The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education held its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, April 7, 2016. Several key items were discussed, including:
- A presentation by the Kennedy Elementary Destination Imagination Team,
- A review of the global learning program to be piloted in two KCS schools next school year,
- Recognition of the outstanding student performance at this year's regional Spelling Bee,
- Honoring those chosen as school-level and district Teachers of the Year,
- Consideration of the CTE textbooks proposed for approval,
- Approval of an E-Rate services contract bid,
- Purchase of a property on Park Street, and
- Consideration of three project, equipment, and construction bids.
Call to Order
The Pledge of Allegiance was led tonight by Adams Elementary School students Sophia Stalnaker and Julianne Murray. Sophia, a kindergarten student, is the daughter of Gabe and Hannah Stalnaker. Julianne, a 5th grade student, is the daughter of Darren and Shelly Murray.
At the beginning of tonight's meeting, BOE President Mrs. Carrie Upshaw read a statement to recognize and honor the memory of former Board member Mr. Ron George:
"I want to take a moment to recognize and remember former board member Mr. Ron George. As many of you likely know, Ron suddenly passed away on March 15, leaving a wife and family that loved him dearly, including his two sons who attended Washington Elementary School, Sevier Middle School and Dobyns-Bennett High School.
Ron was elected to the Kingsport Board of Education in May 2005, serving as a member through June 2009. During that time, he helped play a role in what was a very important time in our district, through the construction of what would become John Adams Elementary School. That project helped usher in a new era of service to the families of Kingsport and Ron was passionate about doing what was necessary to ensure the very best for children in our community.
As a board, we are saddened at Ron’s passing and share our condolences with his wife Collette and their entire family. We are so appreciative of Ron, his commitment to Kingsport, and his willingness to serve our community through his tenure on the BOE.
Please join me now in a moment of silence as we remember Ron, his service, his enthusiasm for the children of Kingsport, and his desire to make our community a better place."
Student Focus Report
Mr. Andy Walters and students from Kennedy Elementary's Destination Imagination (DI) Team presented a report to the Board.
- Kennedy's Destination Imagination team members are Rylee Adams, Emily Edwards, Jessi McBryant, Olivia Morua, Colby Nuckles, Owen Broady, and Jackson Salyer.
- Mr. Walters, a 3rd grade teacher at Kennedy Elementary, is the sponsor of the team.
- Team members, called the DI Detectives, are in the midst of the competition season for the 2015-16 Destination Imagination Challenge Program, competing in the Fine Arts category.
- The DI Detectives won first place at the regional competition in February and will be competing at the State level in Nashville during the month of April.
- Destination Imagination is a program that provides a fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students' creativity, courage, and curiosity through open-ended academic challenges in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), fine arts, and service learning.
Parent Interest Report
Mr. David Young, CEO of VIF International Education, Ms. Julie Keane, and Mr. Nutan Gupta provided a presentation on global learning for all, a program being piloted by Washington Elementary School and Sevier Middle School during the 2016-17 school year.
- Building global schools ensures inclusion and support of all teachers as they learn to infuse global themes into everyday instruction.
- VIF Global Schools are characterized by a school-wide commitment to global inquiry-based learning through ongoing teacher professional development and use of classroom resources.
- VIF global education programs prepare students for success in an interconnected world.
- To view additional information about the transformational learning that can occur through the implementation of global learning environments, please click here.
Recognitions
Board member Mr. Todd Golden recognized one of two KCS students who placed in the top six of all students who took part in the 2016 News Sentinel Southern Appalachia Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
- Vikram Nathan, an 8th grade student at Robinson Middle School, placed 6th. He is the son of Sam and Rohini Nathan.
- More than 180 students from East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia competed in the regional bee, which was held at the Alumni Memorial Building on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
- After a written round in the morning, 52 students, including Vikram, advanced to the oral bee in the afternoon.
- The oral bee last nearly three hours and went nine rounds before a champion was crowned.
KCS Chief Human Resources Officer Mrs. Jennifer Guthrie, and Board President Mrs. Carrie Upshaw recognized the three teachers selected as 2016 KCS Teachers of the year. Mrs. Caylor Harrison was chosen as the elementary level winner (grades Pre-K - 4), Mrs. Amanda Cole was the middle school level winner (grades 5-8), and Ms. Kris Krautkremer was the high school level winner (grades 9-12).
- Mrs. Harrison is a 4th grade teacher at Jackson Elementary School, where she teaches English/Language Arts and Social Studies. She was instrumental in starting the Jackson "Braves Club", a program designed to support academic achievement and leadership for 4th and 5th grade boys.
- Mrs. Cole is a 5th grade teacher at Adams Elementary School, where she teaches Math and Science. Mrs. Cole is a 2015-16 SCORE Fellow and President-elect of the Upper East Tennessee Council of Teachers of Mathematics for the 2016-17 school year.
