KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Dr. Lyle C. Ailshie, Superintendent of Kingsport City Schools, has been appointed by Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) to the Academic Standards Recommendation Committee.  The 10-person committee was established by the Tennessee General Assembly for the purpose of reviewing and making final recommendations to the Tennessee State Board of Education regarding new standards to fit the needs of Tennessee K-12 students.

“These appointees are experienced educators who understand that Tennessee is a unique and exceptional state which must have standards that are equally unique and exceptional,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “Tennessee is on an upward trajectory in education and we have no intention of moving backwards. I look forward to these appointees working with others on the committee to shape standards which encourage students to reach higher while keeping them rooted in strong Tennessee values,” Ramsey concluded.

“I am honored to be asked to serve in this most important role. It is vital that our great state continues its current course of being the fastest improving in the nation. It all starts with having great teachers in every classroom. It must also include having a set of high academic standards that are challenging and engaging,” said Superintendent Dr. Ailshie.

The Academic Standards Recommendation Committee was appointed by the Governor Bill Haslam, Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey and Speaker of the House Beth Harwell to review and recommend to the State Board of Education changes to Tennessee’s K-12 education standards in Math and English Language Arts. The committee was created and authorized during the 2015 legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly.

“Our teachers and students deserve a clearly communicated curriculum pathway that is appropriate and results in an aligned assessment that will accurately reflect the teaching and learning excellence present in classrooms across Tennessee. The work being done by the language arts and mathematics review committees are an essential component of accomplishing that goal. I look forward to seeing the results of their efforts and working alongside my colleagues to finalize recommendations for the Tennessee State Board of Education,” said Ailshie.

Starting in mid-August and continuing through December 2015, the committee will meet several times to review and make its recommendations, based on the extensive work and evaluations of the standards by teams of dedicated Tennessee teachers and other educators, and multiple opportunities for the general public to review and comment on the standards through the process.

Committee members, including the person who appointed them are:

• Lyle Ailshie (Ramsey), Kingsport City Schools superintendent and former superintendent of Greeneville City Schools;
• Shirley Curry (Ramsey), high school math teacher and former director of the Early Reading First program in Wayne County;
• Darcie Finch (Ramsey), numeracy coach for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and a member of the math committee of the standards review process;
• Sharen Cypress (Haslam), dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Freed-Hardeman University;
• Tracy Franklin (Haslam), principal at Steekee Elementary School in Loudon County;
• Amy Gullion (Haslam), K-5 instructional coach at Smyrna Elementary School in Rutherford County and a Common Core proponent;
• Doug Hungate (Haslam), academic director at Cheatham County Central High School;
• Cathy Kolb (Harwell), a special educator at Moore Magnet STEM Elementary in Clarksville;
• Shannon Duncan (Harwell), the assistant principal at Tullahoma High School;
• David Pickler (Harwell), former chairman of the Shelby County Board of Education and president of the National School Boards Association in 2013-14. The latter organization at the time supported “high academic standards, including Common Core, when they are voluntarily adopted by states with school board input and when the standards are free from federal directions, mandates, funding conditions or coercion.”

Ailshie is entering his 34th year in education, and his 16th as a superintendent. He began his service as superintendent of Kingsport City Schools in March 2012. He was named the Tennessee Superintendent of the Year in 2005 and founding member/chair of the Eastern States Consortium for Learning and School System Excellence in 2006. He was also honored by the Tennessee Educational Technology Association (TETA) with its first and only Honorary Lifetime Member in 2008. Dr. Ailshie and his wife Vanessa have three daughters, Tracie, Hilary, and Karli, two son-in-laws, Tyler and Andrew, and two grand-daughters.

Kingsport City Schools (KCS) is a public school district located in Kingsport, Tenn., serving students in Sullivan and Hawkins counties. The district is comprised of 13 schools, including a Pre-K, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and a non-traditional school; with total enrollment over 7,100 students. The vision of Kingsport City Schools is to be, Student Focused … World Class.

KCS has been named the top school district in Tennessee as winner of the 2014 SCORE Prize District Award by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and has earned the 2014 Achievement Award in the annual Excellence in Tennessee Recognition Program by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNPCE).

For more information on KCS, visit k12k.com, listen live on WCSK 90.3 FM, The Voice of KCS, read our blog, We Are KCS, or call (423) 378.2100. We’re social too; follow us on Facebook (Kingsport City Schools), Twitter (@KCS_District) and check out our YouTube Channel (KPTSchools).

####