

District 3: Don Long (incumbent) and Alice Bachman

District 5: Janet Arnold (incumbent) and Jeff Cordell

District 7: Andy Daniels (incumbent) and John Ruth

District 9: Patricia Brown

District 11: David Brown (incumbent) and Jeff Carter

TCAP and Final Grades for Sumner Students

According to a letter distributed by Sumner County Schools this morning, final grades for students in grades 3-8 will NOT include TCAP scores this year.  This is a change from the past, as the state mandates inclusion of TCAP scores in a student's final grades. The change is a result of a delay in the availability of "Quick Scores" from the state.  Below are excerpts from the letter that explain in more detail:

In grades 3-8, final student grades will not be impacted by TCAP scores this school year. Per Sumner County Schools Board Policy IHA, in grades 3-5, TCAP scores should account for 15% of a student's second semester grade. In grades 6-8, TCAP scores should account for 20% of a student's second semester grade, and in grades 9-12, the end-of-course examination should count 25% of the student's second nine-week grading period.  Due to the unavailability of quick scores in grades 3-8, the Sumner County School Board has elected to waive Board Policy IHA this year to allow the calculation of final grades to not include those grades.

High school quick scores were released for end-of-course tests, and students in grades 9-12 will have those scores factored in to their final grades.

Malone Touts Strong Schools Endorsement

6th District County Commission candidate Yvonne Malone sent out an email yesterday touting her endorsement by the Political Action Committee (PAC) of local grassroots organization Strong Schools.

Here's the email:

Did you see today's email from the Strong Schools PAC?  Strong Schools has selected Yvonne Malone as one of its endorsed candidates for the 2014 August election!  Click here to see their email.

"I am honored to know Strong Schools recognizes that I am a qualified and committed candidate for Sumner County Commission," said Malone.  "I look forward to campaigning hard this summer and meeting the voters of the 6th Commission District."

A 30 year veteran of the Sumner County School system, Yvonne Malone knows the "ins and outs" of our school system and how the County Commission can best assist the School Board in making Sumner County Schools priority number one.

Yvonne has a proven track record from her time on the Gallatin City Council, and is ready to step up and serve her community once again.

 

For more Hendersonville news, follow us @HvilleNews

Strong Schools PAC Announces August Endorsements

Strong Schools PAC, the political action committee of local grassroots group Strong Schools, today released its list of endorsed County Commission candidates for the August 2014 County General Election.

“These candidates have committed to being pro-schools voices on the County Commission,” said Strong Schools PAC Chair Wes Duenkel.  “We believe they represent the best options for moving our schools and Sumner County forward.”

The endorsed candidates include:

District 2: Mike Meadows

District 3: Alan Driver

District 4: Leslie Schell and Jerry Foster

District 5: Ben Harris and Baker Ring

District 6: Kevin Pomeroy and Yvonne Malone

District 7: JoAnne Kemp and Trish LeMarbre

District 8: Paul Decker

District 9: Jerry Becker and Chris Taylor

District 10: Paul Goode and Caroline Krueger

District 11: Scott Langford and Bill Taylor

Strong Schools PAC endorsed 13 winning candidates in the May 6^th Primary Election. As a result of their efforts, three incumbents were defeated in May and will not be on the August ballot.

“It’s time for new leadership that embraces responsible management and puts our schools first,” Duenkel said. “We’re pleased to have had some early wins in May and hopeful that we’ll see a full slate of pro-schools candidates elected in August.”

 

For more Hendersonville news, follow us @HvilleNews

Sumner County Jobs

Here are some jobs currently available in Sumner County:

Director of Library Services, Volunteer State Community College

Assistant Manager, The Children's Place

Sales and Marketing, The Job Window

Business Analyst, Smith Travel Research

Dean of Business and Technology, Volunteer State Community College

Indian Lake Starbucks and the Guy in the Hat

So, Hendersonville's NEWEST news source has this great story about a guy with a hat and a little run-in at Starbuck on Indian Lake Blvd. 

