News

Middle Tennessee Electric, the state’s largest electric cooperative, and United Communications, Middle Tennessee’s leading provider of fiber and fixed wireless internet services, today announced that they have partnered to expand broadband access to underserved areas across seven counties in Tennessee.  
The partnership allows the two organizations to combine their resources and decades of experience to offer affordable, high-speed internet services to members and customers in the coming years and improve quality of life for those in the areas they serve.
 
The announcement was made by Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric, and William Bradford, president and CEO of United Communications, in conjunction with Bob Rolfe, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner, at the Peytonsville Volunteer Fire Department on August 24th.
 
This initiative is already under way and full implementation will be a multi-year process. Based on input from the community, the partnership will prioritize implementation in areas with the highest demand. It allows both organizations to build a world-class smart grid in the region, at the lowest possible cost, while not impacting Middle Tennessee Electric members’ electric rates, which are some of the lowest in the country.
 
“We’re proud to be the first electric cooperative to pursue a partnership of this kind in Tennessee and answer the calls we have long heard from our members. They want and need access to broadband service,” said Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric. “United Communications is the ideal partner for us. They have already built an impressive fiber backbone throughout many areas we serve which will allow us to work together to more rapidly and cost effectively expand internet services.”
 
“We are grateful to Governor Haslam, our Tennessee legislature and the FCC for paving the way for local providers like Middle Tennessee Electric to meet the broadband access needs of our members,” Jones added.
 
“This partnership is about two local companies, who share common values, working together to provide a broadband solution for our area,” said William Bradford, president and CEO of United Communications. “Ultimately, this will be great for economic development, support smart grid and smart home technologies, and improve quality of life in Middle Tennessee.”
 
The Peytonsville fire hall is in the center of an area that has requested broadband for more than 17 years and recently received gigabit speed fiber, which will enhance firehouse operations and improve mission critical communication systems, among other benefits.
 
“Our community relies on well-trained volunteers to provide superior emergency services. Reliable broadband access has allowed us to incorporate multimedia instruction into a well-rounded training program for our firefighters,” said Brian Jones, Peytonsville Volunteer Fire Department fire chief.
 
Middle Tennessee Electric members can register to receive updates on the expansion plan and determine if they are already in a United service area by visiting https://service.united.net.
 
Additional information on the partnership can be found at www.United.net/MTEMC.
 

An agreement designed to better serve the recipients of resources offered by the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency and Upper Cumberland Development District was approved Tuesday during the agencies’ Executive Committee meetings.A shared management plan was agreed upon by the boards of both agencies. Over time, cost-saving measures outlined in the agreement stand to save the Agency more than $550,000 in costs by consolidating the administrative, finance, and management pools with those of the Upper Cumberland Development District.
 
Under the agreement, each entity will remain separate and will continue to be controlled by their respective bylaws and governing boards. No programs would be eliminated as a result of entering into the shared services agreement, according to Executive Director Mark Farley.
UCHRA’s Executive Committee and UCDD’s Executive Committee each approved the measure unanimously; solidifying the commitment to ensure each entity continues to serve the needs of the region.
 
Farley’s vision includes UCHRA shifting more of its focus on county-specific needs and ensuring county offices have the tools and resources necessary to help residents in need.
“I think we need to make the county offices the central focus of UCHRA,” Farley told members of the Agency’s Executive Committee Tuesday. “That’s where the service meets the clients and [the county coordinators] understand the needs of the clients.”
Farley is confident that the alignment will make a positive impact on the region. “Both agencies have dedicated staff, who when given the resources and direction they need, can make a substantial impact on the direction of the region as a whole.”
 
UCDD took on the management of UCHRA in March 2018. Following Tuesday’s decision, Farley, who has been serving as the interim director of UCHRA, will move into the permanent role of Executive Director for both agencies. Ginger Stout, UCDD’s Finance Director and interim Finance Director for UCHRA, will lead the Finance Department of both agencies as the Finance Director. A Deputy Director of Finance would be added to the finance team serving both entities.
 
