Rutherford County Schools named Tennessee ‘Best for All’ district

Rutherford County Schools has been recognized as one of 68 school districts in Tennessee as a Best for All school district by the Tennessee Department of Education.

To qualify for the Best for All recognition program, a school district must spend at least 50 percent of its federal pandemic relief funds — known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief 3.0 — on proven, research-based strategies to raise student academic achievement. Best for All districts also must participate in the TN ALL Corps tutoring grant program to provide students with high dosage, low ratio tutoring opportunities.

As part of the recognition as a Best for All district, Rutherford County Schools has been awarded an additional $410,000 from the Tennessee Department of Education. This funding will be used to further support student learning in the classroom.

“We are proud of our schools, teachers, administrators and leaders for seeking innovative ways to serve students during the pandemic and working to accelerate learning during this unprecedented time,” Director of Schools Bill Spurlock said. “As part of this effort, we have sought to use our federal relief funding wisely, and we appreciate being recognized by the state for our success.”

RCS offered free summer learning camps in 2021 and launched after-school tutoring programs this school year. The school district is committed to providing tutoring opportunities for students over the next three school years and continuing the summer camps. The school district will utilize the additional Best for All grant to enhance these opportunities for students of Rutherford County.

Becoming a Best for All school district also provides RCS with additional benefits:

Resource Benefits

• Free online high school tutoring services
• Free access to high quality, online math support and content
• Free access to high quality, online English Language Arts support and content
• Membership in Best for All /TN ALL Corps Community of Practice

Financial Benefits

• $700 per year for each participating student in TN ALL Corps
• Consideration and bonus points for future grants and resources
• Opportunities to increase teacher income through tutoring income
• Exclusive access to funds that need to be recouped and reallocated to districts
• Access to planning grants upon request, as part of the network