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Maury County School Board Extends Superintendent Lisa Ventura's Contract for Four More Years

Issue #022

10 Mar

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

📆 Mega List of Upcoming Events!

☀️ Columbia Weather - Sunny with a high of 55

🚌 Maury County School Board Extends Superintendent Lisa Ventura's Contract for Four More Years

🌑 Eclipse Excursion: Kentucky and Arkansas Cities Offer Prime Views of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

🗓 Behind Closed Doors: Columbia Main Street Invites You to Discover Downtown's Unique Spaces

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details! 

Upcoming Local Events

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Maury County School Board Extends Superintendent Lisa Ventura’s Contract for Four More Years

District 10 board member Wayne Lindsey initiated the addition of Ventura's contract extension to the agenda, citing it as the opportune moment based on her recent annual evaluation and positive feedback. Lindsey highlighted the favorable results of Ventura's evaluation, scoring her 3.5 out of 5, and noted the high morale in the district, emphasizing its upward trajectory.

During the meeting, proposals for a salary increase for Ventura were presented. District 2 member Bettye Kinser motioned for an extension of Ventura's buyout from six to 12 months, along with a cost-of-living raise aligned with other classified employees. Kinser argued that despite a 10% and 7% raise for MCPS certified staff during Ventura's tenure, she did not receive any such increases and currently earns less than the previous superintendents.

The motion, however, failed to pass. A subsequent motion by District 11 member Jackson Carter, supporting a raise but maintaining the six-month buyout as per Ventura's contract, succeeded. Although it did not grant an immediate raise, it made Ventura eligible for one if a raise was approved for MCPS certified staff in the future.

School Board Chair Will Sims expressed agreement with the positive feedback from Ventura's recent annual evaluation, acknowledging her commendable work as superintendent. Sims conveyed the board's desire to extend her contract for another four years, leading to applause from board members and attendees.

Following the vote, Ventura expressed gratitude for the contract extension and the ongoing support of the school board. She expressed her honor in leading Maury County Public Schools and looked forward to the next four years with optimism.

Eclipse Excursion: Kentucky and Arkansas Cities Offer Prime Views of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

To catch the full spectacle of the 2024 total solar eclipse on April 8, Columbia residents will need to embark on a day trip to neighboring states. While the eclipse will be partially visible in Columbia and a small part of West Tennessee, NASA notes that this event marks the final total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.

For a complete experience of totality, where the sun is entirely obscured by the moon, day trips to certain cities in Kentucky and Indiana are recommended. Two neighboring states, Kentucky and Arkansas, fall within the eclipse's path. In Kentucky, Paducah stands out as one of the closest cities in the path of totality, just over a 2 ½ hour drive from Columbia. The total solar eclipse in Paducah will commence at 12:43 p.m. Central Time, reaching maximum coverage at 2 p.m.

Arkansas also falls under the eclipse's trajectory, with Russellville being a prominent location, albeit a six-hour drive from Columbia. NASA anticipates over 100,000 tourists to visit Russellville to witness the eclipse. Other cities in Arkansas along the path include Jonesboro and Little Rock.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the sun and Earth, completely obscuring the sun's face. Observers in locations where the moon's shadow fully covers the sun will experience a total solar eclipse, revealing the sun's corona, normally concealed. The stages of a total solar eclipse encompass partial eclipse, shadow bands, Baily's Beads, Diamond Ring, and totality, which is the only time the eclipse is safely viewable with the naked eye.

NASA indicates that most places along the path of totality will witness a totality duration ranging from 3.5 to 4 minutes. The longest totality duration will be 4 minutes and 28 seconds near Torreón, Mexico.

In Columbia, the partial solar eclipse will commence around 12:43 p.m. and conclude at 3:19 p.m., with maximum coverage, approximately 93 percent, occurring at 2:02 p.m.

Select locations on this map to see eclipse times, peak sun coverage and likely levels of cloudiness during the eclipse.

Behind Closed Doors: Columbia Main Street Invites You to Discover Downtown's Unique Spaces

Columbia Main Street presents the “Upstairs Downtown Tour,” a night where you tour through downtown Columbia’s unique spaces while enjoying an evening of tasting local cuisine and drinks, watching live demonstrations, and learning about the history of each location. 

On this tour, Columbia Main Street has identified six downtown locations that vary in use: retail, non-retail, wellness, and hotel spaces. Ticket holders will be notified of which locations once they pick up their tour map from the Visit Columbia Welcome Center at 5 pm on the event day.

* Attendees must be able to ascend/descend a flight of stairs. Elevators are not available. 

The Columbia Main Street Corporation is hosting this tour to improve wayfinding signage and fund downtown design projects. 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | 5-7:30 pm

Downtown Columbia - 713 N Main Street

This is a ticketed event.

Adults - $25 + processing fees 

*Event sales close on Friday, March 16th at 4 pm.