The Hamilton County school board needs to get out of the weeds and focus on policy, planning and promotion.
That's the advice Tammy Grissom, executive director of the Tennessee School Boards Association, gave as she moderated the board's eight-hour strategic planning session Friday and Saturday.
"You're meeting too much, you're meeting too long," Grissom said.
School board attorney Scott Bennett said the board's discussion is often repetitive.
"You spend a lot of time talking about mundane issues," Bennett said. He added that the board's meetings would have a completely different tone if they focus on strategic planning, as Grissom suggested.
Newly appointed school board member Joe Smith agreed, saying, "We're really good at chasing rabbits."
Members talked about several ways to refocus. Some supported eliminating the monthly work session and just holding a voting session each month.
Reviewing the agenda in advance and resolving questions by calling Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly or his staff would let the board approve more routine business on the consent agenda and allow them to focus on big picture priorities. And receiving more recommendations and information from district leaders would help with decision-making, Grissom said.
Member Rhonda Thurman was wary of the board relinquishing too much oversight. She said the district staff can handle a lot of the work, but it's still the members' job to scrutinize what they're voting on. She said past superintendents tried to slip things past the board on the consent agenda.
The planning sessions devoted much time to recapping presentations and data from Kelly about the district's lowest-performing schools and overall plan for the school system.
Grissom said the superintendent should update board members at monthly meetings about implementation of the district's goals and priorities, and provide timelines and metrics for evaluating progress. The district and board should always be working toward a shared vision and on the same strategic plan, Grissom said.
The board is juggling a lot of things right now - a superintendent search, the threat of losing low-performing schools to the state, and aging facilities - but Grissom said this cannot distract members from the importance of hiring a permanent leader. The district needs a superintendent ready to take action, she said.
Some board members voiced concerns about how the community perceives Hamilton County Schools.
Grissom said the challenge of changing the schools' image is in the board's hands: It needs to prove to the community it has a plan and is taking steps toward change, she said. It also needs to highlight the real successes taking place, she added.
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The board also continued its conversation about what to do with the district's transportation following the fatal Nov. 21 crash on Talley Road. For weeks, board members have been leaning toward increasing the number of independent bus drivers the district uses to cover its more than 200 routes, citing their safety record and relationship with schools.
Independent drivers cover 49 routes, and the board's final act Saturday was to set aside an additional 20 routes for them next year.
The independent drivers had told the board they wanted 100 more routes. But Lee McDade, assistant superintendent of student services, advised the board to move slowly on increasing the number of independent drivers.
A majority of the board agreed to limit the routes; only Thurman, Smith and David Testerman voted against the motion, saying the independent drivers should be given more routes.
The board unanimously voted to send out a request for proposals for a four-year contract for the remaining routes. The RFP requires companies seeking the contract must have certain safety features on each bus, pay drivers a minimum of $15 an hour and have an electronic system for tracking complaints.
The RFP also allows the district to reduce the number of contract routes in coming years during the contract, if the board chooses to shift more routes to the independent drivers.
Member Tiffanie Robinson said sending out an RFP does not oblige the board to choose any bid.
"It's just to see what [proposals] we can get back," she said.
Durham School Services now handles busing, and its contract expires this summer. Due to the fatal Nov. 21 Talley Road crash, Durham told the district it would extend its contract for a year. Since the crash, Durham has implemented state-of-the art safety updates.
In coming weeks McDade will calculate the cost of wages and benefits independent drivers are requesting. The board extended the contracts of the 49 drivers for four years during a meeting Thursday, but did not decide whether to change their compensation.
Several board members said they favor increasing the drivers' compensation and offering them all as if they are full-time employees.
But school board Chairman Steve Highlander noted that teachers have only received a 2 percent raise over the past couple years.
"We'd have an open rebellion," Highlander said, if the drivers received a pay bump and teachers did not.
Contact staff writer Kendi A. Rainwater at krainwater@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow on Twitter @kendi_and.