Benchmarks 2019 | Section D | Health & Education

SECTION D

HEALTH & EDUCATION

BENCHMARKS EDITION March 22, 2019

www.g reenevillesun.com

Page 2

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

Long-Term Roadmap To Restructure County Schools Emerges After 1-High-School Plan Fails into Mosheim Elementary, which would then become K-5 only. As an alternative, Baileyton Elementary School could be closed, with its students moving into the existing NGHS building as an elementary school.

• The last phase, to be completed in 2035, would be the opening of a new high school in Southeast Greene County to bring together student bodies at Chuckey-Doak and South Greene high schools.

Chuckey-Doak Middle School would move into the C-DHS facility — the only county school building constructed within the last 30 years — and Camp Creek and Debusk elementary schools would be consolidated.

BY SARAH R. GREGORY ASSISTANT EDITOR Plans debated throughout 2018 focusing on a single, consolidated Greene County high school have been scrapped, but declining enrollment, losses of millions in state funding and growing costs to maintain existing facilities remain unsolved by the administrative and elected officials tasked with oversight of the county’s school system and taxpayer dollars.

As 2019 begins, consultants hired to study details of the complex issues have offered an alternative, longterm concept that would take more than 15 years to restructure Greene County Schools.

A plan, now up for debate, would realign elementary and middle schools — using phases of closures, consolidations and moves to other facilities — to serve kindergarten to eighth-grade students in the different regions of the county.

Those schools would then feed two new high schools — one in Northwest and one in Southeast Greene County.

At varying times in the plan, the existing four county high schools would be closed and their buildings repurposed.

NOW UP FOR DISCUSSION

SUN FILE PHOTO

Tracy Richter, president of Cooperative Strategies, discusses a school facilities plan in 2018. In March, Richter presented to the Greene County Board of Education a long-range facilities plan that would restructure Greene County Schools.

PLAN FOR 1 HIGH SCHOOL FAILS Greene County residents and officials were divided throughout much of 2017-18 on a plan to build a larger, centrally located Greene County high school and combine the student bodies of North, South and West Greene and Chuckey-Doak high schools.

In August, the Greene County Commission voted 15-6 against measures that would have financed a projected $79 million for the new school through bonds or U.S. Department of Agriculture loans. A county property tax rate increase of up to 59 cents was also on the table.

Professional consultants, school system administrators, the Greene County Board of Education and the county commission’s Education Committee eventually offered the long-debated proposal in response to projected $22.5 million losses in state funding over the next eight years. Proponents of the consolidation plans saw it as a way to slash costs associated with having to fund more teachers than state dollars provide to keep small schools with low enrollment open and to address maintenance costs for aging school infrastructure.

At the same time, county high schoolers would have benefitted from additional career-technical education and Advanced Placement and honors-level offerings, and safer and more modern facilities, proponents said.

Opponents cited the proposal’s expense, a perceived loss of a sense of community

SUN FILE PHOTO

Director of Schools David McLain answers questions from the Greene County Commission ahead of its vote in August to reject a plan calling for construction of a single Greene County high school.

said to be associated with small schools, larger class sizes and the logistics of transporting students from outlying rural areas to a centrally located high school, among other concerns.

A PERSISTENT PROBLEM In August, when the likelihood of the single high school plan’s rejection became apparent, several officials publicly acknowledged the county school system’s enrollment and budgetary issues would persist and possibly worsen.

Year-after-year reductions in state dollars that are the foundation of Greene County Schools’ budget have followed a trend of declining student enrollment countywide.

This means that, each year, Greene County taxpayers have to foot greater portions of ever-growing bills to keep running the numerous small schools that dot the state’s largest county.

“Whether this is voted in or not, something has got to be done,” Director of Schools David McLain said in August, ahead of

the county commission’s decision.

Greene County Commissioner Butch Patterson said that, even though he voted against the $79 million plan, “doing nothing is not the answer” and the county’s status as “20th from the bottom [statewide] in local funding” was “a joke.”

At a workshop earlier in the year, county commissioners were told the school district was expected to lose $22.5 million in Tennessee Basic Education Program funding over the next eight years, as dollars are directly linked to the number of students enrolled — a figure expected to continue an already persistent decline in Greene County.

In the last 10 years, the system’s enrollment has dropped about 1,000 students, to the point that the number of students graduating started exceeding the number enrolling as kindergarteners.

Evaluating a variety of factors, including housing starts, birth rates and more, consultants determined the trend is likely to continue.

“The issue of declining

Benchmarks D Story Index Long-Term Roadmap To Restructure County Schools Emerges After 1-High-School Plan Fails.... 2 Newcomer Banks Elected, Incumbents Return To County School Board ........................ 3 Starnes Signs 3-Year Contract To Lead Greeneville City Schools ..................................... 3 Tusculum Transitions To University, Establishes College Of Optometry.........................4 Greene Technology Center Continues Upgrades, Looks To Expand Welding ..................4 Walters State Fully Occupies New Niswonger Center ....................................................... 5 Takoma, Laughlin Hospitals Merge As Greeneville Community Hospital ....................... 5 Ballad Health Marks 1st Anniversary Amid Changes, Concerns In Region......................6 Local Opioid Lawsuit May Go To Trial In 2019 .................................................................8 Family Ministries Enters 2019 Under New Leadership ....................................................8 Construction Work Continues On Holston Home Christian Life Center..........................9 GVDC Site’s Future Remains Uncertain .......................................................................... 10 Greeneville City Schools Honors Educators, Paraprofessionals ..................................... 10 Numerous Awards, Recognitions Went To County Teachers, School Personnel ............11

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enrollment is not going away,” said Tracy Richter, president of Cooperative Strategies, the consulting firm Greene County Schools contracted for facilities studies and plans, in early March, when the new two high school plan was publicly introduced to the Greene County Board of Education. “The issue of deteriorating facilities is not going away.”

Consultants also highlighted how the school system’s resources are used, emphasizing a need for more and more local dollars to cover the teacher and principal positions necessary to operate numerous small schools within mandated teacher-student ratios — costs that exceed state dollars provided based on actual student enrollment.

A NEW PLAN EMERGES After the single-highschool plan failed in August, the Greene County Board of Education went back to the drawing board in acknowledgment of continued fiscal- and facility-related issues.

In September and October, the existing Cooperative Strategies contract was updated for new analyses of enrollment data, projections, student, teacher, administrative and community input and facilities.

“The school board wants to look at ways to make the system more efficient and increase its sufficiency,” the county commission’s education committee was told in early 2019.

In March, Richter addressed the Greene County Board of Education with Cooperative Strategies’ most recent findings at a work session with an

audience of school district personnel and the county’s elected commissioners.

No action had been taken at the time of publication, but consultants’ new recommendation — emphasized as “flexible” and “a roadmap” — was publicly unveiled.

“You have choices in this plan and time to think through it … This provides you with a roadmap to a more efficient school system,” Richter said. “There are no easy decisions going into these types of recommendations. A lot of thought and planning goes into this.”

The initial more-than-15year plan presented would work like this, but could be adapted or changed: • In the 2019-20 academic year, Glenwood and West Pines elementary schools would close, and those students would attend other schools.

• In 2020-21, Greene County Schools would be converted into a middle school system — a structure of K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade groupings — by making Nolachuckey and Ottway elementary schools into middle schools, and retaining existing Chuckey-Doak and Mosheim middle schools. Each of those middle schools would “feed” the high school in their same geographical area of the county.

• By 2025, a new high school in Northwest Greene County would open, combining the student bodies of North and West Greene high schools. Middle schools would also see a shift, with West Greene becoming a middle school.

• In that same timeframe, Ottway and North Greene would close; McDonald Elementary would be consolidated

As the new plan was announced, Richter explained that the middle-school structure presented was flexible, and that local officials could determine which schools to keep open and make other adaptations in the future.

Proposals for which schools to close first were based on enrollment figures, whether it would be efficient to build on existing structures and locations.

The middle school framework was recommended because of its efficiency and opportunities for more advanced classes to be offered at that level, better preparing students for high school.

It was also highlighted as an incremental plan — said to be easier to accomplish financially, with less pressure on the school system, Greene County Commission and taxpayers to make changes at once.

Through the plan, the school system can take actions to more efficiently use its resources without seeking additional funding from the county, Richter said.

The 2025-26 timeline for opening the first of the two new high schools was made because it would be the first year following retirement of Greene County’s existing education debt service.

“You need to maintain some public debt,” Richter said. He said he had learned from his nearly 20-year experience of completing hundreds of similar studies that, “school debt illustrates to the younger generations that a community is invested in their children. If you don’t have younger generations, you won’t have the funding base needed to take care of the older generation.”

As of publication, none of the school system’s or county government’s official bodies had taken any formal votes related to the restructuring proposal.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 3

Newcomer Banks Elected, Incumbents Return To County School Board were not on the ballot in 2018. Elections for those seats will be held in 2020.

The final, unofficial Greene County General Election vote totals for county school board races, reported on election night with all early and absentee ballots and precincts reporting, were:

BY STAFF One political newcomer was elected to the Greene County Board of Education in August, and two incumbents defeated challenges to return to their seats.

Greene County’s 4th District voters picked Minnie Blankenship Banks for the seat that former board member Kathy Austin held for 16 years.

