The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education held a work session on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Several key items were discussed, including:
- Recognitions of KCS students and staff, including:
- Dobyns-Bennett High School students named as candidates in the 2023 United States Presidential Scholars program.
- Dobyns-Bennett High School students named as finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.
- Dobyns-Bennett High School students who were recently named national champions, received All-American status, and won TSSAA state championships in wrestling.
- The George Washington Elementary School Early Childhood Learning Center, which earned a five-year reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
- The Quarterly Financial Update for the 2nd Quarter of fiscal year 2022-23;
- A curriculum and instruction report from district leadership;
- An update on KCS school safety; and
- A discussion on technology and Board communication.
Board Member Dr. Brandon Fletcher recognized two Dobyns-Bennett High School seniors named as candidates in the 2023 United States Presidential Scholars program, Hannah (Grace) Estes and Ria Kothari.
- By being named as Presidential Scholar candidates, Grace and Ria will now compete with 5,500 of the top high school students in the United States.
- Established in 1964 by an executive order of the President, the program recognizes and honors the nation's most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in academic success, leadership and service to school and community.
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Application is by invitation only, based on SAT or ACT scores or by nomination by a Chief State School Officer. Students eventually chosen as U.S. Presidential Scholars receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in June for the National Recognition Weekend featuring various events, enrichment activities and culminating in the presentation of the Presidential Scholars Medallion during a White House-sponsored ceremony.
Board President Melissa Woods recognized five D-B seniors for being named finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program: Alex Chen, Hannah (Grace) Estes, Ava Hochstetler, Ria Kothari, and Zackary Newman.
- The National Merit Scholarship Program is designed to identify and honor the top high school students in the U.S.
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The five D-B students will now compete with the top high school students in the nation for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $28 million that will be offered in spring 2023.
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High School juniors entered the 2023 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screening of program entrants. National Merit Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
Board Vice President Todd Golden recognized four members of the D-B wrestling team for winning individual national titles at the 2023 National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Wrestling Championships, All-American status, and recent TSSAA Wrestling State Championships:
- 160 lb. - Max Norman (National Champion, All-American & State Champion)
- 113 lb. - Mason Jakob (National Runner-Up, All-American & State Champion)
- 126 lb. - Titus Norman (National 7th Place & All-American & State 3rd Place)
- 220 lb. - Garrett Crowder (National 8th Place & All-American & State Runner-Up)
- The D-B wrestling program is led by head coach Wesley Idlette and assistant coaches Jake Mullins and PJ Ryan.
- Overall at this year's tournament, D-B wrestlers finished with:
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Four All-American students.
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One individual national champion.
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One individual national runner-up.
- One individual national 7th place and 8th place finish.
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Two individual state champions.
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One state runner-up.
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One state 3rd place and 4th place finish.
- One girls state 5th place finish.
Board Member Julie Byers recognized the George Washington Elementary School Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) for earning a five-year reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
- The NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children.
- The Washington Elementary ECLC program is led by Director Kansas Winningham, Washington Principal Heather Wolf, and KCS Early Childhood Coordinator Suzanne Lewis.
- NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of ten research-based standards to recognize and drive quality improvement in high-quality early learning environments.
Chief Finance Officer David Frye presented the Quarterly Financial Update for the 2nd Quarter of fiscal year 2022-23.
- The report reviewed revenue and expense information for the current year.
- Overall, expenditures were roughly 44% of budget, which is in-line for this time of year.
- To view the full update, click below.
Assistant Superintendent - Instruction Dr. Rhonda Stringham, Chief Academic Officer - Elementary Dr. Dwain Arnold, Director of Performance Excellence Michael Hubbard, and MTSS Specialist Dr. Jennifer Pangle presented a report regarding KCS curriculum and instruction.
- The report included a variety of information, including updates on the Tennessee Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act, and the KCS Summer Learning Experience program.
- To view the full report, click below.
Chief Student Services Officer Jim Nash provided an update on KCS school safety.
- The update included details regarding:
- The KCS Safety Task Force.
- School safety processes related to threats of violence.
- Updates related to vaping, THC edibles, and Fentanyl.
- Click below to view the full school safety presentation.
To provide background and support a Board discussion, Chief Technology Officer Andy Arnold provided information regarding communication technology in the KCS Administrative Support Center Tennessee Room.
- The discussion centered on further determining needs, equipment, and desires for professional learning and live streaming of BOE meetings.
- Mr. Arnold discussed equipment needed for professional development (such as replacing outdated projectors) and what would potentially be needed for live streaming (projectors, a/v, wireless mics, and live-stream equipment).
- Consideration was given to a potential option to move future BOE meetings and work sessions to the Kingsport City Hall, where broadcast technology exists for city government meetings. This option will be further explored.
- Members of the Board requested that:
- Procedures be developed for consideration that would govern the process for how BOE live streaming would be facilitated.
- Technology be established that could facilitate basic YouTube livestreaming while a potential relocation to City Hall for meetings and work sessions is explored.
- Administrative staff will work to provide such information for consideration and formal action by the Board.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Tennessee Room of the Administrative Support Center (400 Clinchfield Street).
KCS has been ranked the "#1 Best Place to Teach in Tennessee" by the 2023 NICHE Best Schools Ranking and the City of Kingsport has been voted as the "Nicest Places in America" in the October 2022 Reader's Digest.
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