Sumner County receives its first TSBA
Board of Distinction
Sumner County School Board Chairman Don Long accepts a plaque present by David Fox, Chairman of the Metro Board of Education, recognizing the Sumner County Board of Education for being designated as a TSBA Board of Distinction during the Board's Oct. 20, 2009 meeting.
Oct. 20, 2009 - The
Sumner County Board of Education was honored by the Tennessee School Boards
Association (TSBA)
for its efforts to effectively govern public schools for more than 27,000
students.
David
Fox, Chairman of the Metro Board of Education, presented Sumner County School
Board Chairman Don Long with a plaque recognizing the Sumner County Board of
Education for being designated as a TSBA Board of Distinction during the
Board's Oct. 20 meeting.
The Board
of Distinction Award, recognizes outstanding performance by the entire school
board. This is the first time the Sumner County Board of Education has received
the award. The Sumner County Board of Education is made up of 11 members, the
Sumner County Board of Education includes Tim Brewer, David Brown, Beth Cox,
Will Duncan, Mike Fussell, Glen Gregory, Danny Hale, Ben Harris, Don Long, Rob
Wheeler, and Ted Wise.
Previous
Sumner County Board Chairman Mike Fussell spearheaded the Board efforts in the
application process and said he was pleased to see the Board’s efforts come to
fruition.
“I am
proud of this Board for having accomplished each of the 15 best practices
prescribed by TSBA for us to be as productive a Board as we can be. I hope this
is a minimum benchmark for this Board in the future so that we can not only
achieve Board of Distinction status but go beyond that and become the most
productive Board possible for the Sumner County School system,” Fussell said.
Benny
Bills, Sumner County Director of Schools said he applauded the Board for its
accomplishment.
“Our
Board has worked hard to meet the qualifications of Board of Distinction and we
congratulate them on their efforts,” Bills said.
To
qualify, boards must complete meet specific standards in the four areas of
emphasis within a two-year period. Specific requirements for the award include
conducting a superintendent evaluation, developing a five-year plan,
participating in a board retreat, conducting an annual review of all board
policies, being represented at the TSBA Delegate Assembly, adopting the TSBA
Code of Ethics and participating in a board self-evaluation.
“The
Tennessee School Boards Association believes it is important to recognize
individual school
Board
member accomplishments, but it is also important to recognize outstanding
performance by school boards as corporate units,” TSBA Executive Director Tammy
Grissom said. “TSBA’s Board of Distinction Program is designed to recognize
those school boards that meet the highest levels of achievement in the areas of
planning, policy, promotion and board development. We are extremely proud of
the Sumner County Board of Education for its demonstrated commitment to
effectively serving today’s students and taxpayers while planning for the
future.”
Recipients
of the award are presented with a plaque to display in their central office.
Designation as
a Board
of Distinction is given for two years, after which the board may submit another
entry for continued Board of Distinction status.
The
Tennessee School Boards Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization, is a
federation of all
the
state’s local school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of
Tennessee’s nearly one million public school students and 136 school districts.