Austin did not seek re-election in the Aug. 2 Greene County General Election. She was honored at a September 2018 appreciation dinner at the Camp Creek Ruritan Memorial Pavilion, where several people, including local businessman Kent Bewley, former Greene County Commissioner Eddie Jennings and the newly elected Banks spoke

GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD 1st DISTRICT

Minnie Banks

Clark Justis

Nathan Brown

about her work on behalf of students in Greene County, and she was presented with a plaque in appreciation of her service.

The school board election was Banks’ first time seeking public office. A homemaker at the time of her election, she retired from the State of Tennessee after serving

in nursing for 40 years, working at Laughlin Memorial Hospital, Greeneville Internal Medicine, Takoma Internal Medicine and the state.

Other contested Greene County Board of Education races in 2018 included the 1st District, where incumbent Nathan Brown

defeated challenger Connie Fillers-Pierce, and the 6th District, where incumbent Clark Justis bested Charlotte Tolliver Secrist.

Incumbents Brian Wilhoit, in the 3rd district, and Michelle Holt, in the 5th district, were re-elected without opposition.

The 2nd and 7th Districts

• Nathan Brown — 787 • Connie Fillers-Pierce — 522

GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD 3rd DISTRICT •

Brian Wilhoit —

1,464

GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD 4th DISTRICT • Minnie Blankenship Banks — 690 • Michelle Gruber — 292 • Chuck Koehler — 448

GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD 5th DISTRICT •

Michelle Holt — 1,539

GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD 6th DISTRICT • Clark Justis — 840 • Charlotte Tolliver Secrist — 362

Starnes Signs 3-Year Contract To Lead Greeneville City Schools

BY STAFF As the 2018-19 school year nears its end, Greeneville City Director of Schools Steve Starnes is completing his first year as the district’s top executive.

The Greeneville City Board of Education in May approved a 3-year contract for Starnes, and he began his duties June 1. The annual contract provides an annual salary of $130,000.

Starnes follows former director of schools Dr. Jeff Moorhouse, who accepted a similar post in Kingsport in early 2018.

Starnes was serving as director of Hawkins County Schools when he was selected as GCS director in an April 25 called meeting of the city school board. The board’s process included individual interviews with seven candidates.

In a public forum, two finalists — Starnes and longtime EastView Elementary School Principal Dale Landers — answered questions from the community. Ultimately, Starnes was selected by a 4-1 vote.

Board chairman Craig Ogle and board members Jerry Anderson, Brian Cook and Dr. Craig Shepherd voted for Starnes, and board member Cindy Luttrell voted for Landers.

After the vote, Starnes thanked the board and said he was glad to join the school system.

“I am very honored to have been selected as superintendent of Greeneville City Schools system,” he said.

“It is an excellent school system. I am excited to get started and working together, as I said, with the system and the community as a whole to see to what heights we can take the Greeneville school system.”

The board of education urged school system teachers, staff, students, parents and the community at-large to support the new director.

“With our new director, I hope all of us together go in one direction, forward and

SUN FILE PHOTO

The Greeneville Board of Education discusses the two finalists for the director of schools position. Sitting at left are finalists Steve Starnes and Dale Landers. At the board table from left, are Lily Hawk, Greeneville High School student representative to the board; board members Brian Cook and Cindy Luttrell; Board Chairman Craig Ogle; Nicole Wagner, board secretary; board members Dr. Craig Shepherd and Jerry Anderson; and Interim Director of Schools Ken Fay.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Greeneville Director of Schools Steve Starnes is in his first year as the administrative and academic leader of the town’s school system.

upward,” Ogle said. “Let’s move forward, accepting what the board has decided, and pull together as a system.”

Ogle said the school board’s decision on a new director was difficult because of the quality of candidates who applied.

Board members each had their own criteria for an ideal director, with some preferring advanced doctoral-level or specialist degrees in education and/or knowledge of state funding, curriculum, legal issues and more.

“I want a person who can communicate and has integ-

rity, an individual who can take Greeneville City Schools to the next level,” Anderson said prior to the vote, which he cast for Starnes.

Anderson said he found the new director to be a quiet, intelligent person who is a good listener and has served in a school system with a number of students from economically challenged backgrounds. He’s also dealt with a difficult county governing body and school board, he said.

“This is not a popularity contest,” Anderson said. “It is determining what this district needs for continued student success.”

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As the school board narrowed its list of finalists, some in the community urged a continued search for additional candidates. A public forum attracted about 100 people to hear finalists’ comments, while the April called meeting drew about two dozen people, represented by Tom Jessee, who addressed the board to call for an expanded search.

Earlier in April, the school board used a series of votes to narrow a pool of seven candidates to the two finalists. Board members had previously interviewed all seven candidates individually, and said that all candidates had positive attributes.

The pool of seven candidates, in addition to Starnes and Landers, included GCS Assistant Director of Schools for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Suzanne Bryant; Assistant Director of Schools for Administration and Chief Technology Officer Beverly Miller; Greeneville High School Principal Patrick Fraley; Anderson Elementary School Principal Ginger Christian, of Bristol; and Dr. Joshua Mason, director of professional development for Clarksville-Montgomery schools.

After being named a

finalist, but before being the board’s ultimate selection for the position, Starnes said his top priorities as GCS Director of Schools would be to focus on continuous improvement, developing relationships and ensuring students leave school with the ability to continue their education or enter the workplace successfully. “Education is the engineer that drives the economic train,” he said.

Starnes said his style of leadership is about carrying the vision of the school board to the system’s administrators, teachers and other employees and communicating clear expectations.

“The ultimate goal of a director is to surround himself with good people and allow them to do their jobs well,” he said.

Starnes said he noticed the 4-H organization’s motto, “to make the best better,” and felt the sentiment would apply to his vision for Greeneville City Schools.

Starnes, a Hawkins County native, graduated from Cherokee High School and continued his education and football career at Carson-Newman College, now Carson-Newman University,

at a time when the team won national championships in the 1980s.

After graduation, he began his teaching career at Cherokee High School, teaching outside of his certification area of science in other disciplines, like English and history. He moved to Volunteer High School and later taught at the middle school-level before taking an administrative position in the central office.

Starnes pointed to the system-level positions he had previously served in as opportunities for a variety of experiences and knowledge.

His work history includes service as a supervisor in charge of attendance, a secondary supervisor, and as an assistant director of schools.

Under Starnes’ leadership, Hawkins County Schools were recognized with honors including Tennessee Department of Education Exemplary District for 2014-15 and Church Hill Elementary School’s status as a National Title I Distinguished School in 2015, one of only two statewide. The school system also achieved its highest-ever graduation rate in his tenure and raised its achievement levels on state tests.

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Page 4

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

Tusculum Transitions To University, Establishes College Of Optometry

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER 2018 was a significant year for the state’s oldest institution of higher learning.

It transitioned to university status, completed of the first phase of accreditation for a new College of Optometric Medicine and inaugurated a new president.

Tusculum College became Tusculum University in July, and the change has brought the development of new academic programs, such as optometric medicine.

Dr. James Hurley was inaugurated as the 28th president of Tusculum in October. His investiture was conducted by U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, who said that the new president has much to oer the university. “He knows the territory, has a passion for education and basketball, was the first in his family to graduate from college and became president of that college, and we already know he thinks big,â€? Alexander said. “Big dreams include new programs to help the region deal with the opioid epidemic, transitioning from a college to a university and announcing a new College of Optometry.â€?

In his remarks, Hurley said, “I hope and pray our founding fathers of Tusculum are proud of our continued commitment toward fulfilling our mission.

Our best days lie ahead. As we forge the way of access, equality and opportunity, we must not fear failing forward. We must be bold and take strategic risks. We must embrace change and disruption. We must strive to become a first choice destination for students in the Appalachian region.�

The ceremony came just over a year after Hurley had assumed the top leadership position. In his first year, he led eorts for the transition to university, reorganized the institution

SUN FILE PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

Dr. Greg Nelson, center, administers the oath to Tusculum University’s 28th President Dr. James Hurley, left, during the inauguration ceremony on Oct. 12. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, at right, conducted in the investiture. Looking on is Hurley’s wife, Kindall.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Tusculum President Dr. James Hurley drops the curtain to reveal a sign bearing the new Tusculum University name during an event in late June. Niswonger Foundation President and CEO Dr. Nancy Dishner helps with the unveiling at right.

academically into six colleges, initiated the development of new programs and guided a change in food service as a first step to enhance student life on campus.

Following the ceremony, Hurley said he wanted the ceremony to focus on the students, rather than himself, and delayed the ceremony to be able to invest funds for more pressing needs the university was facing.

TRANSITION TO UNIVERSITY Tusculum has been known by several names during its 225 years, and

the latest change came on July 1 as it became a university at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year. “Going to university status means if you are going to call yourself a university, you have to act like a university and that involves a lot of things,� Hurley said. “It involves new programs, programatic growth, and enrollment growth, which leads to financial solvency and long-term stability.�

New programs in health sciences have been a focus of the university with establishment of a new school of optometry and a physician’s assistant program. The latter program is on track as Tusculum plans

to begin teaching its first cohort of 32 students in the two-year program in the fall of 2020.

