The Cumberland County Board of Education learned of a unique fundraising request brought before them last night by the Jr. Beta Club at Martin Elementary.

The club will be awarded a collectible display of a six millionth barrel of bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery. Only 400 of these are presented to clubs and organizations as a way to raise money. The display includes a bottle of bourbon, a piece of the barrel it was aged in and information about the historic achievement. School Board Attorney Earl Patton reached the opinion that the school could legally accept the donation but suggested a third party away from the school handle the liquidation and fundraising effort. That third party was revealed to be Greg and Kim Tabor. The money raised would be used to help supplement the cost of students attending the Tennessee State Junior Beta Convention in Nashville as well as a trip to New York City in May of 2020.

However, school board member Robbie Safdie said the board should not be endorsing or promoting alcohol or liquor in a fundraising event. “We have lost three students in the past for alcohol related incidents and I am not comfortable with this.”

If the school board denied the request, the collectible display would be returned to the distillery.

The matter was put to a vote and school board members Safdie, Brock, Netherton and Hamby voted no while Stone, Boston, Parris and Inman voted yes. It was a tie and the motion failed. School board member Stace Karge was not in attendance for the meeting. The matter can be brought back up at the next school board meeting in September.