Hagan joins board with trades focus
Board of Education Chairman Scott Gillenwaters talks to board member-elect Ray Hagan at a Board of Education work session on Sept. 8. (photo:Ben Pounds )
“I don’t swear by anything, but I can affirm,” said Hagan at the swearing in ceremony, at which returning members Katherine Birkbeck and Scott Gillenwaters were sworn in.
“I affirm that I’ll do my best to serve the county,” he said.
Hagan, a Republican with 816 votes, defeated independent incumbent Jo Williams, who received 617 votes in the election.
Hagan told The Courier News his priorities involved focusing on vocational training at Anderson County Schools, especially preparing students for jobs that artificial intelligence cannot replace.
He said he was an electrician for 40 years and had also worked as a custodian and in lawn care.
“All I’ve ever done is maintenance,” he said. “That’s my star, something I know a lot about.”
He estimated that the county was short on electricians and added that new industry in Oak Ridge would add new jobs for which Anderson County Schools needed to train people.
He said the school system could work with union programs to give students a head start on apprenticeships.
“I voted for Jo Williams every time she ran except for this last time,” he said regarding his predecessor. “I don’t know what she’s done, so I don’t know what I’d do different.”
He represents District One which includes Claxton. He said he liked living there due to its closeness to Clinton and Knoxville while still being somewhat out of the way.
Chair and vice chair
At the same meeting the school board unanimously re-appointed Scott Gillenwaters, District 6, as chairman, and appointed Darren Carden, District 4, as vice chairman.
“Thank you,” said Gillenwaters. “I appreciate your all’s confidence or whatever it is.”
Claxton School updates
Director of Schools Tim Parrott said workers had finished the future Claxton Elementary School’s roof and paved its road. He also showed interior progress on the school’s library, kindergarten through second-grade classes and other interior spaces.
The school is at 105 Fellowship Lane and will replace the one at 2218 Clinton Highway, which the school plans to sell. As of the meeting, Parrott said the school system had paid $21 million of the $32 million total.
Parrott said he expects the new school to be completed by March 15.
Hudl
The board approved renewing and expanding a contract between Clinton High School and Hudl, a software company, for three years to help the school’s athletics programs.
Joshua Reid, CHS athletic director, explained that the program uses multiple camera angles to take videos of games and upload statistics automatically.
“It’s a vital resource to have for our coaches and athletes,” he said.
The new contract, Reid said, will include additional cameras, including a new one in the end zone. Several sports including softball and soccer may use the program’s two new mobile cameras.
He said the new cameras and new hours will raise the cost to $17,500 from the previous contract’s lower price of around $13,500.
Score table
The board unanimously approved a new LED score table for Clinton Middle School’s gym.
It’s fully funded by that school’s basketball, volleyball and cheerleading programs and their supporters.
“I’m really proud of them for doing that on their own,” said Birkbeck. “It seems like the middle school has some really great community support right now.”
During a Sept. 8 work session, Kevin Powers, CMS dean of students and athletic director, explained it was likely to cost $8,000, and the sports programs already had the necessary money raised. He said it would help sponsors advertise easily, decluttering all the signs and posters.
“It’s also just really cool,” he said.
School Bus drivers
The board honored bus drivers across the school system with “Above and Beyond” awards.
Drain
The Board of Education approved Norris Lions Club installing a French drain near Norris Middle School.