Other new programs in development or under exploration are occupational and physical therapy, and behavioral health programs that can help equip graduates with skills to help those with opioid addictions, Hurley said. “Moving forward will depend on the need in the region,â€? he said. “We want to be the institution that meets the regional needs whether that be health care, ocular care and dental care. We need to focus on meeting those needs. We are nimble enough as a private institution ‌ to be able move quickly to start programs.â€? “The university status creates a pathway for programatic development, plus it will give us an advantage in recruiting more students,â€? he said. “It will give us separation between us as a private, civic artsbased institution versus a community college.â€? That is particularly important in Tennessee as community colleges in the state have such a high profile and resources, he said.

The university status has also turned the institution’s

attention to enhancing the student experience.

A wellness center to serve students, faculty and sta is in the planning stages, and the university is adding new athletic teams — men’s volleyball and men’s and women’s bowling.

Renovation of aging residential halls is also planned, with work to begin next summer at Katherine Hall, Hurley said.

Another project underway is the $4.8 million renovation of Tredway Hall. “We’re basically going to build a brand-new facility inside the walls, and that will serve as the home of our College of Business and College of Education,� Hurley said. “That’s going to be a state-of-the-art, fantastic facility, and the technology in that building will be second to none. We’re going to install the very best and latest technology.�

COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY ESTABLISHED One major academic step Tusculum has taken in its initial year as a university is the creation of a College of Optometry.

During his inauguration remarks, Hurley announced that the school would be named the Nis-

wonger College of Optometric Medicine in honor of Scott M. Niswonger’s commitment to the school and his unwavering support of Tusculum University for the past 30 years. “We are working to build the very best Niswonger College of Optometric Medicine in the country — a college of inclusion and opportunity,� Hurley said. “One that focuses on meeting the ocular needs of the young and the old, the rich and the poor, and the people who have been denied eye access for far too long. Ocular eye disease is rapidly growing out of control across Appalachia, and we have to stop it.�

The school will also address the need for more optometrists, Hurley said, noting about 2,300 students graduate from optometry schools across the country each year but that 2,700 optometrists retire annually.

The college is in the process of seeking accreditation and anticipates enrolling its first class of 72 students in fall 2020.

It would be only the 24th such school in the country, according to the university.

As part of that process, a school must show that it is ready to accept students, which has led to the hiring of administrators and faculty members and the start of renovations to the building that will house the teaching and training activities.

Hirings include two experienced and respected professionals in leadership roles — Dr. Gregory Moore as assistant dean of clinics and Dr. Adam Hickenbotham as assistant dean for research and chief of surgery.

The university also began work inside the Meen Center in December to convert classrooms and other spaces for use by the College of Optometry. Members of Tusculum’s facilities team are completing the first phase of the renovations, expected to be finished in the summer.

Greene Technology Center Continues Upgrades, Looks To Expand Welding

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER The Greene Technology Center continued to upgrade its classroom equipment in 2018, and expanded its oerings for adults through its partnership with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Morristown.

The new year began with the center taking steps to expand its welding shop to allow more enrollment. The program helps students learn a skill that is in demand by local industries.

In February, the town agreed to apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that would provide funding for a 2,000-square-foot expansion of the welding shop and allow the center to enroll 10 more students per class.

No additional equipment would need to be purchased for the addition as the space is intended primarily for fabrication. Currently the shop has no space for fabrication.

ADULT PROGRAM EXPANDS The Greene Technology Center has entered a partnership with TCAT Morristown to provide dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students and grow adult education programs.

The center currently has six dual-enrollment programs — collision repair, welding, cosmetology, computer information technology, machine tool and electricity. Auto repair is to be added next fall.

Students in these programs can earn credit toward both their high school degree and a degree or certificate from TCAT Morristown.

Last fall, 102 of the 150 students eligible took advantage of dual-enrollment courses and earned 17,928 hours at TCAT. The grant from the state covers the TCAT tuition for eligible students.

The TCAT partnership has resulted in expanded course oerings for adults attending the center’s evening program as well.

Four new courses were oered for the fall — auto collision repair, computer information technology, industrial electricity and machine tool technology. With cosmetology and welding, the adult oerings grew to six.

There is a demand among local business and industry for positions in each of the six programs, and graduates have opportunity for employment locally, said Sandy Fine, night director for the TCAT courses at the Greene Technology Center.

Once they finish a program, students have the option to earn a TCAT diploma and/or obtain certification, Fine said. A diploma generally involves more classroom hours in a program than certifications.

EQUIPMENT UPGRADES The Greene Technology Center continued to upgrade classroom equipment in a variety of academic programs during 2018 through funds provided by then-Gov. Bill Haslam’s Career Technical Education Funding Initiative Grant the school received the previous year.

During the year, the center purchased a 90-ton ironworker for the welding program. This machine cuts welding coupons for students to practice for American Welding Society certification, explained Greene Technology Principal Randy Wells. Existing machinery in the welding shop could not cut the coupons to the size used in the certification exam.

The ironworker also facilitates additional fabrication skills that students were not able to learn on the other machinery available at the center, Wells said.

Components for training equipment for the electrical program were also purchased later in the year using the grant funds.

Eight welders, 114 computers, 12 engine lathes, three pieces of exercise equipment for the new personal trainer program, three patient communication simulators for the health science program and a tool room lathe have been purchased with the grant thus far.

In the fall, the center purchased digital diagnostics equipment for the auto repair program. The new equipment will allow students to gain hands-on experience using diagnostic scanners in both the shop and the classroom, according to Wells.

Students will also have the opportunity to earn an automotive scanner diagnostics certification using the equipment, he said. This certification is recognized by the Tennessee Department of Education for high school automotive students and counts as an early post-secondary opportunity in the state’s accountability system for districts.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 5

Walters State Fully Occupies New Niswonger Center

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER One major part of Walters State Community College’s expansion into its new building was completed early in 2019, and the project is expected to be finished by early summer.

In February, the East Tennessee Regional Law Enforcement Academy moved into a wing of Walters State’s new building at its downtown Niswonger Center.

Crews continue working on the exterior of the building to complete sidewalk construction, landscaping and pedestrian crosswalk improvements.

Delayed by above average rainfall the community experienced in winter months, the exterior improvements are expected to be completed by early summer, college officials said.

With the completion of the building and its exterior, which will include an amphitheater, Walters State officials say they want the Greeneville and Greene County community to be part of the local campus.

“We want the community to be engaged with the new building,” said WSCC President Dr. Tony Miksa. “We hope to find ways to be an active part of downtown. We want the community to make use of our facilities, to help it grow and to be part of promoting downtown.”

Interim Dean of the Greeneville Center Mark Wills echoed Miksa’s sentiments. “My motto that I tell the staff is to put ‘community’ in community college,” he said.

Walters State also began the year with a new name for the Greeneville campus. Last September, the Tennessee Board of Regents to name WSCC’s campus in Greenville in

SUN FILE PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

The first class of cadets are now using the new wing for the Law Enforcement Academy at Walters State Community College’s Niswonger Center downtown. Director of the Academy Jeff Gazzo teaches a class in the program’s new high tech classroom.

honor of philanthropist and businessman Scott M. Niswonger.

The naming is in recognition of Niswonger’s substantial support of Walters State’s expansion in Greeneville and his leadership and dedication to education, according to the college. He has committed $5 million toward the expansion of the campus, which represents the largest gift ever made to the Walters State Foundation.

NEW BUILDING FULLY OCCUPIED With the move of the Law Enforcement Academy from the older Walters State building on the Greeneville campus, the new facility is fully occupied.

Other wings inside the building, which opened for classes in fall 2017, include

those for health and science programs. The health wing houses such programs as nursery and respiratory therapy that have been offered locally for several years. Two new programs to Greeneville are now housed in the wing — occupational therapy and physical therapy assistant.

The science wing features labs and classrooms that are equipped with primarily new equipment although some was brought from the old building as the college has prioritized keeping its technology up-to-date, according to Miksa.

“It is a priority to make sure we have the best equipment in our classrooms,” he said. “We want our students to graduate being able to enter the workplace with the highest of skill level.”

The center also houses classrooms for general

education classes and in areas such as business and pre-engineering. Both of those programs have grown.

Students in that program can now take their first year of courses in Greeneville, whereas previously they had to drive to Morristown to take those courses, according to college officials.

Distance learning classrooms in the building also use technology to allow students to take courses in which the instructor is teaching at Walters State’s main campus in Morristown or one of the other satellite campuses.

“This is one way we are trying to most efficiently use our resources,” Miksa said.

Wills and Miksa Wills said feedback from the students has been positive about the new building.

Students who may not have taken any classes in the older building may not understand the level of improvement between the two, Miksa said. “Not many community colleges have a facility this new with up-to-date technology for students to use,” he said.

EXTERIOR WORK CONTINUES In June, crews from Summers-Taylor Inc., began work on the exterior of the new building.

That work includes adding landscaping around the new building, improving pedestrian crossings and lighting, and constructing sidewalks between the buildings as well as those connecting the new building to North Main and College Streets and Tusculum Boulevard.

Existing sidewalks have

been widened around the center to comply with Americans With Disabilities Act standards. Utility poles that were located in the sidewalks have been removed as part of the project.

