The Putnam County School Board has awarded a new bid for athletic trainer services, marking a return to a previous provider.
The school board awarded the bid from STAR Physical Therapy for an estimated $309,000. Director of Schools Corby King said Cookeville Regional Medical Center had offered the services essentially for free, but notified the school board that they would not be bidding again. Kng said the partnership with CRMC was tremendous for the school system.
“We kept the money we had in the budget for trainers previously, and we divied that out to our schools,” King said. “And so all three of our high schools had a pot of money that they could use for various athletic needs on campus, stuff that we had not previously provided from the school board side.”
King said athletic trainers play a critical role in monitoring the overall well-being of student athletes. King said there will be a transition from services, but ensured that the ongoing spring sports will have athletic trainer coverage.
King said he looks forward to revisiting the partnership with STAR Physical Therapy.
“They had the previous five-year bid, and the service was outstanding,” King said. “I mean, we got good service from them, just like we did from Cooteville Regional. This is an area that we’ve been very fortunate. Our athletic teams have had good athletic trainers and people that work with our coaches and our student-athletes, and we expect the same level of service from STAR we received before, so we think it’ll be good.”
The contract follows the district’s standard one-year agreement structure, with the option to renew annually for up to four additional years. King said the success of the partnership will ultimately be measured by feedback from those directly involved.
“With a contract like this, it’s going to be parents, student-athletes, and coaches,” King said. “If they’re not happy with the services that are being provided, they let us know… and that’s really how we evaluate.”
King said athletic trainers play a critical role in monitoring the overall well-being of student athletes. King said there will be a transition from services, but ensured that the ongoing spring sports will have athletic trainer coverage.