KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

The Tullahoma City Schools (TCS) Board of Education gave the thumbs up on approving tenure for 22 teachers in the school district from all seven schools.

During its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, after honoring this year’s teachers, principal and supervisor of the year, the school board shifted their focus onto the main item on their agenda regarding new business: reviewing the teachers who were up for tenure.

According to TCS Director of Schools Dr. Catherine Stephens, citing from the Tennessee Department of Education, to be eligible for tenure an educator must have a degree from a college and must be licensed in the state of Tennessee, have completed a probationary of five school years or not less than forty-five months within the last seven-year period and they must have received an evaluation where they had an overall level of effectiveness either above expectations or significantly above expectations during the last years of their probationary period. Once the teachers have qualified for tenure, he or she will either be recommended by the Director of Schools for tenure or non-renewed. If the school board denies tenure the educator is dismissed.

The teachers that have qualified for tenure were Tullahoma City Schools’ Lawrence Orr; Tullahoma High School’s Casey Locklear, Katie Gagnier, Katrina “Katie” Modesitt, Carrie Jackson, Caleb Olive (who would later accept the role as head coach at Seymour High School) and Loretta Kay Layne; West Middle School’s Franklin Cammack, Blair Clanton, Kristen Burton and James Dougherty (who was named the school district’s Middle School Teacher of the Year); East Middle School’s Melissa Leedy and John Gilmer; Robert E. Lee Elementary School’s Kayla Dye and Laura Pullum; Jack T. Farrar Elementary School’s Corynn Moyers, Crystal Butler, Diane Helton and Erin Clements; East Lincoln Elementary School’s Ashley Layne; and; Bel-Air Elementary School’s Jennifer Niki Tuten and Heather Love-Fleck.

One at a time, each principal and supervisor for each school spoke for their teachers, with all the principals conveying each teachers’ relationships with their students, their education background, their families, student and staff feedback and the impact they have made at their respective schools.

Following the presentations, Stephens made her recommendation that the board approve all 22 teachers for tenure. Board Chairman Kim Uselton asked the board if there was motion to accept the 22 teachers presented for tenure, with board member Pat Welsh made the first motion, followed by board member Gigi Robison. When opened for discussion, Uselton said it was both fantastic and overwhelming to hear the many wonderful things about the teachers up for tenure.

The board would unanimously approved all 22 teachers for tenure. Uselton told the teachers that the school board appreciated everything they do for students.

“Thank you all so much for everything that you do for TCS and our students and we are so grateful to you and so excited to have you as tenured teachers with Tullahoma City Schools,” Uselton said.