Improving pedestrian safety around the center is another important part of the project, according to college officials. Pedestrian crossings are to be improved with new signage and better lighting.

Lighting for pedestrians will also be added along the sidewalks within the campus grounds.

Existing crossings will be realigned to the new building’s primary entrances as well.

The progress of the work has been apparent to motorists traveling downtown.

The work has required intermittent lane closures on North Main Street and Tusculum Boulevard since fall 2018.

Last year also saw the approval of an agreement between Greeneville City Schools and Walters State that will provide additional parking for college students in lots near the college on Tusculum Boulevard.

Walters State now owns two parking lots on Tusculum Boulevard near West Grove Street, and the school system can have use of the lots at designated times during the school year, according to the agreement.

The parking lots, which have been used in previous years by Greeneville High School students, have been transferred to the ownership of Walters State as part of the agreement between the school system, college and Town of Greeneville that resulted in the paving of the parking lot behind the GHS football stadium. The parking lots were owned by the Greeneville City Schools Education Foundation.

Takoma, Laughlin Hospitals Merge As Greeneville Community Hospital

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER Following the merger of Laughlin Memorial and Takoma Regional hospitals under the Ballad Health umbrella, Greeneville is now home to one hospital with two campuses.

Tammy Albright, who served as CEO of Takoma Regional Hospital, was named president of the consolidated facilities.

Albright said she is “very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for our two hospitals in Greeneville.”

She went on to say that the hospital will operate “as one, unified entity with two hospital campuses.”

“This will allow us to offer a level of specialization at each hospital that really wasn’t available — or possible — before,” Albright said.

Chuck Whitfield, who served as president and CEO at Laughlin Memorial

SUN PHOTO BY LISA WARREN

Ballad Health Senior Vice President of Market Operations Eric Deaton speaks at a media briefing about merging Laughlin Memorial and Takoma Regional hospitals. At right is Tammy Albright, who was named CEO of the combined hospital.

Hospital president and CEO, retired from that position effective Feb. 28.

Whitfield congratulated Albright on her new appointment, calling her “a wonderful leader.”

“I know that she’s going to do well in this role,” he said.

“Greene County is for-

tunate to have some truly outstanding care providers and two excellent hospital facilities,” Whitfield said.

“By working together, we’ll be able to not only strengthen our system of care in the region, but also improve quality and lower the cost of care at the same time.”

Chris Miller was named chief operating officer for Ballad Health’s Greene County market, which includes Laughlin Memorial and Takoma Regional hospitals and Laughlin Healthcare Center. Miller began his new role in Greeneville in early February.

Prior to the merger that created Ballad Health System, Takoma Regional Hospital was operated by Wellmont Health System and Laughlin Memorial Hospital was operated by Mountain States Health Alliance. Laughlin is licensed for 250 acute care beds, and Takoma is licensed for 100 acute care beds.

The Greeneville Community Hospital East campus will be at the current Laughlin site, and the West campus will be at Takoma.

The hospitals’ name change — along with the transition of services and staff — is expected to become official on April 1.

Each campus will have

specific services. The West (Takoma) campus will focus services on advanced outpatient and non-acute in-patient care, Albright said. At the same time, the East (Laughlin) campus will house the services for acute, in-patient care.

The West campus services will include: • in-patient rehabilitation; • in-patient geriatric and psychiatric care; • occupational medicine; • emergency medicine; • sleep medicine, and • advanced diagnostic imaging.

The East campus services will include: • in-patient surgery; • in-patient medical care; • same-day surgery; • endoscopy; • emergency medicine; • intensive care, and • obstetrics, including labor and delivery.

Providers at the Wom-

en’s Center of Greeneville will remain in their clinic on the current Takoma Regional Hospital campus until renovations are completed on a new building on the Laughlin site. The office renovations are projected to be completed in September.

Planned new services include a progressive “stepdown” unit for patients transitioning from the intensive care unit to a regular, in-patient medical-surgical room. The new unit will be based on the East campus.

Ballad Health is also to add in-patient behavioral health care services to the West campus.

Both hospitals will continue to operate emergency rooms.

The job of combining two separate hospitals into one doesn’t come without challenges. However, Albright said she and her transition SEE MERGER ON PAGE 7

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

Ballad Health Marks 1st Anniversary Amid Changes, Concerns In Region

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER On Feb. 1, Ballad Health marked its first anniversary amid a myriad of changes — some which sparked concern in the region.

During the past year, several hospitals and medical facilities throughout the region, including Takoma Regional and Laughlin Memorial hospitals in Greeneville, began experiencing the impact of the merger between Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System, which formed Ballad Health.

The new integrated health care delivery system serves 29 counties of Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Northwestern North Carolina and Southeastern Kentucky.

Ballad Health operates 21 hospitals in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, including three tertiary medical centers, a dedicated children’s hospital, several community hospitals, three critical access hospitals, a behavioral health hospital, an addiction treatment facility, long-term care facilities, home care and hospice services, retail pharmacies, outpatient services and a comprehensive medical management corporation.

CITIZENS RAISE CONCERNS As the integration progressed during the past year, individuals in the region raised complaints of staffing shortages, price increases and the closure of certain services at some facilities.

On Feb. 7, citizens from throughout the region aired a host of concerns about Ballad Health to members of the regional health system’s local advisory council. The public hearing was held at Northeast State Community College in Blountville, with a near-capacity crowd in the college’s 500-seat Center for the Performing Arts.

The hearing was held in compliance with the terms of the Certificate of Public Advantage, or COPA, which was issued Jan. 31, 2018, by the Tennessee Department of Health. The COPA approval allowed the merger between the former Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System for Ballad Health’s formation.

Many expressed concerns about Ballad Health’s plans to downgrade Holston Valley Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center to a Level 3 Trauma Center, making Johnson City Medical Center the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center — which could mean longer transport times for patients in outlying areas of the region.

Ballad officials have said that it’s not uncommon for regions like Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky to be served by one Level 1 trauma unit, referencing, for example, the large area served by Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.

In addition to patients, other speakers included a number of nurses, doctors and paramedics who expressed fear that patient lives could be jeopardized because of longer transport times — especially ones who live in extremely rural areas, such as parts of Southwest Virginia and Southeastern Kentucky.

Other speakers during the hearing, such as Greeneville resident Gary Cutshall, spoke about concerns for staffing shortages at several Ballad Health facilities.

Cutshall said that his mother has been a patient at Laughlin Healthcare Center in Greeneville since April 2017. When she first became a resident at the nursing home, Cutshall said “there was plenty of staff.”

In Greene County, he said, Laughlin Healthcare was “the best nursing home by far.” But he cited loss of nursing staff after the transition to Ballad as cause for concern. Cut-

SUN FILE PHOTO BY LISA WARREN

Gary Cutshall, of Greeneville, spoke to the Ballad Health advisory council about staffing concerns at Laughlin Healthcare Center, where his mother is a resident.

shall told the panel he has personally seen patients at the nursing home sitting in a wheelchair with a pad so wet that “urine is running in the floor because there is not enough help.”

Cutshall said the nursing home has good help, but there just “isn’t enough help.” He said he has seen 14 patients being fed by one CNA. He went on to say that he has been told by nursing home officials that they are trying to hire people, but they have not been successful.

The Tennessee Department of Health suspended admissions and fined Laughlin Healthcare in 2018 after one resident wandered out of the facility before being found outside.

Those sanctions were lifted weeks later. Ballad officials acknowledged the problem later but also said in a letter printed in The Greeneville Sun that state and federal officials determined staffing levels at the facility actually rank above average.

Another Greeneville resident who spoke at the public hearing with the advisory council was Melissa Ladd, a kidney transplant patient who said that she would never go to Johnson City Medical Center again for any treatment because she didn’t feel that she was receiving adequate care.

Ladd said that she now travels all the way to Knoxville to receive treatment at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Because of her health problems, she said she must rely on the transportation services of NETRANS to get her from Greeneville to Knoxville.

Kris Casey, an advance EMT in Southwest Virginia, said the rural terrain where she works already makes transport times difficult.

“We often bring these people out on one-lane, dirt roads,” Casey said. “Extra transport time will mean deaths.”

A large number also expressed concerns about Ballad Health’s plans to move the neo-natal intensive care services at Holston Valley to Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City.

Dani Cook, whose granddaughter was born prematurely and was saved at the Holston Valley NICU, has spearheaded a community effort in the Tri-Cities to keep the NICU services at Holston Valley and hold Ballad Health accountable to the terms of the COPA. “It’s not that we oppose all of these changes,” Cook said. “We oppose that they are being done in the manner that they are being done without resources, training and stability.”

Gary Frady said he feels strongly that his premature granddaughter “would not have survived the extra transport time from Kingsport to Johnson City, if this plan had been in effect at the time of her birth.”

Another concern raised at the public hearing was an increase in health care costs.

Teresa Allgood, of Kingsport, said that she has seen the cost of her infusion treatment for a life-threatening blood disorder go from $3,500 to nearly $13,500. “This has certainly created a disadvantage,” Allgood said.

MANY LOCAL CHANGES Several changes also took place at Greeneville’s Laughlin Memorial and Takoma Regional hospitals in the last year.

