Safety is on the Agenda

A trio of Sumner County Commission Committees meet tonight, among them, the Education Committee, which will hear the results of the School Safety Audit and ostensibly make recommendations to the Budget Committee about funding recommended physical improvements to school buildings.

The Education Committee meets at 5:30 at the County Administration Building in Gallatin.

School Safety to Cost $2.7 Million

The Sumner County School Board this week approved school safety upgrades that would cost an estimated $2.7 million.  The upgrades include a new telephone system as well as security cameras and improved entrances at most schools.  Schools will be equipped with panic and lockdown alarms as well.

The proposal came after a security review of the entire system conducted by Board staff and a firm specializing in school safety.

The recommendations are one-time costs and will be forwarded to the County Commission for funding.

County Commission Meets Tonight, School $ on Agenda

The Sumner County Commission meets tonight.  On the agenda:

Approval of nearly $250,000 THIS year to fund the start of the School Resource Officer (SRO) request by the School Board (recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety).  This would mean 13 new SROs in the 2013-14 school year.  The plan would include phasing in SROs so they are in every school within 5 years. 

Also up for a vote is a $30 million+ capital bond for construction of a new elementary school (Burris Elementary) on the campus of Knox Doss at Drakes Creek Middle as well as the addition of new classrooms at Hendersonville High and Gallatin High. 

Construction bonds are the first step -- the rooms, once built, will need teachers and supplies and resources in order to make them useful.  Historically, the system has opened new buildings/additions without adequate resources and then scrambled to hold fundraisers or beg the County Commission for additional funds. 

As these facilities will take time, the recurring expenses/resources needed for their operation likely won't be needed until the 2014-15 budget year.

A Changing Tide?

The County Commission's Budget Committee met last night and approved a bond issue for new school building projects, including classrooms at GHS and HHS and a new elementary school (Burris Elementary) to be built on the campus of Knox Doss at Drakes Creek Middle School. 

The funding comes roughly one year ahead of the 2014 County Commission primary elections and follows months of tense meetings over proper funding for schools.  Some speculate the Commission is providing these funds to help quell public anger over the body's historic lack of support for schools just in time for the upcoming elections. 

In other meeting news, the County Commission's sometimes secret committee on school safety was disbanded.  Commissioners agreed that the School Board and Sheriff's office could handle the proposals for SROs (School Resource Officers) and that the Board's proposals for physical upgrades to facilities to enhance safety would go through the normal Commission committee channels. 

Perhaps this is the beginning of an increased level of cooperation between the Board and Commission.  As the school system's budget shapes up, we'll see if the peace lasts or is only temporary.

School Board Meets Tomorrow

There's a study session AND a Special Called Meeting.  It seems there will be some additional information regarding the school safety audits that have been conducted with Board staff.

School Safety Committee Recommends SROs

Last night, the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety met to discuss possible options for improving school safety in Sumner County Schools. 

The committee recommended adding 13 School Resource Officers (SROs) to the schools by spring of 2014 -- they can't be deployed earlier because the committee is reluctant to recommend using reserve funds to cover start-up costs and because the training takes 10 or more weeks from the date of hire.  The plan is a five year plan to deploy SROs at all schools in the district. 

The Committee heard information regarding a request for funds from the School Board to upgrade school buildings to provide additional security.  This would be a one-time cost to address needs identified during a currently on-going assessment of the system's schools. 

At one point during the meeting, Chair and County Commissioner Jim Vaughn said the committee couldn't act on concrete recommendations because none had been submitted by the School Board.  This in spite of a December letter from Dr. Del Phillips and County Executive Anthony Holt requesting one-time money to address school safety.  The amount of the request was $5 million. 

School Board Chair Ted Wise, present despite his recent resignation from the committee, read a letter from the School Board dated January 9th and addressed to County Executive Holt and County Commission Chair Hyde.  The letter requested immediate action on a proposal to provide an SRO in every school and allocate one-time money for building upgrades to enhance school safety. 

Following that January 9th request, Commissioners in a budget committee meeting requested that the issue be deferred until a committee chaired by Vaughn could further study the issue.  The Ad Hoc Committee was later appointed and Vaughn named the Chair. The first meeting was last night - a full 50 days following the Board's request and 70 days after Dr. Phillips and County Executive Holt asked the Commission to act. 

Safe and Drug Free Schools Coordinator Pat Conner asked that the Committee or County Commission give some budget guidance.  She said the assessment of facilities will show areas needing upgrade/improvement but the solutions will vary in cost.  She asked for $3 million to be allocated for school security upgrades.  The Committee indicated that no money was currently available (they won't spend reserves) and that until they saw clear recommendations, they didn't want to discuss funding. 

County Commissioner Frank Freels, present though not a committee member, spoke and suggested that Sumner County is being pushed into doing something and that counties as close by as Trousdale were doing nothing and that was just fine. 

Commissioner Jerry Stone noted that he was unsure where the money would come from -- and it is Stone who now chairs the County Commission Budget Committee. 

County Commissioner and former Hendersonville High School principal Paul Decker noted that the SRO program was excellent and he supported expanding it to more schools in Sumner County. 

School Board member and former Portland High principal Glen Gregory said that new graduates looking to enter the teaching field will look for schools that are safe.

Danny Hurst, who manages the SRO program, noted that safe schools are key to economic development.  He noted that families moving to middle Tennessee will look for school systems with solid school safety plans. 

