By Tanna M. Friday
Editor
TRUSSVILLE — During the Monday, Dec. 11, regularly scheduled Trussville City Board of Education meeting, the board announced its first district-level business partnership.
Trussville City School’s Athletic Director, Lance Walker, introduced Courtesy Buick GMC’s General Manager, Drew Lolley, a Trussville High School graduate and long-term supporter of the Trussville City Schools Athletic program, to the board to explain the partnership proposal.
“Drew called a few weeks ago with an idea for a partnership, and a huge game changer,” Walker said. “Not just for our athletic program, but for the Trussville School District.”
“We are so excited to be here and to have the opportunity to partner with the Trussville school system,” Lolley said. “Like Lance said, in the past we’ve had an athletic sponsorship where we would give a certain amount each spring. But being a Hewitt-Trussville alumni and having two children in the school system, this has been something important for me to push forward and have a true partnership, not just a sponsorship.”
Lolley said that Courtesy Buick GMC’s objective is to invest in the community and the education of our students on a monthly basis.
“Every single month, Courtesy Buick GMC is going to make a contribution,” Lolley said. “Each month, Courtesy will contribute $50 per vehicle sold.”
Lolley provided an example to the board based on current year-to-date sales.
“To give you an example, I ran some rough numbers pulling sales from year-to-date through November and calculated $46,000,” he said.
Lolley added that the company’s goal is to create an awareness throughout Trussville that Courtesy Buick GMC cares about their students and their community.
“We truly do,” Lolley said. “That is one of our main goals of this contribution to the school district.”
Lolley added that a scholarship fund will also be part of this partnership.
“My favorite part about this partnership is setting up a scholarship fund,” Lolley said. “Two deserving students will be selected at the end of the year. The process will go through a selection committee.”
The contribution will be filtering 25 percent to the Trussville Athletic Foundation, 25 percent to the newly created Courtesy Buick GMC Scholarship Fund, and 50 percent to the Trussville City School’s General Fund (for the use of technology, supplies, etc.).
“It will be pretty simple,” Lolley said. “At the end of the month, we will calculate the amount of units, cut the check, and send it directly to the school system. Hopefully our numbers will continue to grow and bring more than the example I provided you tonight.”
Trussville Board member Bill Roberts and Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill thanked Lolley and Courtesy Buick GMC for their continued support to the Trussville City Schools.
“We thank you for all you have done,” Roberts said. “Y’all have always been very generous to our school system.”
“The Courtesy GMC business partnership represents the first ever district partnership between Trussville City Schools and Trussville businesses,” said Neill. “We have many athletic partners, but this is the first district partner where donations go to the entire district, plus athletics. We appreciate their support and generosity and we hope this is the first in a long line of district partnerships in the future.”
Lolley said he hopes this partnership will create a domino effect with other businesses in Trussville.
In other matters, the board approved:
- Consent agenda
- Accounts payable;
- October 2018 payroll;
- October 2018 financial;
- Board work session record and board minutes for Nov. 13, 2018;
- Early graduation for four students;
- Under $50,000 Project HTHS Flooring quote #111218-4;
- Under $50,000 Project soccer and softball lockers;
- Job description for Student Support Services;
- Southern Linc agreement for bus driver radios;
- Memorandum of agreement with Courtesy Birmingham Buick/GMC;
- Memorandum of agreement with State Department of Education for residency program;
- Change orders:
- HTMS Change order 1;
- HTMS Change order 2; and
- CES Change order 11.
- Field trips for HTHS Track and Field to the University of Florida in March; HTHS Track and Field to Pearl; MS in April; and HTHS Track and Field to AHSAA Championship in May.
- Agenda; and
- Personnel.
The Trussville City Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, beginning at 6 p.m., following a 5:30 p.m. work session.