Posted in Community:

The Northeast High School Multi-Agency Disaster Relief Center is closing at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 18. Donations that remain on-site will be distributed to local agencies and the coordinated Clarksville-Montgomery County warehouse space.

The Red Cross Shelter is moving from Northeast High School to Park Lane Church of the Nazarene at 225 Cunningham Lane at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 18. You can access the free Red Cross Emergency app or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) and select the disaster option for more information about resources from the Red Cross.

FEMA has moved to the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library at 350 Pageant Ln #501. Please call 1-800-621-3362 or visit www.disasterassistance.gov for more information.

World Central Kitchen and Macedonian Missionary Service will serve their last meals at Northeast High today. We appreciate both of these incredible partners for coming to Clarksville-Montgomery County to serve our community. For more information on World Central Kitchen, visit www.wck.org. For more information on Macedonian Missionary Service, visit www.macedonianms.org.

Since Saturday, December 9, over 500 CMCSS employee volunteers and numerous partners have been able to serve thousands of community members in need with tens of thousands of meals, donations, and services. As we close operations at Northeast High, numerous community agencies will continue to need your support over the coming days, weeks, and months. Please visit the City of Clarksville or Montgomery County Government websites and click the “Tornado Information” banners for more information on how you can support.

Thank you, Clarksville-Montgomery County, for showing the world the true meanings of community, empathy, love, and service!

The following administrative announcements were made in August.

Minglewood Elementary School Assistant Principal

Tammy Manske has been selected as an assistant principal at Minglewood Elementary School. Manske began her career with CMCSS in 2009 and has served as a teacher at Kenwood and Hazelwood elementary schools. Additionally, she has been an assistant principal at Rossview and Oakland elementary schools. She has served in several school-level leadership roles, including Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) and New Teacher Induction Specialist. Manske earned her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Austin Peay State University.

Minglewood Elementary School Principal

Abby Binkley has been selected as the principal of Minglewood Elementary School where she currently serves as an assistant principal. Previously, she served in several administrative roles in CMCSS, including as an assistant principal at Glenellen Elementary School, the Executive Director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation, and an assistant principal at Northeast High School. Binkley has nine years of teaching experience in CMCSS at Rossview High, Rossview Elementary, and West Creek Elementary schools. She is a graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee and Leadership Clarksville. Binkley completed the CMCSS Leadership Class Series, Aspiring Administrators Academy, and McREL Balanced Leadership training. She earned her M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Bethel University and B.S. in education from Kennesaw State University.

Oakland Elementary School Principal

Ashlie Perry has been selected as the principal of Oakland Elementary School. She has served as the principal of Minglewood Elementary School since 2017. Perry began her career with CMCSS in 2009 and has served as an assistant principal at Minglewood Elementary, Academic Coach at Norman Smith Elementary, and teacher at Liberty and Minglewood elementary schools. She completed the CMCSS Leadership Class Series, Aspiring Administrators Academy, and McREL Balanced Leadership training. She has served in numerous school- and district-level leadership roles, and has presented at several local, state, and national professional learning conferences. Perry earned her Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and M.Ed. in teaching from Austin Peay State University and B.S. in Child Development from Middle Tennessee State University. She is currently completing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Austin Peay State University.

Assistant Director of Federal Projects

Lorri Russell has been selected as the District’s Assistant Director of Federal Projects. Since 2014, she has served as an assistant principal at Ringgold Elementary School. Previously, she taught for 22 years at Ringgold, Sango, and Rossview elementary schools. Through her 30-year career in public education, Russell has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Title I and Title II coordinator and finance committee member, and earned the Green Apple Award for teaching excellence. She is a graduate of the CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy and completed McREL Balanced Leadership training. She earned her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and B.S. in Elementary Education from Austin Peay State University.

