August 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Kingsport City Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting

Description:  Jefferson Elementary School students Beau and Quinn Jervis will lead the Board of Education and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Beau is in the 1st Grade and Quinn is a 5th Grader.

Description:  Mrs. Melissa Woods, Board President, 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.

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Dr. Phillip Marshall will recognize the Dobyns-Bennett High School Unified Track & Field team for having a remarkable spring season. In addition to having an increase in the number of participants, the level of performance and dedication displayed by the athletes and partners was truly inspiring.

 The team delivered an exceptional all-around performance, finishing 2nd overall with 35.5 total points in the State tournament. D-B demonstrated strength, determination, and consistency across multiple events.

Highlights of the State Performance:

• Boys 100m - 2nd place (8 points) — Hunter Baars and Reid Riggins

• Girls Long Jump - 2nd place (8 points) — Arielle Cowden and Gracie Egan

• Girls Shot Put - 3rd place (6 points) — Arielle Cowden and Caroline Church 

• 4x100m Relay - 5th place (4 points) — Jolee McLain, Hunter Baars, Gracie Egan, Eli Lynch

• Girls 100m - 6th place (tie, 3.5 points) — Elizabeth Stokes and Caroline Church

• Boys Long Jump - 3rd place (6 points) — Eli Lynch and Alex Vasquez

• Boys Shot Put - 4th place (4 points )— Zeke Lynch and Aaron 

In addition, several athletes and partners have qualified for the Summer 2026 Special Olympic Nationals, a testament to their hard work, talent, and perseverance.

None of this would have been possible without the team coaches, Sarah Good and Michael Holt. The team members and coaches wish to thank the Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Hampton, the Kingsport community, families, and supporters for encouraging these athletes every step of the way. The team and coaches are excited to build on this momentum as they prepare for Nationals.

Description:  Mr. Todd Golden and Commander Angelo Pellitteri, Commander of American Legion Hammond Post No. 3, will recognize three Dobyns-Bennett recent graduates. Jack Wernick attended the American Legion Boys State and Emily Doyle and Taylor Weddle attended the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State during the last week of May. Emily Doyle was elected as a Federalist Party Delegate for her city and Taylor Weddle served as an election commissioner for her city.

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Public Comment Guidelines:

This is the time when members of the audience are invited to comment on agenda items. If pre-approved by the Board Executive Committee, members of the community may also address the Board regarding non-agenda items. In order to speak on a topic not included on the agenda, per Board Policy 1.404, you must submit a written request to the Superintendent of Schools at least three (3) business days before the regular meeting.  

This 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 a Board member after the meeting. In your remarks, you may not refer to students by name without permission from a parent or guardian.

Speakers are requested to first state your name and limit your remarks to a maximum of three (3) minutes.

Thank you. 

Description:  Mr. David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, has submitted a quarterly list of multiple donations from various sources received by Kingsport City Schools from April - June, 2025. The total of the individual school receipts is $57,334.60. It is recommended the Board approve acceptance of these donations. 

Description:  Mrs. Jennifer Guthrie, Chief Human Resources Officer, has submitted a revised 2025-2026 Differentiated Pay Plan for Board approval. This document describes teacher compensation-related proposals being considered for the current school year. The original Differentiated Pay Plan was approved by the Board on July 8, 2025,

Description:  Approval of Renewal Interdepartmental Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Kingsport, Kingsport Police Department, and Kingsport City Schools for School Resource Officers (SROs) for the 2025-2026 school year is recommended. Police officers will be assigned by the Police Department to work as SROs at schools in the district through an SRO grant-funded program authorized by Public Chapter 418 of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly. This program shall be executed between a local law enforcement entity and the Local Education Agency (LEA) or public charter school and presented to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security as part of the application process for grant funding. The grant-funded program requires an annual application for funding and an annual execution of an MOU.

Description:  Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, has submitted six revised policies that were reviewed at the July BOE Work Session. It is recommended the Board approve these policies for adoption on First and Final Reading.

Description:  Mr. David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, will present FY 2026 Budget Amendment #1 for Board consideration. 

Description:   Mrs. Woods will preside over the paper ballot election of Board President and Vice President for the term September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026. Paper ballots will be provided in order for each Board member to cast their vote during the meeting.