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Three members of the Coffee County Schools Board of Education concluded their terms as board members following a regular meeting Monday, Aug. 12.

These include Dr. Gary Nester, who served on the board since January 2012, Larry Crabtree, who served since December 2020 and Kathy Rose, who served since September 2022.

Nester, who most recently served as board chairman, said he has appreciated the opportunity to serve.

“I am going to continue to be an advocate for Coffee County Schools, I went through these schools, I love them, and you are going to continue to see me in the schools and at athletic events and I do wish this board the best and keep heading in the right directions,” he said during the meeting.

Nester said throughout his tenure, he never went into a school building where he didn’t see teachers and staff excited about their school.

“That is one thing I can always say, they were proud of their school and what they were doing and the students and the staff,” Nester said. “It has been an honor to serve.”

Kathy Rose said she is proud of the accomplishments made by Coffee County Schools during her tenure on the school board.

“I would just like to say that although I have only been here two years it has been an honor and a privilege to work with the leadership of Coffee County Schools,” Rose said. “I am especially proud of what we have seen happen in the way of compensation for our staff, I do hope that is a trend that continues because I believe teachers and school staff are extremely undervalued in our society today and I know how hard you work and I wish you all the best in the future.

“To the students out there, you have some wonderful opportunities in this school district and I do hope you take advantage of every one of them. Thank you for letting me serve on your school board,” she added.

Larry Crabtree simply thanked the community for allowing him to serve.

Director of Schools Dr. Charles Lawson said he tried to come up with a word for each outgoing board member that he thought fit them.

For Crabtree, Lawson said the word he chose was “thorough.”

“Thoroughness, his most valuable asset on this board,” Lawson said. “I have never seen a board member utilize the TSBA resources quite as much as he did to find out information. If there was information he desired, he called and discussed topics with me or other school people.”

For Rose, Lawson said the word he thought of was “experienced.”

The word reflects Rose’s experience in public education.

“…You brought a perspective and acted on that perspective to the point that employees actually commented to me, Ms. Rose really seems to get it, she really seems to remember what it was like in a school,” he said. “I am truly going to miss that perspective because going forward, this will be the first time that I don’t have somebody with that perspective.”

Lawson said for Dr. Nester, the word he came up with was “competence.”

“Calm, even among the craziness, and I am going to say the most important competence is quiet competence and that is what you have displayed in your time as a chairman,” Lawson said. “Never grandstanding, never trying to impress anybody by making statements anywhere. Multiple employees have noticed and commented, so it has not gone unnoticed, and I appreciate the opportunities we have had as you chair and me as director to sit and discuss topics, prepare for meetings, discuss how to address certain things and plan those meetings and plan how to proceed and so I will miss that interaction but appreciate that time. “

Incoming Coffee County Schools Board of Education members Scott Hansert, Holly Matthews and Beth Yentsch will begin serving their terms during the next Board of Education meeting scheduled for Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.