Bruce Borchers Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Safety Fest TN to open with panel on regional workforce development

Posted at 5:53 pm April 22, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The opening session for Safety Fest TN this year will feature a panel on regional workforce development.

The kick-off event is from 8:30-11 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex.

That opening session will include a discussion by influential educators and employers on regional workforce development challenges, a press release said. The panel will be called, “Facing Future Workforce Development Needs Today.”

“Panelists will discuss the challenges associated with attracting, hiring, and retaining the brightest and best of all skill levels to our region while exploring approaches they are implementing to meet those challenges,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Beckendorf-Edou of OR Schools selected as superintendent of Washington district

Posted at 1:52 pm March 21, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Tracey Beckendorf-Edou

Tracey Beckendorf-Edou of Oak Ridge Schools has accepted the position of superintendent of Cascade School District in Washington state, pending successful contract negotiations, starting in the 2019-2020 school year, a press release said.

Beckendorf-Edou is currently the executive director of teaching and learning for Oak Ridge Schools. She has worked for Oak Ridge Schools since the 2012-2013 school year, the press release said.

Beckendorf-Edou and her husband Kirk have been residents of Oak Ridge since 2010. Before she worked for Oak Ridge Schools, Beckendorf-Edou worked for ORAU, the press release said.

“Tracey thanks Bruce Borchers, the School Board, the entire staff of Oak Ridge Schools, and the Oak Ridge community for their support and friendship,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Blankenship Field renovations to start after football season

Posted at 6:14 pm July 12, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium are pictured above on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The renovations at Blankenship Field, including the installation of synthetic turf, won’t start until after this year’s football season ends, officials said Thursday.

At one time, there had been hopes that the renovation work would have started this past January and be finished by this June. Then, after an $800,000 contract was approved in June, there had still been the possibility that the work could be complete this summer, on or around the first home football game in August.

But on Thursday, the City of Oak Ridge announced a decision to wait until the Oak Ridge High School football season is complete to begin the renovations.

“The decision was based on the contractor’s estimate that the project could not be completed without impacting the first three home football games,” a city press release said. [Read more…]

City, schools to present budgets to City Council on Tuesday

Posted at 10:43 am May 28, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Mark Watson

City and school officials will present their fiscal year 2019 budgets to Oak Ridge City Council in a special meeting on Tuesday.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education budget, which has already been approved by the school board, will be presented by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers and Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer. The city has typically provided a little less than 30 percent of the school system’s funding.

The proposed municipal budget will be presented by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. [Read more…]

Roger Ward named Principal of the Year

Posted at 9:40 pm March 11, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Roger Ward

Roger Ward has been named Principal of the Year by Oak Ridge Schools.

Ward has been principal of Linden Elementary School since July 2005.

He began his career in 1990 and has served in many roles as an elementary educator during the past 28 years, a press release said.

“Mr. Ward emphasizes that students need not only to learn academic skills but also to be responsible, respectful, ready, and safe,” the press release said. “Thank you for your continued dedication to the students and staff at Linden and throughout the Oak Ridge Schools family.”

Ward’s nomination will be sent to the state level for consideration, Oak Ridge Schools said in the press release. The state winner will be honored during the annual LEAD Conference in Nashville.

Each year, an outstanding public school principal earns distinction as the Tennessee Department of Education Principal of the Year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Selected for space launch, Robertsville satellite gets boost from ORNL

Posted at 7:32 pm March 10, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge is the first middle school to ever be selected for a NASA program that launches small cube-shaped satellites into space. On Friday, March 9, 2018, the $70,000 science project got a $15,000 boost from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Celebrating above by saying “NASA, we are a go!” are RMS students, teacher Todd Livesay, ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, and other Oak Ridge Schools staff and project volunteers. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m. March 11.

Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge is the first middle school to ever be selected for a NASA program that launches small cube-shaped satellites into space.

On Friday, the $70,000 science project, which started about three years ago, got a $15,000 boost from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Robertsville satellite, which will orbit a few hundred miles above Earth, will use a small camera to try to take pictures of forest regrowth in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg. That area burned in forest fires fed by high winds after Thanksgiving 2016, killing 14 people and damaging or destroying more than 2,500 homes and businesses.

The RMS satellite, named RamSat, will use a radio to relay its images and other data back to Earth.

A project proposal was submitted to NASA in November, and Oak Ridge Schools learned this month that the RMS proposal had been accepted.

“This is such an exciting opportunity for the students!” said Peter Thornton, one of the RamSat team leaders from ORNL. “They will now have the chance to design, build, carry out, and own a satellite mission.” [Read more…]

Borchers to give update on school system & changes on Tuesday

Posted at 1:08 pm March 2, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, will discuss the state of the Oak Ridge school system during a lunchtime talk on Tuesday.

His presentation is expected to provide an update on the school system and changes that have been implemented since his last address to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, a press release said.

