Kingsport City Schools

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BOE Meeting Notes - November 12, 2024

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The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.  Several key items were discussed, including:
  • Recognition of Dobyns-Bennett High School students for earning academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs;
  • Recognition of D-B students and teacher chaperones from the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) Exchange with D-B's partner school in Berlin, Germany;
  • Recognition of D-B World Language teacher Jana Engle, who was recently named the Joyce Ward Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee World Language Teaching Association (TWLTA);
  • Recognition of Shanna Hensley, Principal of D-B EXCEL, for being named the KCS Principal of the Year;
  • Recognition of Dr. Holly Flora, KCS Chief Academic Officer - Elementary, for being named the KCS Supervisor of the Year;
  • Approval of Amendment #2 to the 2024-25 KCS Budget;
  • Approval of the purchase of a safety platform and crisis alert system to be implemented throughout KCS by employees;
  • Approval of a purchase of wrestling mats and wall pads;
  • Approval of several Board Policies on first reading;
  • The FY 2023-24 4th quarter Financial Update; and 
  • The audit results of the Financial Statements for the School Activity Funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.
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Meeting Livestream and Audio
 
Click here to view the archived livestream of tonight's meeting.
Detailed Meeting Notes

CALL TO ORDER

The Pledge of Allegiance was led this evening by Sutton Petty.  Sutton is a 1st grader at George Washington Elementary School.

Recognitions

Board Member Jamie Jackson recognized three Dobyns-Bennett High School students for earning academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs.
  • Sarah Arreola, Taylor Davis, and Rhiannon White have been named recipients of the first-ever National First-Generation Recognition Program Award. 
  • Sarah Arreola has also been named the recipient of the National Hispanic Recognition Award.
    • The College Board National Recognition Programs celebrate the hard work of high school students nationwide and showcase their strong academic performance.
    • The criteria for eligible students include earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher, scoring in the top 10% of state test takers on the PSAT/NMSQT, and earning a 3+ on two or more AP Exams.
 
Board Member Dr. Phillip Marshall recognized D-B students and teacher chaperones from the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) Exchange with D-B's partner school in Berlin, Germany.
  • GAPP Exchange matches German and American partner schools to provide students with the opportunity to learn more about each other's culture and language through homestay exchanges.
  • D-B has partnered with Albrecht Dürer Gymnasium in Berlin since 2003. Since then, every other year a group of students from each school has traveled with their chaperoning teachers to spend three weeks at their partner school, with hundreds of students participating over the 20 years of the partnership.
  • In this round of the exchange, 15 students from Albrecht Dürer Gymnasium are being hosted by families with students at D-B. 
 
Board member Todd Golden recognized D-B World Language teacher Jana Engle for being named the Joyce Ward Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee World Language Teaching Association (TWLTA).
  • The Teacher of the Year Award is presented annually to an outstanding K-12 World Language educator in the state of Tennessee.
  • Ms. Engle was honored at an awards dinner held on November 8, 2024 during the TWLTA Annual Conference in Franklin, TN.
  • The Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association is an organization for all foreign language educators in the state of Tennessee. Their goal is to promote and advocate for foreign language education in the state and to provide assistance and resources to those teaching foreign languages at all levels.
 
Dr. Brandon Fletcher, Board Vice President, recognized D-B EXCEL Principal Shanna Hensley for being named the KCS Principal of the Year.
  • Mrs. Hensley has been an educator for 22 years, with 21 of those years being with KCS. She has served as a kindergarten and 4th Grade teacher, an Associate Principal at Johnson Elementary and Lincoln Elementary Schools, and the Principal of Kennedy Elementary School, Cora Cox Academy, and D-B EXCEL.
  • Mrs. Hensley developed the vision for D-B EXCEL, a program of choice for Dobyns-Bennett High School students which features blended learning with a one-on-one approach.
  • Through her leadership, D-B EXCEL was awarded the 2019 Tennessee School Board Association's (TSBA) Award for "Excellence in Education Program."  
 
Melissa Woods, Board President, recognized Dr. Holly Flora, KCS Chief Academic Officer - Elementary, for being named the KCS Supervisor of the Year.
  • Dr. Flora oversees all KCS elementary academic operations, including curriculum and instructional programs.
  • Over her 29-year career, Dr. Flora has served as a teacher at Lincoln and Washington Elementary Schools, the KCS K-12 Literacy Coordinator, and the Principal of Jackson Elementary School and Sevier Middle School.
  • Dr. Flora has been a member of the Tennessee Principals Association (TPA) Board for 13 years, including a term as President. She has also served as a TPA state representative for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).  In 2017, she was honored as the National Distinguished Principal by the NAESP. 

business items

David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, presented Amendment #2 to the 2024-25 KCS Budget for review and approval.
  • The Budget Amendment identified funding related to the purchase of a safety platform system, a donation to create a reset room at Robinson Middle School, funding from the Niswonger Foundation to provide tutoring programs, and a donation for special education professional development and equipment. 
  • After review, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the proposed Budget Amendment.
Mr. Frye presented a recommendation to purchase a safety platform and crisis alert system to be implemented throughout KCS by employees.
  • The Centegix Safety Platform with CrisisAlert provides school staff with wearable alert devices, allowing them to activate an emergency alert instantly with the push of a button.
  • When an alert is triggered, administrators and responders receive precise location information, allowing for a targeted, efficient response. The platform also includes audio-visual signals to inform everyone in the building of the alert. 
  • The Centegix system would be purchased utilizing the TIPS-USA Cooperative Purchasing Agreement (TIPS USA Contract 240101).  The total cost of the system is $700,560.00, which will cover fourteen KCS sites. 
  • After review and consideration, the Board voted 5-0 to approved the purchase the Centegix safety system.
Mr. Frye presented a proposal to purchase new wrestling mats and wall pads for use at Dobyns-Bennett High School.
  • The proposed purchase with Resilite Sports Products would utilize the BuyBoard Cooperative Purchasing Agreement for a total purchase price of $80,203.83.
  • Funding for the purchase would come from the Dobyns-Bennett Renovation Project (GP2111).
  • After review, the Board voted 5-0 to approved the purchase.
Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, presented several proposed Policy revisions for approval.
  • 4.201 - Class Size Ratios
  • 4.213 - Family Life Education
  • 4.301 - Interscholastic Athletics
  • 4.600 - Grading System
  • 4.603 - Promotion and Retention
  • The Board voted 5-0 to approved the proposed Policy revisions.
Mr. Frye presented the FY 2023-24 4th quarter Financial Update.
  • The Update provided the final summary of the 2023-24 year, including details regarding the net operating results and status of the General Purpose School Fund Unreserved Fund Balance.
  • Click below to view the full FY 2023-24 4th quarter Financial Update.
Mr. Frye presented the audit results of the Financial Statements for the School Activity Funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.
  • Click below to view the full audit report.
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The next session of the Board of Education will be a meeting on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 6 p.m.  The meeting will take place in the Tennessee Room of the Administrative Support Center (400 Clinchfield Street).
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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.
 
For more information visit www.k12k.com, listen live on WCSK 90.3 FM, The Voice of KCS, or call the KCS Administrative Support Center at (423) 378.2100. We’re social too; follow us on Facebook (kcsdistrict), Instagram (kcs__district), and check out our YouTube Channel (@kcs__district).