Among those were the transfer of Takoma’s intensive care unit and its women’s imaging services to Laughlin. The majority of Takoma’s general and vascular surgical services were also moved to the Laughlin campus.

Additionally, some Takoma nursing staff were relocated to Laughlin. This transition began the weekend of Dec. 21-23, officials said.

Due to this staffing transition — along with a surge of winter-time illnesses that prompted higher-than-anticipated hospitalizations — some patients in need of hospitalization were deferred either to the Laughlin campus from Takoma or to an out-of-town facility.

On at least one date, both hospitals were deferring new in-patient admissions.

This created some confusion and concern among some residents.

Hospital officials said that the late December staffing issue at both Laughlin and Takoma was due to the staffing transition, combined with a local surge of flu and gastroenteritis cases, which created a higher-than-anticipated hospital census during that time.

Officials also cited an ongoing nursing shortage — both in Greeneville and across the state — for staffing issues. No nurses have been fired as a result of the hospital merger, hospital officials said, addressing rumors that were circulating about that possibility.

Dr. Mark Patterson, a Greeneville surgeon who serves as the co-chief medical officer of the Greeneville hospitals, along with Dr. Daniel Lewis, said he feels strongly that EMS needs to bring patients to the closest, most appropriate facility — and “to not make assessments too deeply into the patient’s care and then take a risk by driving 30 miles away, particularly when 80-85 percent of the patients who come to the emergency department are treated and released.”

Lewis said that the decision to shift some of the local nurses from Takoma to Laughlin was made in order to “better allow us to accommodate a higher number of patients” at the Laughlin campus.

Before the staff transition, a unit — for example — could have only 14 patients based on current staffing, he said. “We now have 19-20 patients per unit.”

Lewis said they are working to further expand that patient capacity as more nurses are added.

“So we’ve been able to increase 25-30 percent of our capacity,” Lewis said, “and keep (patients) here as opposed to transferring them out of town.

“At times it is appropriate to transfer people to another facility with a higher level of care for a service that we don’t have. But we want to care for as many people in our community as we can and provide them with their care close to

home as much as possible,” he said.

Tammy Albright, who serves as the CEO of the Greeneville facilities, said it can be difficult to gauge how many nurses need to be staffed because of the constant ebbing and flowing of patients at a hospital — even under normal circumstances.

“You have to look at data and look at that over time.

That can change,” she said.

There was a day recently in the ER at Laughlin, for example, where 85 patients were seen, Albright said.

“That’s very high for us.

Normally we are in the low 60s,” she said. At Takoma, those ER visits are normally in the low 40s each day — and some days it is up to 65, for example.

“That puts pressure on you. You can’t just go out and hire somebody quickly.

So you just have to kind of roll up your sleeves and take care of them,” she said.

In some cases, when there is not enough staff on hand, the need to defer patients to another facility arises. Albright said that the care of the patient is always the priority.

A hospital may be licensed for a certain number of beds, but both local

hospitals have not been full to their potential capacity in years. Therefore, “you staff to that,” Albright said.

Much of this is due to the fact that insurance companies only pay for a limited amount of days for an in-patient hospital stay, she said.

“Every year, there are times that we had to cap our census. You only have so many staff. You can’t staff for beds that are not utilized,” Albright said.

In addition to the staff transitions, steps are underway at Laughlin to “wire” the hospital into the Epic Electronic Health Records System, which is currently in use at Takoma and other hospitals that were in the Wellmont Health System network.

Laughlin is expected to be online with the new health records system by April, Ballad officials said.

All of the physicians’ offices and hospitals within the Ballad Health network are expected to be fully transitioned to and unified on the Epic system by the spring of 2020, according to Eric Deaton, senior vice president of marketing operations for Ballad Health.

Deaton said that he has been impressed with the process that Albright has taken with her leadership team to build a management team for the combined campuses.

“They have done a great job,” Deaton said. “They have worked hard at interviewing people so people could reinterview and reapply for their jobs and for their leadership positions.”

He said the team went through a “very deliberate process to find the best leaders for those roles.”

“I think it has gone extremely smooth through that process,” Deaton added. “They have built a very strong leadership team here.”

Lewis noted that it’s often not “an easy process” to change, but he said that the leadership team is “doing the best we can and we are

324 Mt. Bethel Rd. Greeneville, TN 37745 (423) 787-1711 morningpointe.com

working very diligently to try and make it happen as efficiently as possible.”

He encouraged the community to “hold us accountable and let us know if things need to be corrected,” adding that he thinks “things will come up.

We are all human.”

Patterson said he thinks that the Greeneville community “needs to be excited”about what we’ve got to offer — and what we’re going to have to offer as we move forward.”

“It’s going to be bumpy and it’s going to be messy,” Patterson said. “But, already, we’re seeing a lot of positive.”

“We’re seeing people come to together and reacquainting themselves,” he said. “You’ve seen people working in the same fields across town from each other in a competitive environment. We’ve been dealing with duplication of services, and we’ve been dealing with the ‘I’m better than you are stuff.’ ... The fact is, both campuses have been giving outstanding care, and now they are coming together and working together and they are excited about it. And they are having a good time.”

Patterson said the change is challenging, and complaints can arise.

“We are actively listening to these, and we’re actively making moves to improve those problems,” he said.

“We want to hear what the complaints are because we want to be able to fix them. Sometimes we can fix them locally. Sometimes they have to be fixed as a corporate level. Sometimes that takes time. But we are working on all of that.”

In the first six months of its debut fiscal year, Ballad Health officials say the newly formed health care system has surpassed expected improvements in quality, capital investment and financial results.

Ballad Health recently announced operational SEE BALLAD ON PAGE 7

2019

GreenevilleSun.com

MERGER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

leadership team have been working to iron out any issues that arise.

Multiple teams have been working together “to determine how to best meet the needs of our community and the surrounding area,” Albright said. The teams have included leaders from both Takoma and Laughlin hospitals as well as physicians and other clinical leaders, she said.

As part of the planned phased transition, several changes began taking place toward the end of 2018.

Among those were the transfer of Takoma’s intensive care unit and its women’s imaging services to Laughlin. The majority of Takoma’s general and vascular surgical services were also moved to the Laughlin campus.

Additionally, some Takoma nursing staff were relocated to Laughlin. This transition began the weekend of Dec. 21-23, officials said.

Due to this staffing transition — along with a surge of winter-time illnesses that prompted higher-than-anticipated hospitalizations — some patients in need of hospitalization were deferred either to the Laughlin campus from Takoma or to an out-of-town facility.

On at least one date in late December, both hospitals were deferring new in-patient admissions.

Hospital officials said that the late December staffing issue at both Laughlin and Takoma was due to the staffing transition, combined with a local surge of flu and gastroenteritis cases, which created a higher-than-anticipated hospital census during that time.

Officials also cited an ongoing nursing shortage — both in Greeneville and across the state — for staffing issues.

No nurses have been fired as a result of the hospital merger, hospital officials said, addressing rumors that were circulating about that possibility.

Albright said that nursing positions are open, and potential employees are urged to visit www.balladhealth. org/careers for more information.

With staff transitions now being ironed out, Albright hopes that the remainder of the merger will be much smoother.

In addition to the staff

Friday, March 22, 2019 transitions, steps are underway at Laughlin to “wire” the hospital into the Epic Electronic Health Records System, which is currently in use at Takoma and other hospitals that were in the Wellmont Health System network.

Laughlin is expected to be online with the new health records system by April, Ballad officials said.

All of the physicians’ offices and hospitals within the Ballad Health network are expected to be fully transitioned to and unified on the Epic system by the spring of 2020, according to Eric Deaton, senior vice president of marketing operations for Ballad Health.

Deaton said that he has been impressed with the process that Albright has taken with her leadership team to build a management team for the combined campuses.

“They have done a great job,” Deaton said. “They have worked hard at inter-

viewing people so people could reinterview and reapply for their jobs and for their leadership positions.”

Ballad Health president and CEO Alan Levine didn’t mix words when he gave an explanation for the consolidation of Greeneville’s hospitals.

“The reality is, had we had not merged [Laughlin Memorial Hospital and Takoma Regional Hospital], what you would be a facing is the closure of one of these hospitals — and the loss of about 500-600 jobs,” Levine said.

Together, Laughlin Memorial and Takoma Regional hospitals employed about 1,100 people. About 30 positions were eliminated by the merger.

Levine said that “Greene County has significant duplication of services with two acute care hospitals operating in the same county.”

Both hospitals had been struggling financially, he said, with patient occu-

pancy rates of 30 percent or less and annual operational income losses in the multi-millions.

During the 2016-17 fiscal year, Takoma had a nearly $6 million operating loss, while Laughlin’s operating loss was more than double that — just over $15 million, Levine said.

Since Ballad Health took over their operations, the total combined operating losses of both hospitals has been reduced to $11 million, he said.

“The losses have been cut nearly in half, but there’s only so much you can do,” Levine said.

The Greeneville hospitals aren’t alone in the region in their financial struggles.

“We lost $20 million last year in Kingsport. So it’s not unique to Greeneville,” Levine said.

Low patient volumes, redundancy of services and high fixed costs cannot be sustained for an extended period of time, he added.