Byrns Darden Elementary Assistant Principal

Tracy DeLano has been selected as the assistant principal at Byrns Darden Elementary School. Currently, she serves as an Academic Coach at Byrns Darden. She began her teaching career in 2001 in Michigan, serving in a variety of elementary and early-childhood education roles before joining CMCSS in 2008 as a Title I reading and math interventionist. DeLano has served in numerous school- and district-level leadership roles and completed McREL Balanced Leadership training. DeLano was named a District Teacher of the Year in 2015. She earned her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI and her certificate in Educational Leadership from the University of Tennessee.

Burt Elementary Assistant Principal

Dr. Rachel Funderburk has been selected as the assistant principal at Burt Elementary School. Currently, she serves as an Elementary Consulting Teacher of Special Populations with CMCSS. Dr. Funderburk began her career with CMCSS in 2014 and has served as both a Primary Modified and Resource Teacher at Kenwood Elementary. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct professor of Special Education and mentor in the President’s Emerging Leaders Program at Austin Peay State Unversity. She has served in several school-level leadership roles and has presented at district- and state-level professional learning conferences. She is a graduate of the CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy. Dr. Funderburk earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Ed.S. in Elementary Education, M.A.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and B.S. in Special Education from Austin Peay State University.

Liberty Elementary Assistant Principal

Stephanie Miller has been selected as an assistant principal at Liberty Elementary School. She currently serves as a school counselor at Sango Elementary School. Miller began her career in education in 1992 and has served as a principal, elementary teacher, school counselor, RTI Lead Interventionist, Placement Officer/Student Personnel Assistant, and Early Childhood Curriculum Consultant in schools and districts in Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Additionally, she was an adjunct instructor at Arkansas Northeastern College. She has served in numerous school-, district- and state-level leadership roles. Miller earned her Ed.S. in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning from Walde University, M.S. in School Counseling from the University of Central Arkansas, and M.S. in Education Administration and B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska.

Ringgold Elementary Assistant Principal

Dr. Sheri Coulter has been selected as an assistant principal at Ringgold Elementary School. Since 2019, she has served as an Academic Coach at Ringgold. Dr. Coulter has been with CMCSS for over 20 years, serving as a teacher at Kenwood, Sango, and Montgomery Central elementary schools and Academic Coach at Hazelwood Elementary School. She has served in several school- and district-level leadership roles, including CMCSS Reading Language Arts Lead Teacher, and completed McREL Balanced Leadership training. Dr. Coulter won both the Green Apple Award and Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award twice, won the Distinguished Educator Award as an Academic Coach, and was named K-4 Teacher of the Year. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizational Change from Lipscomb University, M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Trevecca Nazarene University, and B.S. in Education from Austin Peay State University.

Parents and guardians who wish to apply for the CMCSS Voluntary Pre-K Program (VPK), should review the following process:

• VPK applications will open on April 4, 2022.
• Income guidelines for Voluntary Pre-K.
• Visit cmcss.net/Pre-K and start the “enrollment/application” process. Please choose VPK.
• Once the Pre-K team receives your application one of the team members will contact you, via email, to meet via Zoom, to verify your family’s income and the child’s birth certificate.
• If you qualify for the CMCSS VPK program, you will receive an email from the Pre-K Coordinator at the beginning of July if you have been accepted. If you qualify but are on the waiting list, your email in July will state that you are on the waiting list. If we have a spot become available, we will contact you throughout the year.
• Our VPK program is a grant-funded program. You do have to meet the income requirements that the state has set forth to qualify for a spot.
• A month’s worth of pay stubs (TN requires gross income, therefore pay-stub must show gross income)
• Military: most recent LES (TN requires both BAH & Base pay to be added)
• Recent food stamp letter (must show eligibility dates, case number, and parent’s name)
• SS award letter
• 2021 Income Tax (form 1040 or W2)
• Unemployment benefits
• Disability benefits
• Children do have to be 4-years-old by or on August 15, 2022, to qualify.
• If you don’t have access to a laptop or a desktop, please contact Melinda Smith, Pre-K Coordinator, at 931-648-5653 to schedule a time to come to the Learning Center and use a district laptop.

Dates for zoom meetings:

April 6 – April 8
April 12 – April 14
April 18
April 19
April 22
April 26
April 28
May 2
May 6
May 10
May 12
May 17
May 19
and then as needed over the summer.

