September 10, 2024 at 6:00 PM - Kingsport City Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting

Description:  Adams Elementary School Kindergarten students Colton Little and Lane Smith will lead the Board of Education and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.  

Description:  Mrs. Angie Marshall, Deputy City Recorder, will swear-in newly elected Board of Education members Mrs. Jamie Jackson and Dr. Phillip Marshall. 

Description:  Board members will read aloud Policy 1.2021 - Boardsmanship Code of Conduct. The Code, as recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA), shall be the guide for the Board of Education of Kingsport City Schools and be read aloud annually at the September Board meeting.

Description:  Mrs. Woods will ask for a motion to accept the agenda, which includes the consent agenda. Once the agenda is accepted, the Board mutually agrees not to discuss any item of business or take any action that has not been accepted for the agenda.

Description:  Mr. Golden will recognize Dobyns-Bennett High School seniors Rishab Dey and Claire Li for earning the highest possible composite score of 36 on the March 2024 ACT Test. Nationally, approximately one-quarter of one percent of students who take the ACT exam earn the top score. The ACT national average composite score was 19.5 in 2023. 

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science, each scored on a scale of 1-36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in schools. Students earning a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas. ACT test scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and universities across the United States.

Description:  Mrs. Woods will recognize Bryan Kerns, Dobyns-Bennett High School Fire Management Services and Mathematics teacher, for being named by the Tennessee Department of Education TDOE) as the 2024-2025 State of Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Mr. Kerns received this award during the TDOE's annual Excellence in Education celebration in Nashville on August 23, 2024. 

Mr. Kerns has spent 17 years of a 20-year teaching career as an algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2 teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School. In addition to teaching mathematics, he created the Dobyns-Bennett Fire Program, which includes the D-B Prescribed Fire team and full progression of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Fire Management Services courses.

Mr. Kerns unique work in building the D-B Fire Program has earned him invitations to speak at the North Carolina Prescribed Council annual meeting, the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network annual workshop, and the Longleaf Alliance bi-annual meeting. He currently serves as president-elect of the Bays Mountain Park Association board and is the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network Landscape Lead for the Unaka and Great Smoky Mountains Escarpment. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Tennessee Tech University and a Master's degree from Grand Canyo University.  

As the 2024-2025 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, Mr. Kerns will represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year competition and serve as an ambassador for education in the state throughout the 2024-2025 school year.

Description: 

This is the time when members of the audience are invited to comment on agenda items.  It is not the time to speak about personnel issues, as there are more appropriate ways in which these can be addressed.  If you are not sure how to do this, please ask one of us after the meeting.

In your remarks, you may not refer to students by name without permission from the parent or guardian.

If you would like to speak on a topic not included on the agenda, you are asked to submit your request in writing to the Superintendent of Schools at least three (3) business days prior to the scheduled date of the meeting.

If you would like to speak about an item included on the agenda for this meeting, it is requested that you first state your name and limit your remarks to a maximum of three (3) minutes.

Thank you. 

Description:  New banking resolutions have been completed at six schools this year. Attached are resolutions for the Activities Account at the following schools:

• Kennedy Elementary School
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Roosevelt Elementary School
• Washington Elementary School
• Robinson Middle School
• Sevier Middle School

Description:  Mr. David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, has submitted a list of multiple donations from various sources received by Kingsport City Schools. The total of all the individual school donation receipts is $66,793,09. 

Description:  Board approval of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) 3.0 Grant Funds is recommended.  These funds are the remaining funds from the ESSER 3.0 Grant and will be spent during FY 2024-2025. This budget was approved by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) in August.

Description:  Proposed new Policy 4.214 - Use of Artificial Intelligence Programs was approved on First Reading at the August Board meeting. It is recommended the Board approve this new policy on Second and Final Reading.  

Description:  It is recommended that Kingsport City Schools enter into an agreement with the Niswonger Foundation for Project On-Track, which is a High-Dosage/Low-Ratio Tutoring Program. The Memorandum of Understanding is in accordance with guidelines established by the TN ALL Corps Community Partner Grant. KCS will serve as an operational partner of Project On-Track to implement literacy and/or math tutoring for students in grades 1-8 who are struggling in the mastery of grade level academic skills and standards. A budget of $149,476.00 has been established and funds will be allocated to Adams ($26,500), Kennedy ($26,000), Lincoln ($14,336), and Roosevelt ($16,800) elementary schools and Sevier Middle School ($42,840).  The budget also includes Site Coordinator Stipends at $4,000 per site ($20,000) and Supply allocation at $600 per site ($3,000).

Dr. Brian Cinnamon, Chief Academic Officer - Secondary, and Dr. Holly Flora, Chief Academic officer - Elementary, will serve as the overall project coordinators for Project On-Track activities. The partnership is expected to extend from September 1, 2024 through July 31, 2025.  

Description:  Mr. Nash will share information with the Board regarding an enrollment request of an out-of-state student.

Description:  Mr. Jim Nash, Chief Student Services Officer, has provided information regarding a parent request for a Student Disciplinary Hearing Authority placement decision appeal for Board consideration.

Description:  Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, reviewed four revised policies at the August work session for Board consideration for approval on First Reading at the September meeting. Revised policies only require one reading for adoption.