Deputy Directors of each entity were also designated. Rebecca Harris, UCHRA’s Transportation Director,will serve as the Agency’s Deputy Director while Tommy Lee, UCDD’s Director of Economic and Community Development/Local Planning, will serve as the District’s Deputy Director.
 
Farley says any changes to existing programs would be for the better; providing the opportunity to grow new programs and ensure that there are no gaps in services and that all residents are able to receive the services they need.
 
“I would like to thank the board members for entrusting me with both agencies. The last several years have been very trying for the Board Members as they juggled their community responsibilities with the obligations of the region. This decision was not made lightly, but with great consideration for the citizens of the Upper Cumberland region. I appreciate the ongoing dedication of our board members who made this alignment possible.”
​
To commemorate the occasion, members of UCHRA’s and UCDD’s executive committees signed a resolution recognizing the shared services agreement between the two entities.
 

 Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced a multi-phase plan, highlighted by a statewide listening tour, to improve delivery of the state’s elementary and secondary assessments known as TNReady. The goals of the engagement plan and tour are to:
 
1. Engage in an open conversation about assessment and ways to improve administration;
2. Gather feedback that can inform a smooth delivery of state assessments this school year and beyond, including feedback on the selection of the state’s next assessment partner to be chosen later this school year;
3. Discuss how to better provide schools, educators, parents and students with meaningful and timely results from assessments; and
4. Distinguish assessment content from delivery in an effort to focus on the value assessments can provide.
 
“Tennessee’s unprecedented improvement in education is the result of high academic standards and an assessment that measures knowledge of those standards,” Haslam said. “Without aligned assessments, we don’t know where our students stand and where we need to improve. We finally have a test that is aligned to Tennessee’s strong academic standards, and I don’t want recent assessment delivery issues to cause us to lose sight of why we have these tests in the first place. Delivering the test without disruption is essential and we must get it right. I am confident this listening tour and process will inform the critical work ahead of us.”
 
The listening tour will consist of six stops throughout the state and provide an opportunity for educators, school technology and assessment coordinators, and school district administrators to share information about recent challenges related to the online delivery of state assessments. Each meeting will encourage feedback on how the state can continue to improve its assessment; a discussion of steps made to-date to improve test administration in 2018-19; and a conversation on ways to improve test delivery through the oversight and selection of the state’s next assessment partner, which will occur later this school year. Haslam and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Candice McQueen will attend each leg of the tour.
 
Haslam has tapped former long-time educator, and former executive director of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, Wayne Miller to facilitate the listening tour meetings and outcomes.
 
“As someone who has spent his entire career in public education, I know when difficult issues arise it often takes more listening than talking to resolve them and move forward in partnership and collaboration,” Miller said. “I am excited about the process the governor has put forward and honored to facilitate conversations with educators throughout the state. We are all in this together.”
 
To assist with the listening tour, Haslam has convened an educator advisory team to guide the feedback sessions with Miller. Advisory team members will participate in each meeting, gather information and feedback and develop a set of principles and recommendations for consideration by the governor as well as the next administration. The three-member advisory team includes:
 
Cicely Woodard, the 2018 Tennessee Teacher of the Year and a math teacher at Freedom Middle School in Franklin Special School District;
 
Derek Voiles, the 2017 Teacher of the Year and an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Lincoln Heights Middle School in Hamblen County School and
 
Dr. Mike Winstead, the current Tennessee Superintendent of the Year and Maryville City Director of Schools.
 
“Tennessee educators are committed to improving educational outcomes for our students, and assessments are an important and necessary component for us to meet that commitment,” Woodard said. “I am appreciative of the governor’s recognition of the need to continue to get feedback, and I look forward to working with the governor and educators to improve assessment delivery.”
 
The listening tour will begin Friday, Aug. 24, in Knoxville and be followed by stops planned for Hamilton County, Shelby County, Williamson County, Greene County and Gibson County. Specific locations and times are being finalized.
 
Following the listening tour, the next phases of the process will include implementing feedback from the listening tour, refining the requirements of the state’s next assessment partner, providing on-the-ground oversight of the fall test administration, and developing opportunities for feedback from educators and stakeholders.
 
