Local boards of education heard updates on education reform in Tennessee, earned honors for their professional development activities, and recognized a dedicated school volunteer and an outstanding student at the Tennessee School Boards Association’s (TSBA) Upper Cumberland Fall District Meeting, held Sept. 15 at Livingston Academy in the Overton County School District.
Members of the DeKalb County Board of Education attended including Board Chairman Charles Robinson, Kenny Rhody, Johnny Lattimore, and John David Foutch. Director of Schools Mark Willoughby was also present.
The Upper Cumberland District meeting was one of nine similar sessions held
annually in each of TSBA’s development districts. The evening’s program included an update on this year’s session of the Tennessee General Assembly, a discussion of moving from collective bargaining to collaborative conferencing, a review of the new teacher and principal evaluations and an update on tenure reform. The meeting also included recognition of school board members who have achieved honors over the past year, a school volunteer who is a finalist for a grant to their school of choice and a local student who is a finalist for a college scholarship.
Each year TSBA honors one student from each of its nine districts who has achieved distinction in the areas of academics, community leadership, and engagement as part of its Student Recognition Award program. One of those nine students will win the statewide Student Recognition Award to be presented at the TSBA Annual Convention in November, which will include a $2,000 scholarship. The 2011 Upper Cumberland Student Recognition Award
Winner is Abigayle Claflin of Cumberland County.
This year TSBA will honor one school volunteer from each of its nine districts who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating exceptional commitment to volunteerism in a local school district. The district winner has exhibited exemplary leadership, creativity, cooperation and hard work in their service to a school. One of those nine volunteers will win the statewide School Volunteer Recognition Award to be presented at the TSBA Annual Convention in November, which will include a $1,000 grant to the school of their choice. The 2011 Upper Cumberland School Volunteer Recognition Award winner is Guy Pinckley of Allardt, TN.
Several Upper Cumberland District school board members earned TSBA Boardsmanship Awards in 2011. The awards are presented to individual board members who have achieved one of five levels of boardsmanship standards over the past year. The program is designed to recognize school board members for participation in board activities beyond the local level through a commitment to training, willingness to participate in workshops and a volunteer spirit. The Boardsmanship Award honors not only the quantity, but also the quality of participation. Levels I-IV are given at Fall District Meetings, while Level V Boardsmanship is awarded at the association’s annual convention in November.
A statewide, nonprofit organization, the Tennessee School Boards Association is a federation of all the state’s school boards. TSBA’s mission is to assist school boards in effectively governing school districts. Through the years,TSBA has helped school boards and their members reach their highest potential through Association programs, meetings and services. TSBA also provides school board members a collective voice in matters of legislation and public education concerns. For more information about TSBA, visit our website at: www.tsba.net.
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