Staff reports

Fayetteville City Schools has been awarded a $4,000 minigrant from Utrust.

The grant is being made in honor of Pam Bryson, a Fayetteville City school board member who joined the Utrust Board of Trustees in July 2023. The Trustee Choice Grant allows Bryson to allocate the funds at her discretion to benefit her school system. She chose to divide the funds among Fayetteville’s three schools – Ralph Askins School, Fayetteville Middle School, and Fayetteville High School.

Explaining her decision, Bryson said, “I am extremely proud of the hard work and commitment that the Fayetteville City School System’s educators and staff have shown in making FCS an excellent school district in our community. I want to honor them by dividing this grant among the three schools to be used at the discretion of each principal for programs they believe will be beneficial.”

“We’re grateful to Utrust, and especially to Pam Bryson, for providing these funds to strengthen our programs and expand opportunities for our students,” said Eric Jones, director of Fayetteville City Schools. “We’re pleased to participate in the Utrust Appreciation Program, and we’re proud that Pam has been chosen to represent Middle Tennessee as a trustee for the organization.”

“I’m honored to be one of only seven school board members in Tennessee serving on the Utrust Board of Trustees,” Bryson said. “Utrust is dedicated to making schools better places to work and learn, and I deeply appreciate the opportunity to help our schools through this grant.”

Utrust Administrator Dr. Dan Tollett said, “Pam Bryson is a tremendous asset to the Utrust Board. She is one of two trustees representing Middle Tennessee. She is a champion for students and school staff, and she strongly supports efforts to ensure that our programs are making a significant difference in schools across Tennessee. We are delighted to provide this grant as a token of our appreciation for her service.”

Utrust assists Tennessee school systems with unemployment challenges while also recognizing, supporting, and appreciating school employees. It sponsors the Utrust Appreciation Program and Culture Initiative, a student leadership program that helps students recognize and express appreciation to those who make their lives better each day.

All three Fayetteville City schools participate in the Utrust Appreciation Program and Culture Initiative. Together, they have received an additional $5,100 this school year to support those programs. Overall, Utrust has provided more than $100,000 in mini-grants to Fayetteville City Schools and has allocated an additional $9,200 in minigrants to the district this year.