Check it out!

McKamey to Visit Sumner on Monday

Democratic Gubernatorial candidate John McKamey will visit Sumner County on Monday, May 19th.  He'll be available for a meet and greet at 6 PM at the Sumner County Democratic Party Headquarters on Long Hollow Pike in Gallatin.

McKamey is a former educator from Sullivan County who also served a term as Sullivan County Mayor.  The baseball field at Sullivan East High in Bluff City is named for the former teacher and coach.

Sumner County Election Results

The May 6th Primary determined many of the 2014 Election outcomes.

At the County Commission level, candidates supported by local grassroots group Strong Schools won 13 races, including defeating three incumbents.

The Gallatin News had this to say:

They said they would make a difference and in the Republican County Primary Tuesday, a group nearly 4,000 strong swept the election polls with all 13 of their endorsed County Commission candidates; upsetting three longtime incumbent commissioners.
It was a victory night for the Strong Schools group, formed in 2012, following the shut-down of schools opening during a budget standoff of the County Commission and the School Board.

And the Hendersonville Star News added:

Tuesday was a big night for Strong Schools, a grassroots group formed in 2012 when a stalemate between the Sumner County School Board and Sumner County Commission caused an eight-day delay in the start of the school year.

Thirteen of the candidates the group endorsed won their primary races, with several facing no opposition in August. In addition, three incumbents vocally opposed to raising property taxes to give more funding to education were defeated.

Primary winners endorsed by the group included Leslie Schell and Jerry Foster in District 4; Trisha LeMarbre and Joanne Kemp in District 7; Jerry Becker and Chris Taylor in District 9; Paul Goode and Caroline Krueger in District 10; and Scott Langford and Bill Taylor in District 11.
Incumbents who lost included Jerry Stone in District 11; Kirk Moser in District 7 and Frank Freels in District 4.

In other elections, Joe Thompson narrowly won the primary for Circuit Court Judge, Louis Oliver III won the Chancellor's race, Barry Brown was re-elected General Sessions Judge, Sonny Weatherford easily won the Sheriff's race, and Kathryn Strong dominated in the race for Circuit Court Clerk.

The elections now move on to August, which will see the General Election for County Commission, School Board, and other county offices.  There are contested County Commission races in district's 2, 3, 6, and 9. 

For more Hendersonville news, follow @HvilleNews

JOB: Research Analyst, Smith Travel Research

An outstanding job opportunity in Hendersonville -- Smith Travel Research is hiring a Research Analyst.

Details.

If you have a job opening you'd like posted, email us at newshendersonville@gmail.com

Strong Schools Releases Video Ahead of Election Day

Local grassroots group Strong Schools has released a video ahead of the May 6th primary election reminding voters of the events of August 2012 when the opening of schools was delayed.

The video highlights how the organization was created from a group of concerned parents -- and how that energy has been sustained for two years heading into this year's elections.

Watch the video:

Voter Turnout on Record-Breaking Pace

Early voting totals for the May 6th primary election have surpassed 5000 votes.  That's more than ALL the votes cast in the May primary in 2010 -- by nearly 1000 votes. 

The Hendersonville Standard reported earlier this week that early voting totals were on track to break records, and now they have.

If historical trends hold, between 2,000 and 4,000 voters could cast ballots on Tuesday. 

The Standard article notes that local grassroots group Strong Schools has organized parents to get involved in the election.  Likewise, Election Administrator Lori Atchley says parents still remember the 2012 delay of schools and that event is impacting elections.

From Atchley:

“I think a lot of parents are still upset over the schools being shut down for 10 days - at least that’s what I am hearing from them,” she said. “They saw this as a dispute between the County Commission and the School Board. A lot of people got upset and they are still upset and they are staying focused and a lot more involved because of that.”

Election Day is May 6th and polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM.  Voters should check their voter registration card to determine their voting precinct.