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition When Laughlin joined the Mountain States Health Alliance network, a move finalized in June 2017, Laughlin officials were “very sensitive” about making their financial problems public, Levine said.

“And I understand that,” he said. “So when we announced it, we never said that Laughlin had financial problems. We said this strengthens Laughlin, and Laughlin will benefit from the corporate resources of Mountain States. All of that’s true. But the reality is, both [Laughlin and Takoma] were seriously struggling.”

Rural hospitals have been struggling nationwide for a number of years, but Tennessee has been hit particularly hard, officials have said.

“Our whole theory behind Ballad Health was we don’t want to just see hospitals close,” Levine said.

Instead of closing the doors to a community hos-

pital, steps should instead be taken “to realign services so that they are rational,” he added.

“Over time, we think this will work in the region,” Levine said. However, he admitted that he remains cautiously optimistic.

“I’m not going to make guarantees, because no one knows what the future will bring. Yesterday, CMS (the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) announced that they are going to cut rural hospital and academic medical center physician reimbursements,” he said.

“If the federal government keeps making stupid policy decisions that hurt rural hospitals, then we’ll have to make decisions that are affected by those decisions,” Levine said. “But right now, our intention is to repurpose hospitals where there is redundancy and bring services to the community that are needed.”

Welcome To

Life Care Center of Greeneville Having served the Greeneville communtiy since 1972, the Life Care Center has a homelike, welcoming environment.

Focusing on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation with 24-hour skilled nursing care, the in-house team of therapists and nurses individualize care based on each resident’s and patient’s personal needs and goals. We believe community matters, which is why we provide the highest level of care available for our short-term rehabilitation patients, long-term care residents and post-operative recovery patients.

2019

BALLAD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

results from its first six months of the fiscal year, and quarterly results for the 2nd quarter. The announcement coincides with the announcement by Moody’s Investor Services that Ballad Health’s outlook has been revised from “neutral to positive,” officials said in a news release.

“Ballad Health’s operational performance is exceptional because of the incredible work of our team members and affiliated physicians,” said Alan Levine, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ballad Health. “I am proud of the focus on quality, and I believe our results demonstrate that better quality reduces cost, improves outcomes and generates positive financial performance for our community’s health system.”

“Serving the people of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is both our privilege and our great responsibility. The board of Ballad Health stands firmly behind the efforts of our leadership to ensure qualitative, financial, and operational success for our region’s healthcare system,” said David Lester, a member of the board of directors and lead independent director. “Our board and management team remain focused on implementing the vision of the merger. While this task is not always easy, as board members we want the best for our region, and we are pleased with the results so far.”

Page 7

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Page 8

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

Local Opioid Lawsuit May Go To Trial In 2019

BY KEN LITTLE STAFF WRITER Northeast Tennessee attorneys general and a lawyer who represents them in a lawsuit against manufacturers of opioid medications they say are a major factor in the area-wide “opioid epidemic” are optimistic the case will go to trial by the end of 2019.

Third Judicial District Attorney General Dan E. Armstrong, Barry Staubus of the 2nd Judicial District and the late Tony Clark of the 1st Judicial District, whose jurisdictions cover much of Northeast Tennessee, were the first in the state to file lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies and other defendants. Armstrong’s district includes Greene County.

Since the initial lawsuits in what is known as the “Sullivan Baby Doe” case were filed in June 2017, district attorneys general in more than 15 other Tennessee judicial districts have filed similar legal actions.

Local governments and the State of Tennessee have also gotten involved in the legal battle aimed at stemming the opioid addiction epidemic, which Staubus has said is so severe in Northeast Tennessee he labeled Sullivan and

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/METRO CREATIVE

State data show drug overdoses in Greene County appear to be trending up.

surrounding counties as “ground zero.”

The lawsuit alleges Purdue Pharma L.P. and other manufacturers, the now-closed Center Pointe Medical Clinic in Kingsport and two private individuals convicted of pill sales all contribute to the opioid epidemic.

The fourth plaintiff, Baby Doe, through his Guardian Ad Litem, was born addicted to opiates in 2015 at Holston Valley Medical Center.

Opioid manufacturers named in the civil action include Purdue Pharma L.P. and related companies, Mallinckrodt, Endo and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. The Nashville law firm of Branstetter, Stranch &

Jennings PLLC, represents Tennessee attorneys general in the growing number of lawsuits.

J. Gerard Stranch, an attorney representing the Northeast Tennessee district attorneys general who filed the first lawsuit in June 2017, said in March the case may go to trial in 2019.

“As we navigate the process of taking this case to trial, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the defendants are coming to grips with our sense of determination and the soundness of our legal arguments.

Rather than challenging the litigation directly, they are now resorting to lesser antics, including personal attacks and intimidation, directed toward the district

attorneys general and participating cities and counties,” Stranch said.

“Our goal has always been to stop the flood of illegal opioids into communities throughout Northeast Tennessee. We will not be distracted or discouraged by these companies’ efforts, and look forward to bringing this suit to trial sometime during 2019.”

At a recent hearing in Kingsport, a Chancery Court judge ruled that Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers have to provide accessible discovery material to district attorneys general in the civil lawsuit.

The discovery motion centered around accessibility of evidentiary material.

Manufacturer defendants initially provided documents for discovery in a format that the plaintiffs could search. About 60 million pages of documents have been shared by the defendants, who switched to a different format not searchable in the plaintiffs’ review system.

E.G. Moody, 2nd Judicial District chancellor, issued an order that documents again be provided in a searchable format.

“Purdue’s efforts and those of the other defendants to mislead doctors and the public about the

need for, and addictive nature of, opioid drugs led to an opioid epidemic, created an environment for thousands of individuals in Tennessee to become addicted to opioids, and fueled a dramatic increase in (East Tennessee) counties in the number of individuals exposed and addicted to OxyContin, Roxicodone, Opana and other opioids,” the local lawsuits state.

Lawsuits further allege that the manufacturer defendants “knew their products were being diverted to the illegal drug market, but did nothing to stop it — choosing profit over people.”

“The opioid epidemic that is currently ravaging Tennessee, Appalachia and the entire nation did not appear overnight,” Stranch said in an earlier news release.

After the 2017 lawsuit was filed, Purdue Pharma issued a statement that emphasizes the manufacturer does “vigorously deny the allegations in the complaint, (but) we share public officials’ concerns about the opioid crisis, and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions.”

In August 2018, Moody ruled that cities and counties could not named as defendants in in opioid-relat-

ed lawsuits under the Drug Dealer Liability Act and held accountable for not allocating enough resources to fight the epidemic.

The state of Tennessee, along with other states, continues forward in a separate lawsuit filed against Purdue Pharma and other manufacturers.

Knox County Circuit Court Judge Kristi M. Davis recently denied Purdue Pharma’s motion to dismiss the Tennessee lawsuit and found that the state has set forth a cause of action for violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, violation of the 2007 Agreed Final Judgment, and creation of a public nuisance.

“Needless to say, we are pleased with the ruling.

Our office filed the complaint after an extensive investigation into Purdue’s highly aggressive marketing practices and other unlawful conduct. We continue to believe Purdue’s conduct has been unconscionable and that the company helped cause one of the most devastating public health crises in Tennessee’s history. We intend to hold Purdue accountable as we move forward with the litigation,” state Attorney General Herbert Slatery III said in a prepared statement.

Family Ministries Enters 2019 Under New Leadership

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER Free Will Baptist Family Ministries started 2019 under new leadership and with a renewal of its on-campus residential program.

In late 2018, the Rev. Jim McComas took the helm as president and CEO of the faith-based organization.

Born and raised in rural Wayne County, Ohio, McComas pastored Canaan Free Will Baptist Church in Creston, Ohio, for 21 years.

During that time, he helped lead the church through a complete relocation of their campus while enjoying consistent growth.

When he began pastoring the church in 1989, there were about 12 active congregants. By the time he left five years ago, the church had grown to become one of the largest Free Will Baptist denominations in Ohio.

During his ministry in Ohio, McComas also served on the board of directors of both the Wayne County Pregnancy Care Center and the Ohio State Association of Free Will Baptists.

McComas had been serving for the past five years as director of church revitalization for Free Will Baptist North American Ministries, based in Nashville.

In addition to being under new leadership, Family Ministries’ main campus in Camp Creek is once again serving as a residential group home site for teenage males in state custody. The residential program, which reopened in mid-December,

SUN FILE PHOTO

The Rev. Jim McComas is serving as the new president and CEO of Free Will Baptist Family Ministries.

is serving youth, ages 13-18, in three cottages.

In 2017, former Family Ministries CEO Frank Woods announced that a restructuring plan would be implemented to end Family Ministries’ residential group home services on its main campus in the Camp Creek community. About 35 employees were impacted by closure of the group homes. About half lost their jobs. Some were offered other positions within the Family Ministries network of services.

Financial issues played largely into the restructuring decision, officials said.

Family Ministries planned at the time to expand its foster care program and devote more space on its campus to serving young men, ages 18-21, in the extended foster care program. The program serves young men who have aged out of the foster care system and have nowhere to return home.

“There were reasons why the decision was made (to

close the residential program,)” McComas said.

At the time of the restructuring, Family Ministries was caring for about 22 youth in its residential group homes in Camp Creek.