Evaluation for Special Education Services

Parents and guardians who wish to refer their child for an evaluation for special education services, please follow these steps. This would include transfer students, students that are receiving outside therapy, or if the district should schedule a screener.

• “Transfer Referral” – Visit cmcss.net/Pre-K and start the enrollment process. Please choose “transfer” referral if you have a current eligibility/IEP from the location that you are moving from. Please email the current eligibility and IEP to Melinda Smith, Pre-K Coordinator, at [email protected]
• “Parent Referral” – Visit cmcss.net/Pre-K and start the enrollment process. Please choose a “parent” referral if your child is receiving outside therapy and/or if your child isn’t receiving outside therapy and you need to schedule a screener. Please email any outside therapy reports (if applicable) to Melinda Smith, Pre-K Coordinator, at [email protected]

Tennessee Early Intervention Systems

Parents and guardians, if your child is with TEIS (TN Early Intervention Systems), please see below for more information. If your child is receiving services through TEIS, we will have a transition planning conference with the Pre-K Coordinator, your TEIS Service Coordinator, and your Early Interventionist to go over the process from TEIS and the school system.

• Visit cmcss.net/Pre-K and start the enrollment process. Please choose “TEIS” referral. Once we have our TPC and receive information for the referral as well as information from your service coordinator, the Pre-K Coordinator will send this referral to the school for which you are zoned.

Peer Model Program

Our peer model program is for peers to attend one of our special education PreK classrooms to serve as peer models for our students receiving special education services. Both programs use the same curriculum, the teachers and EA’s train together, and they both have the same scope and sequence, among other things. Parents and guardians who are interested in their child participating in the Peer Model Program, please follow these steps:

• Please fill out the information from this link – Peer Model Application
• To be considered as a Peer Model, the child(ren) can’t be receiving any type of therapy (ST, OT, PT, etc.) or have an active IEP.
• Once we receive this information, we will be in contact to schedule a screener
• Students must be 4 by or on August 15, 2022
• Please contact Melinda Smith – Pre-K Coordinator, [email protected] for more information.

Caring individuals always make a difference in the lives of CMCSS students. The district is actively seeking community members who are able to represent the educational interests of students with disabilities.

All children with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under state and federal special education laws. Included in these laws is a mandate for the parents of children with disabilities to have the opportunity to actively participate in the educational decision-making process. Some children with disabilities may not have parents who can fulfill this very important role, leaving their educational planning solely to representatives from their local school system or other agencies. Federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and state rules, regulations and minimum standards require that an individual must be appointed to make decisions regarding the education students with disabilities must receive.

What is a surrogate parent?

A surrogate parent is a volunteer who is appointed by a local education agency to assist children who do not have parents or family members. The surrogate parent has all of the rights and can make all of the special education or early intervention decisions that are usually made by the child’s parents. Surrogate parents can review educational records; request and consent to evaluations and reevaluations; and challenge the recommendations of the education or early intervention agency by requesting informal and formal dispute resolution procedures. A surrogate parent does not have any rights and responsibilities for the child outside of the special education process.

When does a child require a surrogate parent?

A child with a disability requires a surrogate when:

1. the parent (as defined in § 300.519) or guardian cannot be identified;
2. the LEA, after reasonable efforts, cannot discover the whereabouts of a parent;
3. the child is a ward of the State; or
4. the child is an unaccompanied homeless youth as defined in section 725 (6) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(6).

What are the responsibilities of a surrogate parent?

The surrogate parent acts as a substitute parent and is given the responsibility of determining the child’s educational experiences. A surrogate parent is not responsible for any financial costs or direct care of the child with disabilities. The surrogate parent represents the child in every step of the education process including identification, evaluation, and educational placement. The Surrogate Parent fulfills the parent role at all Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team meetings and works to ensure that the child receives FAPE. A surrogate parent is also responsible for keeping confidential all information from the child’s educational, medical, or social services records.

Who can be a surrogate?