 

Motlow State Community College recently received a $4,500 donation from customers of the Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District through the District’s “Project Hometown Help.” The donation is for the Automation and Robotics Training Center that is under construction at the Motlow McMinnville campus. 
Funds from the Hometown Help voluntary program, which come from an automatic rounding up of participating customers’ bills to the next highest whole dollar amount, are used to advance education, assist economic development, promote local charities and provide relief to the disabled and elderly for payment of natural gas bills. 
 

Being prepared for a home fire is particularly crucial for adults aged 65 and over. Statistics suggest this segment of the population faces increased risks for fire-related deaths and injuries. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) urges older adults and their caregivers to take necessary steps to stay safe from fire dangers.“We often think of children when it comes to fire safety education,” said Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Julie Mix McPeak. “With the increasing prevalence of multi-generational households, we must ensure older adult family members also know what to do in the event of a fire.”
Despite only 16% of Tennessee’s population being 65 years old or older, data from the SFMO shows that this age group made up 41% of fire fatality victims in 2017. During this same time, nearly 51% of fatal structure fires had at least one victim who was 65 or older (28 fires).
Older adults are at a greater risk of fire death and injury because reduced mobility may slow their escape time and diminished hearing could make it difficult to detect the sound of the smoke alarm. In addition, some older adults may have hoarding tendencies. Collecting or keeping large amounts of items in the home can not only hinder a person from escaping a fire, but can deter first responders from being able to reach them in an emergency. In recent years there have been six fatal fires in Tennessee where hoarding was a contributing factor to the fire or to the spread of the fire according to state data.
To help the older adults in your life be prepared and protected from fire dangers, share these fire safety guidelines from the National Fire Protection Association:
Fire Safety Tips for Older Adults

Keep it low: Consider sleeping in a room on the ground floor in order to make emergency escape easier. When looking for an apartment or high-rise home, look for one with an automatic sprinkler system. Sprinklers can extinguish a home fire in less time than it takes for the fire department to arrive.                                                           

Sound the alarm: The majority of fatal fires occur when people are sleeping. Smoke can put you into a deeper sleep rather than waking you, therefore it’s important to have an early warning of a fire. You should have smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Install smoke alarms in hallways leading to bedrooms and inside every bedroom of your home. Ensure that you can hear the alarm by utilizing the test button. Test your smoke alarms regularly and replace the batteries once a year or consider alarms with long-life batteries. Smoke alarms that are over 10 years old need to be replaced. If anyone in your household is deaf or if your own hearing is diminished, consider installing a smoke alarm that uses a flashing light or vibration to alert you to a fire emergency.

Do the drill: Have a home fire escape plan with two ways out of every room and a designated meeting place outside. Practice your plan regularly. If you or someone you live with cannot escape alone, designate a member of the household to assist. Fire drills are also a good opportunity to make sure that everyone is able to hear and respond to smoke alarms.

Clear the way: Remove any items that may block your way out of the room or your home. Remember, your exit routes may change as new items are brought into the home.

Open up: Make sure that you are able to open all doors and windows in your home. Locks and pins should open easily from inside. If you have security bars on doors or windows, they should have emergency release devices inside so that they can be opened easily. Check to be sure that windows haven’t been sealed shut with paint or nails.

Stay connected: Keep a telephone near your bed, along with emergency phone numbers, so that you can communicate with emergency personnel if you’re trapped in your room by fire or smoke. Have glasses, hearing aids, wheelchairs, or canes nearby if applicable. 

Cook with care: Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Don’t leave cooking unattended on the stove. Use a timer to remind you of food in the oven. Check to see that the oven and stovetop are off before going to bed each night. Never use the oven to heat your home.

Give space heaters space: Keep space heaters three feet from anything that can burn, including furniture, blankets, pets, and yourself. Turn space heaters off when you leave the room and when you go to bed at night.

Eliminate careless smoking: Never smoke in bed or when drowsy. Refrain from smoking near an oxygen source, gas stove, or other flammable objects. Use deep, sturdy ashtrays and extinguish cigarette butts completely with water or sand before disposal.

