October 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Kingsport City Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting

Description:  Jefferson Elementary School students Beau and Adalyn "Ady" Sherfey will lead the Board of Education and audience in the Pledge of Allegience. Beau is a 5th grader and Ady is in 3rd grade.  

Description:  Dr. Brandon Fletcher, Board Vice 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.

Description:  Dr. Phillip Marshall will recognize three Dobyns-Bennett High School seniors recently named National Merit Commended Students in the 72nd Annual 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit Commended Students from Dobyns-Bennett are Mulan Ma, Kaylen Sowers, and Isaac Tate.

This program is designated to identify and honor the top high school students in the United States. Approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2027 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screening of program entrants.

Description:  Dr. Brandon Fletcher will recognize Dobyns-Bennett High School senior, Abdulrahman Alyafi, who has been named a semifinalist in the 72nd Annual 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. This program is designed to identify and honor the top high school students in the United States.

Abdul will compete with top high school students in the nation for approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $24 million offered in spring 2027. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and includes the highest scorers on the Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Merit Scholar Designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Over 16,000 students from over a million test takers qualified as Semifinalists. Approximately 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the Finalist standing in February, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. National Merit Scholarship winners for 2027 will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July.

Description:  Todd Golden will recognize four Dobyns-Bennett High School seniors for earning academic honors through the College Board National Recognition Program, receiving First-Generation Recognition. The students receiving this recognition are Sawyer Gallaher, Benjamin Mai, Nathalie Mujica-Sanchez, and Madison Starnes.

The program recognizes students who meet specific academic criteria and identify as first-generation college students, as well as those from rural and small-town communities and students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic or Latino. To be eligible for the College Board National recognition Program, students must meet one or more of the following criteria: earn a GPA of 3.3 or higher, score in the top 10% of state test takers on the PSAT/NMSQT, and/or earn a 3+ on two or more AP exams. Many colleges and universities use these awards as part of their recruitment efforts, helping connect high-achieving students with opportunities in higher education.

Description: 

For Public Comment during Kingsport Board of Education Regular and Called Meetings:

SIGN-UP REQUIRED

Any person wishing to address the Kingsport Board of Education during the Public Comment portion of a Board regular meeting will have an opportunity to sign up immediately prior to the 6:00 p.m. meeting.  Prior notification of intent to speak is not necessary, but recommended.

HOW LONG MAY I SPEAK?

Per KCS Board Policy 1.404 - Public Communications at Board Meetings, those who have signed up may speak for up to three (3) minutes. Before addressing the Board, the speaker shall state his or her full name and address, including zip code. The public comment period will last no more than thirty (30) minutes in total, unless the Board waives the limit(s) upon considering a request for extension made prior to the President's announcement for public input.  

WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN?

Speakers will be called in the order in which they signed up or announced their intent to address the Board. When the Board President calls your name, please make your way to the podium.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Please address the Board as a whole. Note that the Board will not respond to public comment. 

• Limit comments to the allotted time as determined by the Board President.

• Profane language, making threats, or revealing confidential student or staff information will not be allowed.

• Comments regarding personnel or personnel matters are not germane during public input.

• Speakers may not refer to students by name without permission from the parent or guardian.

• Groups representing a common viewpoint are encouraged to select one spokesperson.

• All comments become a matter of public record.

In order to communicate with individual members of the Board, the public may obtain members’ contact information from the Office of the Superintendent or from the Kingsport City Schools website, www.k12k.com.

Description:  Per Board of Education request and policy, attached are two reports for the 1st quarter of FY 2026-2027.

Policy 3.204 - Threat Assessment Team is a report that is required to be provided to the Board of Education at least once per quarter, listing the local number of incidents reported to state and local law enforcement agencies requiring notice to parent(s)/guardian(s) for the respective quarter, as well as for the year to date.

Policy 6.3071 - Student Drug Testing provides a summary of results from random student drug testing per quarter and a summative total of such data for the current school year, as authorized by Tennessee Code Annotated 49-6-4213.

Description:  Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, has submitted 13 revised policies for Board consideration and approval. Revised policies only require one reading. 

Description:  Michael Hubbard, Director of Performance Excellence, has provided the draft Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Accountability Report for 2026-2027. The TISA Act, which transitioned Tennessee's K-12 public schools to a student-based funding approach, was implemented across the state starting with the 2023-2024 school year.

This is a state requirement with a deadline of November 1 to be completed and approved. The plan aligns with our strategic plan measures and is reflective of most of those metrics. It is important to note that goal five (Ready Graduate) has been discontinued due to the removal of that measure at the state level. It is being replaced by College and Career Readiness, which has become goal six in the TISA Plan. Although goal five is being discontinued, the TISA Plan automatically retains the previous data; therefore, the historical goal five Ready Graduate data will still be reflected in the draft.  

Description:  Ballad Health will provide a one-time grant in the amount of $4,500 to Palmer Early Learning Center. The donation will allow the school to set up a reset room to aid in positive mental health and stress reduction for students and teachers. Palmer Center will provide Ballad with utilization data at the conclusion of each month.

Description:  It is recommended KCS add The PLC at Work Coaching Academy to the agreement approved with Solution Tree in July 2026 in the amount of $60,600. The PLC at Work Coaching Academy prepares participants to lead implementations of PLC at Work systems at their school sites. The cost for the additional services adds $9,750 to the agreement, for a total agreement amount of $70,350.

Description:  ESS South Central LLC specializes in providing qualified staff for positions such as substitute teachers and other school support staff for daily, long-term and permanent assignments. The Board renewed an agreement with ESS South Central LLC on July 14, 2026. The recommended addendum adds "self-contained" retiree rates for payroll purposes in order for their system to pay retirees who may pick up a job at the appropriate retiree rate and not revert to the lower pay rate.

Description:  David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, will present Budget Amendment #3 for Board consideration.

Description:  Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, will present the proposed 2027-2028 Kingsport City Schools Calendar and Designated Holiday Schedule for 12-month employees for Board consideration.