Northside Elementary Makes List of State’s “Reward” Schools for 2022-23

February 22, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Northside Elementary School has made the list of Tennessee’s highest performing schools and districts.

In a report released Tuesday, the Tennessee Department of Education gave hundreds of schools “reward” status for the 2022-23 school year, meaning they demonstrated high levels of performance, met specific goals to improve performance or both. The department also released names of districts that need improvement.

“The Reward school status for Northside Elementary School is a credit to the students as well as the faculty and staff for the work they have done. They have met and gone above the standards the state has set forth. They have worked hard and done a really good job,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

Third district School Board member Jim Beshearse also released a statement.

“I would like to congratulate Northside Elementary School for being named a “reward” school. Seventeen Upper Cumberland schools were recognized as “reward” schools for outstanding performance and/or improvement in performance during the last school year. This list includes six Putnam County schools, three in Overton County, two each in Cumberland, Jackson, and White counties, and one each in DeKalb and Van Buren counties. Some 400 schools statewide received the honor from the State Board of Education. A “reward” school has an overall school score of 3.1 or higher per federal accountability. According to the state, these schools demonstrate high levels of performance across numerous indicators that judge student success,” said Beshearse.

“I can’t tell you enough how proud I am of Northside Elementary School for earning this reward. I also want to say to each and every school in DeKalb County that I truly appreciate each and every one of you and thank you for always going above and beyond to make DeKalb county schools the best,” said Beshearse.

Typically the state also releases a list of priority schools, which are consistently low-performing schools that fall into the bottom 5% of the state’s standardized test scores or have low graduation rates.

However, the department did not release a priority schools list this year. It provided this statement as an explanation:

“After delays in federal accountability approvals from the U.S. Department of Education, and the first-ever implementation of the A-F school letter grade law this school year, the department has elected not to update the state’s priority school list and focus on supporting schools and districts in the implementation of policies and strategies designed to improve student outcomes.”

In a news release sent Tuesday, the department detailed the categories considered in determining each designation. They include:

•Preparing students to be proficient
•Accelerating student learning
•Encouraging students to attend school regularly
•Preparing students for postsecondary success
•Supporting English learners as they build language skills

A total of 400 schools across 98 districts earned reward status this year. The distinction emphasizes performance and improvement across all the success indicators from the previous year, according to the department.

Notably, six schools moved from the 2021-22 priority schools list to the 2022-23 reward schools list.

Those include:
•Arrow Academy of Excellence (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
•KIPP Memphis Collegiate Middle (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
•KIPP Memphis Academy Middle (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
•Memphis Business Academy Hickory Hill Middle School (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
•Ida B. Wells Elementary (Metro Nashville Public Schools)
•Tom Joy Elementary (Metro Nashville Public Schools)

Twelve districts earned exemplary status, meaning they received an overall district performance score of 3.1 or higher on a 4-point scale.

Those districts are:
•Bells City Schools
•Bledsoe County Schools
•Bradford Special School District
•Dyer County Schools
•Dyersburg City Schools
•Franklin Special School District
•Gibson County Special School District
•Johnson City Schools
•Rogersville City Schools
•Sweetwater City Schools
•Tennessee School for the Deaf
•Trousdale County Schools

Seven districts were listed as “in need of improvement.” That means their overall final score falls into the bottom 5% of all districts, according to the education department website.

Those districts are:
•Achievement School District
•Cannon County Schools
•Hickman County Schools
•Houston County Schools
•Pickett County Schools
•Robertson County Schools
•South Carroll County Special School District

February 21, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Three people were involved in a pickup truck crash Tuesday afternoon on Barnes Mill Road.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 75-year-old Ruth Louise Stainbrook was traveling south on Barnes Mill Road south from Joe Turner Road in a 2009 Dodge pickup truck attempting to negotiate a left curve when the truck went off the roadside to the right and struck a standing tree before coming to a final rest.

Two passengers, 51-year-old Wendy Connors and 32-year-old Talisha Lykins were not injured. All three were wearing their seatbelts. No charges were filed.