The Committee's next meeting will be on March 28th -- A Thursday during the week of the school system's Spring Break and just before Good Friday.

Jim Vaughn's Not So Secret Meeting

In spite of his attempts to keep his committee's business from public view, it appears the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety, Chaired by County Commissioner Jim Vaughn, will hold its meetings in public.

Despite swift action on school safety in surrounding communities and a clear and direct proposal from the School Board that has been available for more than a month now, the County Commission has yet to approved funding for any new school safety procedures or facilities upgrades.  The first meeting of the Commission's Committee will be on February 28th -- 3 days after the County Commission meets on Monday.  So, it seems it will be March or later before the Commission decides if it will step up and fund recommended safety improvements in local schools.

Wise Resigns from Safety Committee

Sumner County School Board Chair Ted Wise announced at last night's Board meeting he is resigning from the Sumner County Commission's Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety. 

Perhaps Wise's resignation comes as a result of pressure placed on him by Board members Don Long and Tim Brewer at a recent Board study session.

The move comes as the Committee has scheduled its first meeting for February 28th. 

That meeting will occur AFTER the County Commission meets on Feb. 25th -- thus, making it impossible for the Committee's recommendations to be considered by the full Commission until March -- possibly at the March 18th County Commission meeting.

It is not clear what motivated Wise to step down.  And the full agenda for the Ad Hoc Committee's Feb. 28th meeting has not yet been announced. 

Will they take up the School Board's proposal for improvements to school buildings and additional SROs?  What research is being done by the Committee on current school safety procedures?  Will they make recommendations in time for the March 18th Commission meeting?  Will the School Board adopt any of the recommendations? Will funding for school safety result in losing teachers and/or other staff in the 2013-14 school year?  Stay tuned ...

Ad Hoc School Safety Committee Schedules Meeting

The County Commission's Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety and Implementation, discussed here, will meet on February 28th at 5:30 PM at the Emergency Operations Center on Airport Road in Gallatin. 

The meeting, which falls AFTER the February 25th County Commission meeting, will ostensibly begin the process of this group formulating recommendations for improved school safety.  Because of the date, the earliest these recommendations could come before the full County Commission is March 17th.  Meanwhile, School Boards and County Commissions in Wilson, Rutherford, Robertson, Williamson, and Davidson counties have all taken action on school safety proposals and are moving forward with the implementation process.

No word on how many meetings this Ad Hoc committee will have or IF the School Board will even agree to adopt ANY of the policies proposed by the committee. 

The Board has requested physical improvements to facilities to enhance safety and also asked for a School Resource Officer (SRO) for every school in the district.  So far, a vote by the County Commission on that request has NOT been scheduled and it is not clear that the Board's request will be discussed by the Ad Hoc Committee. 

Shhh! Jim Vaughn's Got a Secret!

That's right.  County Commissioner Jim Vaughn wants the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety to meet in secret.  To devise recommendations in secret.  And possibly to make recommendations to the County Commission that are shrouded in secrecy. 

The problem is:  State law requires the public's business to be conducted in public.  In open meetings.  Here's another challenge:  The County Commission can meet and talk about school safety all day every day -- but the School Board sets policy for what goes on in schools.  The only role for the County Commission is if/when funding is required -- the Commission can fund or not fund the Board's requests. 

So, this supposedly secret information would have no force or effect at all unless the secrets discussed in the secret committee are shared -- publicly -- with the School Board. 

Of course, the School Board has already made recommendations on school safety to the County Commission.  And the Commission has so far NOT taken those recommendations up and is not scheduled to take them up at its February 25th meeting. 

In fact, it seems the County Commission is poised to do little in terms of school safety until Jim Vaughn's committee gets permission to conduct business in secret.  Then, of course, we won't know what they're doing because it will happen behind closed doors. 

The Ad Hoc Committee on Delaying Action

So, the Sumner County Commission now has an Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety and Implementation.

The list of Committee members includes police chiefs from across the County and exactly ONE school system employee.

It is not clear when the committee will hold its first meeting. 

It is not clear IF they will consider the School Board's recommendation for facility upgrades and additional School Resource Officers (SROs). 

Committee Co-Chair Jim Vaughn has been advocating spending zero additional dollars on school safety and instead has proposed arming teachers.  This in spite of serious physical issues that make many schools vulnerable.

Noteworthy, too, is the fact that the County Commission may make recommendations to the School Board, but the Board is not bound to implement them.  That is:  Unless these recommendations have buy-in from the Board, they won't happen. 

The Board has made a request and is continuing a school security review with an outside expert on the issue.  The Board is asking the Commission to fund that request, which includes facility improvements.  The Commission has yet to schedule a vote on the Board's proposal.

No one is talking seriously about the vulnerability of portable classrooms - a result of poor planning for community growth.  There is so far no discussion of a plan to rezone, improve/expand facilities, or build more schools in order to ensure that portables are nothing more than a temporary solution to a space problem. 

With no meeting date set, it seems likely that this Ad Hoc Committee will not present findings at the February 25th County Commission meeting.  Unless someone moves to add the School Board's proposal to the February agenda, it seems unlikely it will be addressed.  And then, on to March.  When will the Commission take up the issue of school safety and vote to approve or reject the necessary funds? Or, will they?