The Lunch with the League meeting is scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Borchers has served as Oak Ridge Schools superintendent since 2013, the press release said. He began his career as an elementary physical education teacher in Sioux City, Iowa. He later worked as an assistant principal and principal in Iowa City and Mankato, Minnesota, and as an associate superintendent of secondary schools for the Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota, school district, the release said. Prior to coming to Oak Ridge, he was superintendent of the Rockwood (Missouri) School District. [Read more…]

Eby will serve on state school board, leaving Oak Ridge board

Posted at 9:49 am February 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bob Eby

Robert “Bob” S. Eby, vice chair of the Oak Ridge Board of Education, is resigning March 31 because Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is appointing him to serve on the Tennessee State Board of Education effective April 1. Eby will represent Tennessee’s Third Congressional District, which includes Oak Ridge, on the state school board, according to his resignation letter.

“This is quite an honor, and I look forward to utilizing all I have learned while serving on the Oak Ridge Board off and on over the past 33 years to serve the governor and the State of Tennessee in the best manner that I can,” Eby said in the February 7 resignation letter, which was written to Oak Ridge Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer but also copied to other school board members and Superintendent Bruce Borchers.

Eby said Tennessee state law does not allow him to serve on the state school board while also serving as a city, county, state, or elected federal official. Members of the Oak Ridge Board of Education are elected to their positions.

“Therefore, to accept this appointment requires me to resign from my Oak Ridge Board of Education position,” Eby said. “I humbly request the Board (the Oak Ridge Board of Education) to formally accept this resignation.” [Read more…]

School board adopts budget asking city for more money for salary increase

Posted at 10:35 am May 23, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Schools School Administration Building

This is a cropped version of a photo by Julio Culiat.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday adopted a budget that will ask the Oak Ridge City Council for more money for a 2.5 percent salary increase for teachers and staff members.

The total amount needed to fund the 2.5 percent salary increase is $855,810, after about $98,000 worth of budget adjustments.

Most of the money for the salary increase could be available if the City of Oak Ridge agrees to continue putting into the budget $538,046 worth of funding that was given to the school system last year on a one-time basis to help pay for a digital device initiative that includes convertible laptops for students, among other expenses. In other words, the school board will ask the city to make that $538,046 a recurring source of funding, as opposed to non-recurring (one-time) money.

The school board will then ask for an additional $317,764 on top of the $538,046, or $855,810 total.

The budget passed on a second and final reading on Monday in a 5-0 voice vote with no opposition. [Read more…]

At this time, proposed ‘bare-bones’ schools budget does not ask city for more money

Posted at 12:00 pm May 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Schools presented its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 to the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

A “bare-bones” budget proposed by Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday does not, at this point, ask the City of Oak Ridge for more local funding.

The proposed budget includes step increases that would apply to those who are eligible, but it does not include pay raises. Roughly 59 percent of the staff would receive no increase, school officials said.

There are some new staff positions proposed, including a preschool teacher, a Navy Junior ROTC teacher, and a technology systems administrator. There are also some staff reductions due to enrollment, primarily two full-time equivalent teachers at Oak Ridge High School, reductions done through attrition.

“This is a pretty bare-bones budget,” Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Tuesday. It includes minimal new staff, and no major new initiatives. At this point, there is not enough money for raises, Borchers said.

The grand total of new investments has been proposed at $713,075: $355,201 for step increases and $357,784 for new staffing. [Read more…]

Borchers wins Anderson County Ally of the Year Award

Posted at 11:34 am February 7, 2017
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, or ASAP, of Anderson County hosted a contest for selecting an “Ally of the Year.” Candidates for the award were nominated by community members for their passion for creating a healthy and productive Anderson County. They are united by one goal: to use their leadership, influence, and communication skills to raise funds to help prevent and reduce substance abuse in Anderson County. Each dollar raised by the candidates counted as one vote.

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers was the top fundraiser, bringing in more than $1,850. Oliver Springs Police Chief Kenny Morgan was the first runner-up, raising more than $1,200. Anderson County School Superintendent Tim Parrott was the second runner-up, adding $1,100. [Read more…]

ORHS pantry provides food, clothing, toiletries, cleaning products to students in need

Posted at 7:08 pm January 25, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak-Ridge-High-School-RISE-Pantry-8-Jan-4-2017-Web

A pantry started about a year ago at Oak Ridge High School provides food, clothing, toiletries, and cleaning products to students in need. The Oak Ridge Board of Education toured the pantry with ORHS administrators and teachers on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. From left to right are Laura McLean, Angi Agle, Allen Etheridge, Beth Estep, Leslie Shelton, Bruce Lay, Bob Eby, Bruce Borchers, and Keys Fillauer. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 1:25 p.m. Jan. 26.

A pantry started about a year ago at Oak Ridge High School provides food, clothing, toiletries, and cleaning products to students in need.

It’s known as the RISE Pantry. RISE stands for Raising Individual Students to Excellence.

The pantry started with a cabinet. It’s now housed in a former classroom on the third floor of the high school.

Items stored there include, among other essentials, backpacks and notebooks, pants and shirts, shoes and boots, and soup and beans.

“You can’t learn if your basic needs aren’t met,” said English teacher and coach Allen Etheridge, one of those who started the pantry. “(If) a kid asks, we will bring them down here.” [Read more…]