For more information on how to make your home fire-safe, print the State Fire Marshal’s home fire safety checklist and escape grid.
 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips have released the statewide unemployment rate for July 2018, and for the third consecutive month the statistic has held steady at 3.5 percent.Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has not only remained unchanged since May, it mirrors the 3.5 percent recorded during the same time period in 2017.
Companies also continued the trend of new job creation across the state.  Between June and July, Tennessee employers bolstered the state’s economy by adding 2,500 new nonfarm jobs.
According to Governor Haslam, “Tennessee’s economy is truly holding its own right now.  The fact the unemployment rate has remained unchanged for three months, and Tennessee businesses continue to add new jobs, shows our workforce strategy over the last eight years is paying off for both citizens and businesses.”
Over the year, nonfarm employment in Tennessee has increased by 56,300 jobs. The largest increases occurred in the state’s leisure/hospitality, professional/business services, and education/health services sectors.
The state of Tennessee will release the August 2018 county unemployment data this Thursday. With that information we will have a more detailed report on Cannon and surrounding counties.
 

The season opener for Cannon County Lions Football was Friday night.  A large cheering crowd watched the Lions dominate the Bull Dogs of Red Boling Spring by a score of 47-6.  Junior Brady Cunningham was named defensive play of the game.Cannon travels to Gainsboro to face Jackson County next Friday night. Harold Patrick and Greg Mitchell will have the broadcast.
 

Cannon County Schools recently announced Billy Best as Credit Recovery Teacher and Head Softball Coach at Cannon County High School beginning with the 2018-2019 School Year.  
Coach Best is new to the state of Tennessee. Before coming to Tennessee, he lived in Georgia, where he has been working as a teacher and a coach. Billy graduated from Peachtree Ridge High School in 2012 and went on to get his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Gwinnett College while playing baseball. After graduating in December 2016, Coach Best started teaching at Mountain View High School in January. Coach Best taught inter-related resource Math (Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry) and now teaches credit recovery at Cannon County High School.
 
Coach Best started coaching while in college. He first coached at his alma mater, Peachtree Ridge High School in Gwinnett County. Coach Best coached four years of football at Peachtree Ridge, coaching mainly running backs and quarterbacks. While coaching at Peachtree Ridge, he also coached baseball for three years, working with the varsity infielders and hitting. Coach Best then moved to Mountain View when he got a teaching job there and coached football and baseball for one year before moving to Tennessee.
              
Director of Schools William Curtis commented, “We look forward to his teaching in the classroom, the impact of his character upon our student athletes, and his coaching abilities to aid our CCHS Softball program.” 
 

A local story of continues to gain regional attention. A second Nashville television station, News Channel 5 (WTVF) has aired a story about the plight on a 20 year old fight over an immigration issue. 
China Star own Shanqun Zhao was recently taken into custody while attending a meeting in Nashville concerning a green card.  A go fund me account has been established for Zhao.  The purpose is to raise money to help with legal fees.  $1,700.00 of the $5,000.00 has been raised. We have attached the story by Sarah McCarthy. 
 
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/community-fights-for-restaurant-owner-facing-deportation

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen has released the school-level 2018 TNReady results as well as 2018 school and district student growth data. The TNReady scores show that nearly 700 schools – more than 40 percent of schools in Tennessee – saw improvement across the majority of their grades and subjects in 2018, and 210 of those schools saw improvement across all grades and subjects. Additionally, 88 school districts met or exceeded student growth expectations, which is the majority of school districts in the state. 
While TNReady results look at students’ overall achievement and include whether a student scored as on track or mastered on their spring assessment, growth scores look at how much students are growing, regardless of whether they were proficient. Taken together, these results show a fuller picture of students’ performance.
 
In Cannon County, the results of the 2018 TNReady scores are as follows:
 
District-Wide:
Cannon County   Overall  Composite: 1 ;   Literacy Composite: 2           ;  Numeracy Composite: 1 ;  Literacy and Numeracy Composite: 1 ; Science Composite: 2 ; Social Studies Composite: 3.
 