Any citizen of the United States of permanent resident who is at least 18 years old and has no conflict of interest concerning the child’s education may serve as an educational surrogate and must be of good moral character. The educational surrogate must act in the best interest of the student he/she represents. Furthermore, an educational surrogate may not be an employee of a public agency providing care, custody, or educational services to the specific child in need of educational surrogate representation.

How much time and money will this commitment take?

Surrogate parents are required to devote approximately three hours to the training provided by Clarksville Montgomery County Schools at least annually. After a student with disabilities is assigned, the educational surrogate reviews the student’s record well enough to understand the student’s needs, strengths, interests as well as their school history. Training is provided free of charge.

If you are interested in attending a training to become a surrogate parent, please email [email protected].

The USDA approved for CMCSS to continue serving free curbside meal pick-up to all children 18 and under. The USDA stated that these free meals will be available through June 2022, or until funds run out.

Meals are available for all children 18 and under in Montgomery County, including children not enrolled in CMCSS schools.

Curbside meals will be available for pick-up at any of the traditional high school locations on Wednesday, each week, from 10:00 – 11:00 am. Families with multiple children can pick up all meals in one location. 

Children are not required to be present for curbside pick-up. The person picking up meals will need to provide the name of the child(ren) not present.

From left: Jessica Drudy, Christina Ploeckelman, Millard House, Victoria McAlman

The Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation hosted its fourth annual Teacher of the Year Awards, sponsored by James Corlew Chevrolet.

“On behalf of the entire James Corlew family, I am humbled and excited to be a part of this expression of respect and appreciation for all the great teachers in our community,” said Jason Blurton, general manager of James Corlew Chevrolet.

While the event wasn’t held in person this year, the Education Foundation and James Corlew broadcasted a live virtual event from the dealership’s showroom where one Teacher walked away with a brand-new Chevrolet Spark.

“The Foundation is forever grateful to James Corlew for supporting the event again this year and allowing us to host the virtual giveaway from their dealership,” said Robin Burton, Executive Director of the CMC Education Foundation. “With all the uncertainties we faced this past year, the Foundation is excited we are continually able to offer support and recognition to our CMCSS teachers, students, staff. None of this would be possible without the continued support of our sponsors and partners.”

The three District Teachers of the Year vying for the car were Jessica Drudy representing grades 9-12 from Montgomery Central High School, Christina Ploeckelman representing grades 5-8 from Richview Middle School, and Victoria McAlman representing grades pre-K-4 from Burt Elementary School.

Drudy, Ploeckelman, and McAlman drew for the order in which they would choose a boxed gift. Two of the boxes contained $500 Visa gift cards, sponsored by the Education Foundation, and the third box held the key to the Chevrolet Spark. Jessica Drudy was the winner of the car.

“It is so humbling,” she said. “To be recognized by your peers at your school is one thing, but to be recognized at the district-level is so humbling.”

In total, 62 teachers were honored as Teachers of the Year for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System district. Each Teacher received a crystal award recognizing their achievement. Also, since an in-person reception was not an option this year, the Education Foundation provided each Teacher of the Year awardee with a gift certificate to the Choppin’ Block.

WATCH: A video with all the nominated teachers, with comments by their administrators, is available below.

The top three finalists represent three grade-level categories set by the Tennessee Department of Education. They will compete at the regional level in the Tennessee Department of Education Teacher of the Year.

“Our teachers have worked tirelessly this year and persevered. This recognition is a great honor, and I am proud of the work of our educators each day.”

Jessica Drudy, an English Teacher at Montgomery Central High, sits in her new Chevy Spark.

The Tennessee Department of Education has not yet released the Pre-K application for the 2021-2022 school year. After CMCSS receives information from the state, the district will release application information, including dates, times, and locations for application events. Based on previous timeframes for receiving information from TDOE, CMCSS is typically able to begin accepting applications in April.

If you would like to sign up to receive email updates from the CMCSS Pre-K Coordinator, please complete this form.

For more information on Voluntary Pre-K in Tennessee, please visit the State of Tennessee’s website (link).