Family Ministries also operates group homes for girls in Arkansas.

“We’re now rolling it back out on a limited – fiscally responsible – basis,” he said.

“We’re being very cautious and careful in how we do it as we bring the kids back on.

We want to be good stewards in the community.”

Family Ministries first began as an orphanage back in 1939, but McComas said that the scope of services it now offers goes much further.

The organization has evolved into a comprehensive social service agency with a full range of services to meet the needs of pregnant teens and young women, infants, toddlers, adolescents, at-risk teens, senior citizens and families.

Last year, Family Ministries reopened the John M. Reed Center in Limestone, bringing the organization’s total number of assisted-living facilities to three.

One assisted-living facility, Governor’s Bend, is in Erwin. Another, named The Laurels, is located in Wise, Virginia.

Family Ministries now provides personal home care services, called “Hands To Help,” within Greene, Carter, Unicoi and Johnson counties as well. It offers one-on-one, personalized,

non-medical assistance to seniors in their own homes.

The organization also offers services to the unborn and pregnant mothers through the Hope Center, a crisis pregnancy center operated in Greeneville.

Among planned expansions for the Hope Center is a maternity home to provide for young mothers who need a home for themselves and their babies. The mothers’

home, Honeysuckle Studios, will be located on Tusculum Boulevard, next door to the Hope Center. The building is currently under renovation.

An anonymous donation of $100,000 to the Hope Center last year pushed the crisis pregnancy center towards its fundraising goal for the construction of five maternity and independent living apartments.

Construction costs for the new apartments, which include a new roof, are estimated to be $800,000$900,000, officials say.

The center, which marked its 20th anniversary last year, provides services to families in need through distribution of baby supplies, free parenting classes, free nutrition classes, free counseling and a 24-hour “Hopeline.”

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 9

Construction Work Continues On Holston Home Christian Life Center

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER Construction work has entered the last leg on the new Christian Life Center at Holston United Methodist Home for Children.

It has been just over a year since ground was broken for the building, and already the structure is under roof. A ground-breaking ceremony for the new 18,000-square-foot facility was held March 15, 2018.

The structure is now under roof, Holston Home President and CEO Bradley Williams said, and workers will “now be able to really make up some ground and, hopefully, no longer be deterred by weather.”

Final completion of the new structure is anticipated this summer.

“Weather has certainly not be kind to our efforts,” he said.

“The targeted completion date is Aug. 21. We hope that it will be a little earlier than that, but that’s a conservative date that has been thrown out.”

Original plans were to have the project completed by this spring.

The facility is being built along Wesley Street, just down the hill from the Holston Home Beacon School, facing the State Route 70/ US Highway 11E truck route.

The cost for the new facility has not been disclosed by Holston Home officials; however, they have previously noted that the funds to cover the new structure’s entire cost were raised from donors prior to the start of construction.

The Christian Life Center will not only become the new home for Holston Home’s chapel, which is currently located in Beacon School, the on-campus school. The multi-purpose facility will also be used for recreation and performing arts purposes.

The greatest aim for the new structure, however, is another way to reach out and touch lives through the ministry of Jesus Christ, Williams said.

“We have some kids who are interested in faith and things of a spiritual nature. Others have no real interest. But if we do that space well, it will present the op-

SUN PHOTO BY LISA WARREN

Construction is expected to be complete in late summer on the new Christian Life Center at Holston United Methodist Home for Children. The new facility will house the Holston Home Chapel as well as recreational and performing arts functions.

portunities to reach out,” he said.

“We want the facility to be a beautiful building that complements our campus, but we’ve missed it if we just build a beautiful building and it’s not a space where kids can encounter Jesus.”

Growing needs at Holston Home were the reason for the new facility, Williams said.

Once the Christian Life Center is complete, the current chapel space at Beacon School will be converted into more space for school functions.

“We’re in the process right now of accessing that,” Williams said.

Among needs at the school are additional space for a computer lab and space for performing arts programs.

“I think we’ve got a few different ideas in the hopper,” Williams said.

“We have a smaller room that

we are using for a computer lab now,” he said. Officials hope that additional space can be made in the school building for computer instruction for the Beacon students.

Holston Home is currently looking to fill a position for a computer lab technician, and there are other other open positions at the agency.

Williams said Holston Home is planning to take a youth group on a mission trip to Guatemala in May. He noted that plans are also in the works to host an Easter drama with the new speech and drama program.

“We hired a new teacher for the drama program back in the fall,” Williams said. “And so we are gearing up for that.”

“Those are two, just-aroundthe-corner initiatives that we are working on,” he added.

Once the Christian Life Center is completed, Williams said, there will be additional space to host theatrical and other performing arts productions on the Holston Home campus.

At the groundbreaking for the Christian Life Center in 2018, Williams said, “Our vision is that every aspect and material used in this building will reflect Jesus.

From the stone and timber to the beautiful glass, we want our kids and their families to see that he is strong and stable as well as warm and inviting.”

“It is so cool to dream about what God has in store for kids and families that we haven’t even met yet, and to imagine the part this facility will play in His plans,” he said.

Longtime Holston Home icon, the Rev. Charles Hutchins, who serves as director of church

relations for the Christian-based ministry, called the new project at the groundbreaking event “a dream come true.”

Hutchins said that he has hoped and prayed for a new worship center for Holston Home for more than 70 years. “And now on Wesley Street, where the cows once roamed, it has come true,” he said.

“So see, if you live long enough, dreams do come true.”

In quoting from Romans 8:2425, Hutchins said, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

During the past year, Holston Home served nearly 650 youth and their families, according to the faith-based agency’s latest annual report.

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Page 10

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

GVDC Site’s Future Remains Uncertain

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER The future of the Greene Valley Developmental Center campus remains uncertain, but the process to return the property to greater community use took a step forward earlier this year.

Since its closure in 2017, community rumors and suggestions for the facility’s potential future uses have swirled, but no formal action has been taken.

Several suggestions have been made, including a Veterans Affairs center, an annex to the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, a Ballad Health mental health and substance abuse treatment facility and a Tennessee College of Applied Technology campus.

Use of the campus for a technical school was one of the latest suggestions.

In December, the Greene County Commission’s Education Committee proposed urging the state to transform the property into a Tennessee College of Applied Technology campus.

U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-1st, of Johnson City, has also expressed interest the campus serving as housing for the region’s veterans.

Currently, the property is owned by the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. State law requires all money from sale or lease of the property to be placed in a special fund for specific purposes of planning and developing programs for people with intellectual disabilities, according to the department.

The process of determining what must take place for other entities to use the campus was to get underway after Gov. Bill Lee directed his team to research the situation after a meeting with local officials in February.

LOCALS DISCUSS WITH GOV. On Feb. 11, several local officials traveled to Nashville to meet with the new governor to discuss the Greene Valley campus situation and start a conservation about what Lee sees for its future.

Meeting with the governor were three local mayors, Alan Corley of Tusculum, W.T. Daniels of Greeneville and Kevin Morrison of Greene County, and Greeneville City Administrator Todd Smith, State Rep. David Hawk, R-5th, and State Sen. Steve Southerland, R-1st.

The meeting was facilitated by Hawk, who delivered a letter to the governor’s office on Jan. 31, seeking a meeting with him and Greene County leaders about Greene Valley.

“I wasn’t sure how much

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Local and state officials met with Gov. Bill Lee in February about the future of the former Greene Valley Developmental Center campus. From left are State Sen. Steve Southerland, Greeneville City Administrator Todd Smith, Greeneville Mayor W.T. Daniels, Lee, Tusculum Mayor Alan Corley, Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison and State Rep. David Hawk.

he know about Greene Valley,” Hawk said. “We related the more recent history of Greene Valley, the treatment it provided and how the closure came about.“ Hawk said he, Southerland and the local officials are seeking direction and clarification from the governor’s office about the process to make the property available for another use and what that use could be.

“What we need to do as a county — what W.T. Daniels and Todd Smith from Greeneville, Alan Corley from Tusculum and I as a representative of the county are doing — is establish a conversation with the governor about lifting the restrictions on the use of that property,” Morrison said.

The Greene Valley campus is large enough that there could be multiple uses of it to benefit the community, the county mayor said.

“We can have a long list of ideas, but none of them will come to fruition without the restrictions lifted from the property.”

After their discussions, the governor directed his team to look into the legal implications of the restrictions, what it would take for the DIDD to lift the restrictions or turn the property over to the general state government.

OFFICIALS’ REACTIONS The meeting was a starting point to learn what can be done on the state level, Southerland said, and turning over the property to the state would probably be best to return it greater

SUN PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

New Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Brad Turner, left, visits with residents and caretakers at the East Tennessee Homes group home on Dyer Street in his first visit to Greene County in early March. The new commissioner also visited the former Greene Valley Developmental Center site.

community use.

“The DIDD is not equipped to remodel and renovate [the site] and market it for others to use,” he said. “Their budget is for the care of the intellectually and developmentally disabled. But, if it was owned by the state, it would be easier to prepare for new uses.”

The governor was open and accommodating, Daniels said. “I told him that Greene Valley was not im-

portant for Greene County but all of East Tennessee. It is a beautiful piece of property. We wanted to make sure the governor is aware of Greene Valley and the opportunity and potential we all have there.”

