The Alcoa City Schools Board of Education on Aug. 19 approved a transportation contract with Rocky Top Tours LLC and authorized several Alcoa High School field trips for fall and winter 2025–26.
Director of Schools Jake Jones presented the items and recommended approval. The board approved the Rocky Top Tours, LLC transportation contract on a motion by Board Member Julie Rochelle and a second from Board Vice-Chair Mike Brown; the motion passed by unanimous vote.
The board also approved multiple AHS field trips: band trips to Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Feb. 5–7, 2026) and Nashville (April 9–12, 2026); girls basketball travel to Greeneville, Tenn. (Dec. 26–31, 2025); boys basketball travel to Nashville (Dec. 28–31, 2025); girls soccer trip to Cleveland, Tenn. (Sept. 5–6, 2025); SkillsUSA to Antioch, Tenn. (Sept. 15–17, 2025); DECA regional and national competitions to Washington, D.C. (Nov. 21–24, 2025) and Chattanooga, Tenn. (Feb. 24–27, 2026); and a SkillsUSA/DECA-related trip to Atlanta, Ga. (April 25–28, 2026). Many field trips were recommended by coaches or sponsors listed in the agenda: Russell McCurdy (band), David Baumann (girls basketball), Ryan Collins (boys basketball), Andy Byrd (girls soccer), Jerry Allson (SkillsUSA) and Keenan Sudderth (DECA). The motion to approve the grouped field-trip items B–H was offered by Brandy Bledsoe, seconded by Mike Brown, and passed unanimously; motions I–J were approved on a subsequent motion by Bledsoe and seconded by Julie Rochelle and also passed unanimously.
Decisions recorded in the meeting minutes indicate board approval only; the transcript does not record discussion about budgets, student eligibility, chaperone ratios or transportation cost details for these trips. Those operational details were not specified in the record and remain to be handled by district staff and trip sponsors.
Why it matters: The transportation contract establishes the vendor responsible for district travel logistics; approved field trips enable travel and competition opportunities for students in performing arts, athletics and career-technical organizations during the 2025–26 school year.
No dissent or abstentions were recorded at the meeting.