Clarksville-Montgomery school board discusses reading proficiency requirements, arming teachers and COVID-19 relief funding

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System officials and educators discussed several important topics during last week’s school board meeting, including the impact of state reading proficiency requirements on this year’s cohort of third-graders and the district’s decision not to arm teachers in schools.

Under Tennessee’s Third-Grade Retention Law, third-grade students who do not demonstrate reading proficiency on state assessments must attend summer school or receive tutoring during fourth grade to advance. Fourth-grade students impacted by the law last year must show “adequate growth” on state testing this year to be promoted to fifth grade. Fourth-graders who fail to demonstrate “adequate growth” on Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests may still advance to the fifth grade if all parties—including parents, teachers, and administrators—agree in a conference, under legislation passed in April.

Stefi Outlaw, a district educator and representative from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Association, expressed concern about the stress caused by delays in receiving test scores.

“Some results will impact third graders and their families. Third-grade teachers who are ending the year with field days and activities are now racing to help students before the school year ends on Thursday. That is a lot of stress on our educators and young students,” she said at last Tuesday’s board meeting. “The state needs to hold itself accountable for producing scores in a timely manner before using those scores to negatively impact third graders, educators, schools, and districts.”

Outlaw also thanked the board for its decision not to arm teachers in response to recent legislation allowing teachers to carry guns in schools with district and law enforcement approval.

“I want to thank the board and [Director Jean] Luna-Vedder for making the decision not to arm our educators. We have enough responsibilities as it is without adding the dangerous burden of carrying a firearm. There are too many risks with carrying a firearm in schools that outweigh any positive scenarios,” Outlaw said. “Thank you for realizing that not all issues in the school are to be placed at the feet of educators because others do not want to effectively deal with them … I hung up my combat boots 20 years ago, and I would like to keep them there.”

In other business, officials discussed the potential impact of the end of federal COVID-19 relief funding on teacher employment. Director Jean Luna-Vedder assured the board that the county does not expect any teacher layoffs once the funds are depleted, noting that many new positions have already been integrated into the district’s general-purpose budget.

“We are not expecting any sort of teacher layoffs in this county,” Luna-Vedder said.