New transportation supervisor approved under one condition
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JACKSON, Tenn.-The Jackson-Madison County School System adds a new transportation supervisor despite questions raised by some school board members. “We look at the scope and the critical nature of what they are doing there, we felt like there was a need to supplement and add some more,” board chair Jim Campbell said. Superintendent Verna Ruffin expressed the importance to the board of adding a transportation supervisor. But some board members did not agree with the proposal. “I’m very uncomfortable seeing any resources added in an area of instruction when our main focus is teaching kids,” Bob Alvey said. Others argued that the transportation of 7,000 students under one supervisor, managing more than 170 employees was essential. Especially when a driver emailed one of the members explaining the current supervisor would sometimes drive the buses himself. “That really concerns me especially when this year we have had already had three young children dropped off at the wrong spot,” Campbell said. The board ultimately approved the addition but with the understanding that resources would not be changed within the budget. ” One of the concerns I had was reallocating dollars from the classroom into a new supervisor. So we made the amendment to make it budget neutral,” David Bratcher said. Also in Thursday night’s meeting, Jim Campbell was re-elected as chairman of the school board and Dave Bratcher as vice chair.
