No full-time county athletic director, for now

May 10—By Jessica Ceballos — Staff writer

jceballos@crossville-chronicle.com

Funding for a full-time athletic director was rejected Wednesday by the Cumberland County Board of Education's budget committee.

The three board members on the committee made no motion to approve the position and the $75,000. Board member Nick Davis, 5th District, sought for the administrative post that he said would encompass the system's arts and activities.

"They go together like ice cream and turnip greens," said committee member Chris King, 6th District.

King and committee member Anita Hale, 4th District, voiced their opposition to the notion. The two were also among four board members who voted last Monday against forming countywide middle school basketball teams.

The teams were approved and the idea for a full-time athletic director arose from those discussions.

Four items were listed in the athletics request.

In addition to the full-time athletics director countywide with taxes and benefits, the request included four middle school basketball supplements for $14,000, an athletic tracking system for $50,000 and an athletic field survey for Stone and Martin Elementary Schools for $10,267.20.

The committee, which also includes Teresa Boston, 8th District, approved the middle school basketball supplements and the athletics field survey.

The athletics director would be in charge of the entirety of all of the school system's athletics in elementary, middle and high schools.

Currently, there are two high school athletic directors, Nathan Brown at Stone Memorial and Steven Miller at Cumberland County. There are two middle school athletic directors, Dwayne Davis at North Cumberland Elementary and Blake Allen at South Cumberland Elementary.

Scott Maddox is the 9-12 grade supervisor for both Stone Memorial and Cumberland County high schools. Maddox has taken on the position of the system's athletic director without additional compensation for the extra duties performed with his supervisory role.

The goal of the requested full-time countywide athletic director would be to take responsibility for the coordination of all the school's athletics and take charge of the four athletic directors for coordination and organization.

Hale, who met with the group virtually via Google Meet, said she believed that the decision to push the two ideas of athletics and humanities together would not bode well.

There was a discussion of the definitions of the specific activities that were defined to include them in the job description for the athletics, arts and activities director. The board asked questions about whether the athletic director position should be a full-time or part-time job.

Director of Schools William Stepp was instructed to review the job description for the full-time athletic director, whether or not there is a need for a full-time or part-time director and whether the position should include arts and activities. Stepp will present a proposal to the budget committee at a later date.

Davis stressed to the board his strong desire to keep the goals of the newest 5-year strategic plan the BOE developed and approved in December 2023.

The Crossville Chronicle in December reported, "Goal 4: The school system will develop procedures that ensure all schools and the district have a standardized student athletic program."

Davis said he believes with the approval of the athletics request the strategic plan goal 4, stated above, will be closer to being achieved. All athletics requests were made with the strategic plan in mind.

The $14,000 for the athletics field survey will be reappropriated from Kim Allen Chamberlin's budget. The four middle school basketball supplements are already in the budget.

The third item on the athletics request was for Athletic Tracking Software at $50,000. Board Chair Teresa Boston, 4th District, requested more information about this system and why it costs as much as requested. The item was not approved for funding.

The budget committee will reconvene next Wednesday, May 15 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss and potentially determine a final budget in hopes of presenting it to the county commission's budget committee on June 6.

Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA95vr0kTTo to view the budget meeting.