Cannon County Director of Schools, William F. Curtis stated, “These latest TVAAS scores demonstrates growth and progress which measures a student’s progress between two points in time, compares students’ performance to their own prior performance in previous years, and is critical to ensuring a student’s future academic success.”
 
“Congratulations is extended to Woodland School that went from an Overall Composite Score of 1 in 2017 to an Overall Composite Score of 5 in 2018!  Additionally, East Side School went from an Overall Composite Score of 3 in 2017 to an Overall Composite Score of 4 in 2018!  Short Mountain School also went from an Overall Composite Score of 2 in 2017 to an Overall Composite Score of 3 in 2018.” 
 
Director Curtis further stated, “This demonstrates to our local communities that hard work and determination of our schools pays off in the long run!  We have celebrations and continued challenges to meet our Mission – To Prepare ALL our Students for their Future, through our Vision – the New E3 = Engaged in Excellence Every Day to become one of the highest performing school systems in the State of Tennessee.” 
 
Supervisor of Instruction, Dr. Marcia Melton stated, “We are ecstatic with our growth in 3rd grade! Our school district is part of the Tennessee Department of Education Read to Be Ready Literacy initiative. Our PreK-3 grade teachers along with our former instructional coach, Kathy Mullins, have put in countless hours training and implementing the best literacy practices that are researched based. Our school district has been awarded the Read to Be Ready Summer Camp grant for the past three years to help stop the ‘summer slide’ that students often experience over the summer break. Our district also is part of the Upper Cumberland 90% Reading Goal. Dr. Regina Merriman, before her retirement, disaggregated district achievement data and conferenced with 3rd grade teachers and leaders to identify celebrations and challenges. Our other former instructional coach, Shannon Streett, spend countless hours examining the test data and coaching individual teachers on how to construct lessons that reflect the rigor of the new standards. We also have teacher leaders who can pinpoint areas of need and work to strengthen those needs. I definitely think our growth gains are the product of the excellence we have in our staff!”
 
A full spreadsheet with school-level TNReady results is available here. These will be posted in a visual, user-friendly format on the department’s website this fall. The TVAAS scores for 2018 for districts and schools are available here.
 
For more information about TNReady, visit the department’s website at TNReady.gov, where you can also view the state and district-level results that were released earlier this summer. For media inquiries, please contact in Cannon County, Director of Schools, William F. Curtis and at the Tennessee Department of Education, Sara Gast, director of communications, at 615-532-6260 or Sara.Gast@tn.gov.
 
 
Overall Summary TVAAS Data for Cannon County 2017-2018
 
School-Wide: Composite
 
School-Wide: Literacy
 
School-Wide: Numeracy
 
School-Wide: Literacy and Numeracy
 
School-Wide: Science
 
School-Wide: Social Studies
 
District
1
2
1
1
2
3
Auburn
1
1
1
1
2
3
East Side School
4
3
3
3
4
3
Short Mt. School
3
1
3
3
3
3
West Side School
2
1
2
1
3
5
Woodbury Grammar School
1
3
1
2
1
3
Woodland School
5
3
4
4
5
3
CCHS
1
3
1
1
1
1
 
 
Upper Cumberland District TVAAS Data Comparison 2017-2018
 
District
School-Wide: Composite
 
School-Wide: Literacy
 
School-Wide: Numeracy
 
School-Wide: Literacy and Numeracy
 
School-Wide: Science
 
School-Wide: Social Studies
 
DeKalb County
5
5
3
4
5
5
Jackson County
5
3
5
5
5
1
Overton County
5
4
5
5
5
3
Pickett County
5
5
5
5
3
3
Trousdale County
4
3
1
2
5
3
Warren County
4
4
2
3
5
5
Bledsoe County
3
1
5
2
3
5
Fentress County
3
2
5
4
1
2
Van Buren  County
3
3
4
4
2
3
Grundy  County
2
4
3
4
3
1
Cannon County
1
2
1
1
2
3
Putnam County
1
1
1
1
1
1
Smith County
1
1
4
1
1
1
White County
1
1
3
1
1
1