The Nashville Community High School Board dismissed English teacher Bethany McQuiston during the regular board meeting last night. Citing a budget deficit of more than $400,000, Superintendent Ernie Fowler said that the district was forced to make the decision on a Reduction in Force in order to remain solvent.

“I shared this with the board, and I’m sharing it tonight. Our education fund is projected to have deficit spending of some $425,000 based on our initial budget this year,” said Fowler. “I hope that the projection is slightly better come June 30, however, with the uncertainty in our state funding, that figure actually could be worse. As you can imagine this is not sustainable if the district wishes to remain financially solvent into the future.”
Fowler noted that to cut into the deficit required either increasing revenue or decreasing expenses, and the district is dependent upon voter approval to raise more revenue. Sheila Burcham, calling herself a concerned parent and citizen, spoke in favor of keeping McQuiston. She noted that English is a core curriculum class, and that communication skills are important to people looking to hire. In addition, she noted the many extra things McQuiston does at the school.

“I can’t say enough about her as a teacher, what she’s done for her students and her classes, not only in the classroom but outside of it as a mentor to our softball players as part of her coaching duties,” Burchams said. “She’s the FCA sponsor, which is near and dear to our hearts, she took on the junior class sponsorship and volunteered for plays, musical, trips sponsorship and that kind of stuff.”
Former student Jordi Harre also spoke on McQuiston’s behalf, saying she personally witnessed McQuiston turning bad students into good students, and asked for the board to find a way to keep her.

“Please find a way to keep one of the best teachers Nashville High School has ever had,” said Harre.
Following a 90-minute closed session, the board voted for a resolution to honorably dismiss McQuiston at the end of the school year. Fowler also detailed other steps he had taken in an effort to close the budget gap, including reducing the guidance office from two full-time positions to one and a half, eliminating an executive assistant position and transferring that employee into a teacher aide position, and eliminating paid freshman coaching positions for boys and girls basketball, volleyball and football. In other business, the board approved several overnight and out of state field trip requests, adopted the 2017-18 district calendar, which set the first day of school for and teacher institute day on August 11, approved summer athletic camps, and voted for an interfund loan from working cash to the Bond and Investment Fund in the amount of $20,000. In other personnel matters, the board accepted the resignation of John Becker as an aide and athletic trainers, approved non-paid assistant softball coaches Hannah Yung and Kara Linkey, and approved the hiring of Brock Wuebbles as junior varsity softball coach. The next meeting will be held March 20.