- Ms. Krautkremer is an AP Biology 2 and AP Biology teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School. She has served in numerous leadership roles for the district and the State, most recently serving as a TNCore Coach and as Secretary for the Upper East Tennessee Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
In addition to district winners, school level Teachers of the Year were also recognized. Those winners were:
- Elementary category (grades Pre-K - 4)
- Sarah Hall, Pre-K special education - Palmer Center
- Mary Caylor Harrison, 4th - Jackson Elementary School (also a district winner)
- Charlotte Williams, 3rd - Jefferson Elementary School
- Kelly Hernandez, special education - Johnson Elementary School
- Pam Kindle, 2nd - Kennedy Elementary School
- Pattie Seabolt, 2nd - Lincoln Elementary School
- Kristy Walters, 3rd - Roosevelt Elementary School
- John Luppe, physical education - Washington Elementary School
- Middle School category (grades 5-8)
- Amanda Cole, 5th, Adams Elementary School (also a district winner)
- Lisa Bratton, 8th grade math - Robinson Middle School
- Iva Rice, 7th grade science - Robinson Middle School
- Liesel Watkins, 7th grade math - Sevier Middle School
- Jenny Jensen, 7th grade science - Sevier Middle School
- High School category (grades 9-12)
- Jana Engle, German - Dobyns-Bennett High School
- Kevin Fielden, social studies - Dobyns-Bennett High School
- Andy Irvin, social studies - Dobyns-Bennett High School
- Kris Krautkremer, biology - Dobyns-Bennett High School (also a district winner)
- Nick Lingerfelt, special education - Dobyns-Bennett High School
- Vicky Livesay, special education - D-B EXCEL
- Cindy Norris, health science - Dobyns-Bennett High School
The BOE Textbook Adoption Committee recommended blanket adoption of the state-approved
Section A textbook adoption list for the CTE Career Cluster: Information Technology.
- Courses in the CTE Career Cluster include:
- Computer Applications
- Programming and Logic I & II
- Information Technology Foundations
- Programming and Software Development Practicum, and
- Advanced Placement Computer Science
- Blanket adoption of the state-approved list will allow for district flexibility in purchasing materials that will best serve students and classroom instruction.
- During the Section A contract period of 2016-2022, any purchasing decisions made by the Curriculum and Instruction department within KCS will be made in collaboration with school administrators, the CTE director, and teachers.
After review and consideration, the Board adopted the recommendation by a vote of 5-0 on first and only reading.
Mr. Scott Pierce, KCS Director of Technology, presented for Board consideration bids and contracts for Egress (Internet access) and Data Transport Circuits (WAN) utilizing E-Rate funding.
- Bids for these services were secured through Requests for Proposals (RFPs), including:
- A bid by Kingsport City Schools.
- A contract in conjunction with the State of Tennessee.
- A contract in conjunction with Metro Nashville Public Schools.
- Usage of 1 GB of access after E-Rate discounts currently costs KCS $8,906 per month or $106,872 annually.
- Utilizing a new contact in conjunction with Metro Nashville Public Schools, the KCS cost for 2 GB of access would become $8,505 per month or $102,060 annually.
- It was recommended that the Board approve a motion to award the contract for Internet access and WAN circuits to Metro Nashville Public Schools for a period of five years, beginning with the 2016-17 school year. It was further recommended to reject the Kingsport City Schools E-Rate 2017 bid from Education Networks of America (ENA).
After review and consideration, the recommendation to enter into a contractual agreement for Internet access and WAN circuits with Metro Nashville Public Schools for a period of five years beginning with the 2016-17 school year was approved by a vote of 5-0. The Board also voted 5-0 to reject the bid from ENA.
Mr. David Frye, KCS Chief Finance Officer, recommended the property purchase of 1625 Park Street for consideration by the Board.
- The owner of the property has accepted an offer of $54,000.
- The property (located in the area between East Center Street and the former church property now owned by KCS, next to the soccer field) would provide additional KCS-owned space adjacent to Indian Highland Park.
- Funds remaining in the FY 2016 General Purpose CIP budget would be used to cover this expense.
After review and consideration, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the recommendation. Following the vote, the recommendation will now be taken before the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen for their consideration and request for approval.
Mr. David Frye, along with Mr. Bill Shedden, KCS Supervisor of Maintenance and Custodial Services, and Mrs. Jennifer Walker, KCS Supervisor of School Nutrition Services, recommended approval of one equipment and two construction project bids.
- School Nutrition Services has received two vendor quotes to replace the 20+ year old dish machine at Washington Elementary School.
- Tri-Mark Strategic, Inc. provided the lowest bid in the amount of $31,700.
- If approved, installation is expected in late May, with the bid also covering installation and stainless steel fabrication on two existing tables and hood ventilation.
- Funding for this equipment and services will be provided from the School Nutrition Services budget.
- After review and consideration, acceptance of this bid was approved by a vote of 5-0.
- Five bids were received to replace the cooling tower at Lincoln Elementary School.
- HVAC, Inc. provided the lowest bid in the amount of $103,900, with replacement to be completed within 90 days from the date the contract is signed.
- Funding for this equipment and installation will be provided from the KCS CIP account, from which $150,000 had previously been set aside for this project.
- After review and consideration, acceptance of this bid was approved by a vote of 5-0.
- Bids were received to purchase and install new flooring for Robinson Middle School.
- Work performed by NEO Corporation in the amount of $48,800 would include removal of carpet, asbestos tile, and mastic abatement.
- Funding for these materials and installation will be provided from the KCS CIP account.
- After review and consideration, acceptance of these bids were approved by a vote of 4-0.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be a work session on Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. The work session 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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