The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education held a work session on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. Several key items were discussed, including:
- Recognition of Kingsport Board of Education members during School Board Appreciation Week.
- An update on the professional learning framework "iPD," available to KCS staff through a Gates Foundation grant.
- An overview of the paperless process currently being implemented by KCS staff in the development of the 2016 Budget.
- A quarterly financial report.
- A review of the work done by the KCS Communications Department.
- Presentation of the 2014-15 KCS Annual Report.
Detailed Work Session Notes
To commemorate "School Board Appreciation" Week in Tennessee, Mr. Andy True, KCS Chief Administrative Officer, recognized and thanked Board members for the valuable service they provide to Kingsport City Schools and the Kingsport community.
- The week of January 24-30, 2016 is designated as School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee.
- To honor our Board members who donate their time and efforts to ensure KCS students have a world-class education, Board members were invited to attend an appreciation reception immediately prior to the work session and were each presented a copy of a book, which they then donated to student representatives from each of the thirteen schools in KCS.
- KCS Board members are Mrs. Carrie Upshaw (president), Mrs. Susan Lodal (vice-president), Mr. Todd Golden, Mr. Eric Hyche, and Dr. Karen Reed-Wright.
- Musicians from the Dobyns-Bennett Orchestra provided music during the reception, including Sarah Tanner, Caroline Burch, and Alex Caviness.
- Students receiving books on behalf of their school were:
- Levi McGuire, Palmer
- Tyler Mahon, Adams
- Kendrick Harris, Jackson
- Reese Copenhaver, Jefferson
- Cardin McVey, Johnson
- Skylar Smith, Kennedy
- Aiden Byington, Lincoln
- Brianna Kanipe, Roosevelt
- Beckham Welch, Washington
- Ethan Walker, Robinson
- Blakely Gamble, Sevier
- Bo Wagner, D-B
- Alina Vogel, D-B EXCEL
Mrs. Laurie Norris, KCS e-Learning Coordinator, updated the Board on the iPD framework for professional learning, available to KCS through a grant from the Gates Foundation.
- iPD involves three phases, Strategic Planning, Implementation Planning, and Implementation Execution.
- In a review of professional development offerings, focus group research indicated collaborative planning, peer observation and feedback, and technology training in KCS are thought to be of high quality and relevant.
- Focus group research also indicated that one strength of professional learning within KCS is the quality of technology training, while areas for improvement include increasing opportunities for collaboration and planning, providing more time for practice and improvement of learning, and more choice over topics of professional learning.
- A steering committee will further define focus areas based on assessment results, create timelines for implementation, and determine measurement tools to evaluate and improve professional learning.
KCS Chief Finance Officer Mr. David Frye provided a hands-on demonstration of the Google Docs paperless budget process.
- This process has been implemented in the past few weeks as the development cycle of the FY 2016-17 Budget has begun.
- In prior years, the Board, administration, and staff have utilized a traditional binder with hard-copy paper to submit and review budget materials.
- This year, KCS is using a shared Google Docs platform to submit, review, and revise Budget materials during the development process. This has resulted in a variety of new organizational and practical efficiencies.
Mr. Frye reviewed with the Board the 2nd quarter financial report for FY 2015-16.
- Expenditures to date are roughly 43% of the budget, which is in line with expectations.
- Revenues to date, including items such as taxes and BEP funds, are on target with expectations.
- Early childhood fee receipts are higher than expected, due in large part to the expansion of the new early childhood program at Adams Elementary
- Overall, expenditures and revenue are within normal operating limits.
KCS Chief Administrative Officer Mr. Andy True and Communications Editor Mrs. Marybeth McLain updated the Board on the ongoing work of the Communications Department.
- The department supports a wide range of internal and external communications processes for the district, including items such as publications, marketing, event planning and facilitation, research and development, crisis communicaions management, traditional and social media, and video and audio production.
- Click here for the full Communications presentation.
Mrs. McLain and Mr. True presented an overview of the 2014-15 Kingsport City Schools Annual Report.
- The Annual Report serves as the comprehensive yearly publication summarizing the work of the entire district.
- The publication has been printed and is in process of being mailed to each KCS family this month.
- The calendar format includes current school year dates of interest, highlights for all schools from the previous school year; and information such as KCS demographics, course offerings, and budget.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Tennessee Room of the Administrative Support Center (400 Clinchfield Street).
Read and follow our blog, "We Are KCS" to learn more about the great people and programs of Kingsport City Schools. Check it out at www.WeAreKCS.com.
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