“He was interested and asked good questions,” said Corley. That interest will hopefully lead to answers that are needed before finding a use for Greene Valley can move forward, the Tusuclum mayor said.

“I think we will get some answers,” he said. “It may not be the answers we might want, but at least we will have answers.”

Morrison said he felt that the meeting was a positive step forward to determining the future of Greene Valley. “It felt like a start of good things to come,” he said.

The unity between the various officials in their message may have been another reason that the

governor was receptive and interested in the future of Greene Valley, he said.

“I think our cooperation was something the governor was proud to see,” Morrison continued. “We will see what we want come to fruition a lot sooner with the voice of unity rather than the voice of division.”

“The governor was very engaged in the conversation, and I look forward to hearing from him and his staff in the not-too-distant future about what he may see as the future of Greene Valley,” Hawk said.

With the retirement of the former head of the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities as he took office, Lee has appointed Brad Turner as the department’s commissioner.

Turner made his first visit to Greene County in March, which included a stop at Greene Valley. The community interest in the future of Greene Valley is understandable, he said, and one of the goals of the trip to East Tennessee was to visit the campus to get a better idea of the buildings and how the department is using the property.

“We have to figure out what is the best in the future for the campus for folks who live here and for the state,” Turner said. “We want to be good stewards of that property and good citizens in the community.”

While there is not a timeline for deciding the future of Greene Valley, the department is open to ideas for its use and the possible sell of property that is not being actively used, he said.

Greeneville City Schools Honors Educators, Paraprofessionals The Greeneville City School System expressed its appreciation to its teachers, administrators and staff in 2018 at its annual personnel banquet and breakfast held in May. Honors given included the Kay W. Leonard Outstanding Service to Students Award, which was presented to Dale Landers, principal of EastView Elementary School.

The award included $1,000 from the Greeneville City Schools Education Foundation, a silver tray from the Greene County Partnership and a book about educational leadership from the library of local educator Bob Keasling, repurposed into a decorative “L.” Award presenter Bob Leonard said Landers is known for his ability to hire great teachers and letting them teach without micromanagement, but with a great deal of encouragement and support. Leonard is chairman of the Greene County Partnership board of directors and a trustee of the Greeneville City Schools Education Foundation.

Stacy Salyer, assistant

SUN FILE PHOTO

Bob Leonard, chairman of the Greene County Partnership board of directors, left, presents the Kay W. Leonard Outstanding Service to Students Award to Dale Landers, principal at EastView Elementary School.

principal at Greeneville Middle School, was recognized with the “Champion for Children” Award. In the presentation of the award, it was noted that Salyer cares for students’ lives outside of school and has been known

to purchase groceries for students’ families and even bought something for a student to wear to the eighthgrade dance, who could not otherwise afford it.

The Paraprofessional of the Year Award, selected

by a vote of the employees of the school system, was presented to Reneé Pickering, an interventionist at the Family Resource Center and worker in the truancy program.

Daniel Varnell, choral

director at Greeneville High School, was recognized for his contributions to the school system as a newer staff member with the Cultivate and Impact Rising Star Award.

Renee Skeen, a teacher at Tusculum View Elementary School, was honored with the Character Education award.

Dr. Adrienne Rose, a Greeneville Middle teacher, received the Excellence in Professional Learning Award.

Deborah Gregg, nutrition manager at EastView, was presented the “Only the Best” award given to paraprofessionals.

WGRV Radio was recognized with the Friends of Education award for its cooperation with the school system to run announcements and other programming about schools and schedule changes.

Retirees from the school system were recognized.

Each was being presented with a rocking chair. The retirees include Paula Averett, GMS guidance counselor; Rodney Deyton, GHS teacher; Pam Harley, Tusclum View

teacher; Diane Hawk, EastView instructional assistant; Stella Hunter, GHS registrar; David Jeffers, GMS teacher; Ginger Justin, EastView instructional assistant; Gayleen Kelley, GHS school nutrition; Brenda Kincaid, EastView instructional assistant; Galen Kirchmeier, GHS Air Force Junior ROTC; and Phyllis Stansfield, EastView instructional assistant.

Special posthumous recognition was given to Shirley Babb, who had retired from the GMS cafeteria and passed away shortly after retirement.

School-level teachers of the Year, which were announced earlier in the year, were also recognized. The honorees included Donna Gregory from Highland Elementary School; Amber Wilson from Hal Henard Elementary School; Heather Mullins from EastView; Kaylyn Miller from Tusculum View; Amy Higgins form the Greene Technology Center; Dr. Nichole Morris, GMS media specialist; and Katie Rickard, GHS history and human geography teacher.

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 22, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 11

Numerous Awards, Recognitions Went To County Teachers, School Personnel

BY CAMERON JUDD SUN COLUMNIST Several awards and professional recognitions were earned by outstanding Greene County educators, administrators and staff members in 2018.

Most of the honors were presented or recognized in the Greene County Schools annual Personnel Reception at Chuckey-Doak High School in May. Sherri Morgan, a teacher at Baileyton Elementary School, was the recipient of the Outstanding Service to Students Award presented by the Greene County Partnership.

Steven Broyles, who serves at Chuckey-Doak Middle School, was honored with the Principal of the Year award.

David Myers, director of maintenance for the school system, was honored with the “Way to Go” Award.

Teachers of the Year within individual schools also were recognized during the banquet.

Teachers in grades K-4 recognized were Beth Ann Anderson, Chuckey; Brittany Avery, West Pines; Brittaney Bible, Glenwood; Jenny Harmon, McDonald; Cindy Love, Nolachuckey; Sherri Morgan, Baileyton; Amy Taylor, Mosheim; Mary Thomas, Camp Creek; Cindy Walter, DeBusk; and Amy Weems, Ottway.

Walter was chosen for the district-level honor.

Honored as Teachers of the Year for their schools in grades 5-8 were Terry Beets, Glenwood; Jan Bible, Mosheim; Virginia Cooter, Baileyton; Becky

SUN FILE PHOTO

Sherry Morgan, left, a teacher at Baileyton Elementary School, was presented the Greene County Partnership’s Outstanding Service to Students Award by Artie Wehenkel, representing the Partnership, at the annual Greene County Schools Personnel Banquet in May.

Fillers, DeBusk; Lindsey Hawk, Nolachuckey; Glenea Lister, Camp Creek; Amber Miller, West Pines; Travis Murvin, Chuckey-Doak Middle; Karen Palmer, Ottway, and Elizabeth Wilkerson, McDonald. Hawk was selected as district Teacher of the Year for grades 5-8.

On the high school level, Teachers of the Year were Corey Allen, West Greene; Phillip Cutshaw, South Greene; Kent Lyon,

the T.H. McNeese Education Center; Noah Naseri, Chuckey-Doak; and Carline Shelton, North Greene. Cutshaw was selected for district honors.

Recognized as Support Staff of the Year from each school were Connie Ball, T.H. McNeese Education Center; Penny Britton, Ottway; Candy Cutshaw, South Greene; Jolynn Doty, Baileyton; Jay Early, West Greene; Miranda Ervin, Glenwood; Brandi

Franklin, Camp Creek; Amy Hale, Chuckey; Tammy Keith, McDonald; Margie Livingston, Nolachuckey; Lisa Mullins, C-DHS; Martha Myers, Mosheim; Jennifer Phillips, C-DMS; Terri Price, Doak; Linda Rector, West Pines; Tammy Ricker, DeBusk; and Cyndi Villanueva, North Greene.

Retirees also were recognized. Retiring with more than 40 years of service

to the school system were Phil Davis from Doak, and Elaine Jaynes and Amy Taylor, from Mosheim.

Other retirees honored were Teresa Broyles, South Greene; Teresa Collins, DeBusk; Virginia Cooter, Baileyton; Ray Darnell, Central Services; Kathy Davis, DeBusk; Cheryl Dawson, System Speech; Judy Fillers, DeBusk; Mary Gavlik, C-DMS; Sarah

Gonce, Mosheim; Louis Hankins, DeBusk; Mildred Hawkins, Central Office; Michael “Milo” Jackson, West Pines; Troy Jennings, Central Services; Ronald Jones, Mosheim; Connie McKay, C-DMS, Debra Miller, McDonald; Mark Norman, Central Office; Janice Peltier, West Greene; Suzanne Price, the Education Center; Mary Schumacher, DeBusk; Ralph Shelton, Chuckey; Ronnie Smith, Doak; and Ronnie Whitson, Central Services.

Also in 2018, six Greene County schools received the designation as Reward Schools for exceeding the expected student growth measure: Chuckey Doak Middle, McDonald Elementary, Mosheim Elementary, Ottway Elementary, South Greene High, North Greene High.

The Tennessee Department of Education defines Reward status as the top distinction a school can earn in Tennessee.

Reward schools are those that are improving overall student academic achievement and student growth for all students and for student groups, and they are identified annually. In 2018, 318 schools in 85 school districts – about 20 percent of schools in the state – earned Reward status.

Additionally, the Greene County Board of Education publicly recognizes special student awards and achievements at almost every board meeting. Many of these are for outstanding performance within the individual school level, such as artistic creation and academic and athletic performance.

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Page 12

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Friday, March 22, 2019

GreenevilleSun.com