Stainbrook was reportedly transported by DeKalb EMS to a nearby landing zone and airlifted by helicopter ambulance.

February 21, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

How many beds would be needed if and when a new DeKalb County Jail or Judicial Center is built?

The Jail committee of the DeKalb County Commission is expected to learn next Tuesday night, February 27 from the county’s architect and contractor what the costs projections are for a possible 150, 190 or 225 bed facility. The meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the history room of the county complex.

During the last jail committee meeting in January, Jim Hart, Jail Consultant and Field Manager of the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) updated the committee on the county’s jail assessment revised study which now recommends up to 272 beds to meet current and future needs but there seemed to be little or no support among the committee for a facility with 272 beds.

Even if the jail committee decides on the number of beds for a new jail or judicial center, the county has not yet identified a suitable location to build it. Several potential locations have been suggested including property on Riley Avenue owned by the hospital which has caused neighbors in that area to start a petition drive against such an option. Again, the county has not yet settled on any location.

Apart from the jail/judicial center issue is whether the Board of Education will agree to appropriate two million dollars of its surplus funds in support of the county’s offer to fund construction of a new $40 million elementary school without raising property taxes or implementing a wheel tax for that project. The school board postponed a vote on that earlier this month until all seven members could be present at the next meeting.

Since then local property developer Tonya Sullivan has come up with an idea which she is calling a modified plan for the county to consider which would downsize the proposed jail project to only the number of beds needed and a courtroom and for it to be built on the site of the Board of Education headquarters (Ernest Ray Education Center) downtown adjacent to the existing sheriff’s department and jail. Sullivan said the county could offer to purchase from the Board of Education the facility, formerly known as the Bicentennial Building and have the school board move to a new location yet to be identified. Sullivan said her plan would be less costly to the county, make use of property for jail space the county already owns, and preserve use of the courthouse. She added that it would also relieve public worries about a jail or justice center being built in their neighborhood. Through cost savings in that effort, Sullivan said the county and school board could perhaps work toward a more viable plan to build a new school.

Sullivan said she has already spoken with County Mayor Matt Adcock, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps, and School Board Chairman Shaun Tubbs about her idea but has not formally presented her proposal to the county commission or board of education.

Sullivan put down her thoughts in the following prepared statement she gave to WJLE:

“I have been in deep thought about how the school and the county could work together to reach a common goal of a new school and a justice center”.

“I feel that God gave me the idea that could possibly be a responsible and viable solution that would meet the goal”.

“The county has presented to the school board that a school could be built if they (board) contributed two million dollars. This idea would save the county money and in turn be able to reduce the needed contribution for the school board which would allow the building of the school to commence”.

“The county commissioners have been diligently seeking a location to build a justice center. This has a high price tag. The new justice center if relocated would be potentially intrusive of neighborhoods and cause hardships on families and devaluing homes cost wise. If relocated, money will have to be spent to gain square footage that we already own before adding new beds. Relocating abandons the courthouse and repairs to the courthouse still falls on the county”.

“The new idea that I have that I have spoken with the county mayor about would be to negotiate and purchase the Board of Education building and use that property to build new beds with a courtroom on top”.

“The Board of Education would relocate. At first the money saved could assist with a school and assist with repairs; modify the justice center; meet the needs of showing a commitment to the state for new beds; offering security to the prisoners; be responsible with taxpayers dollars, not disturb neighborhoods, keep the same location and utilize square footage that we currently have, and to continue to utilize and repair the courthouse”.

“I made an appointment to meet with Mr. Shaun Tubbs, School Board Chairman, and Mr. Patrick Cripps, Director of Schools. I discussed the opportunity of a new justice center and the potential to sell the current Bicentennial Building where the school board is housed. I discussed the needs of the county and basically told them that I was a liaison between them and the county and the board could come to an agreement to offset some or all of the two million dollars by selling the building, offering a savings compared to relocating the jail and with that savings and some contribution, the board and county could maybe move forward in building a school and justice center with the justice center being modified to fit the space available”.

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