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2017-18 Board of Education Summary Notes » BOE Special Called Meeting and Work Session - January 22, 2018

BOE Special Called Meeting and Work Session - January 22, 2018

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The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education held a special called meeting and work session on Monday, January 22, 2018. Several key items were discussed, including:
  • Consideration and approval of an employment contract with Dr. Jeff Moorhouse to serve as KCS Superintendent of Schools;
  • Recognition of Board members during the celebration of School Board Appreciation Week;
  • An update on KCS Technology efforts;
  • A review of potential revised and new policies in Section 5 - Personnel;
  • An update on KCS communications efforts; and
  • A brief overview of the 2016-17 KCS Annual Report.
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Special Called Meeting and Work Session Audio
 
 
Special Called Meeting Notes
 
Board President Mrs. Susan Lodal presented the proposed employment contract with Dr. Jeff Moorhouse to serve as KCS Superintendent of Schools, effective February 2, 2018.
  • The three-year contract outlines compensation, expected duties, allowances, benefits, liabilities, and certain performance expectations.
  • Following discussion by the Board, the contract with Dr. Moorhouse was approved by a vote of 5-0.
    • Per the approval of this agreement, Dr. Moorhouse will officially begin employment with KCS on Friday, February 2, 2018.
 
 
Detailed Work Session Notes
January 21-27, 2018 has been designated "School Board Appreciation" Week in Tennessee.  To commemorate the event, Mr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, recognized and thanked Board members for their valuable service to Kingsport City Schools and the Kingsport community.  The members of the KCS Board of Education are:
  • Mrs. Susan Lodal, Board President
  • Dr. Karen Reed-Wright, Board Vice President
  • Mr. Todd Golden
  • Mr. Eric Hyche
  • Mrs. Carrie Upshaw
 
To honor KCS Board members who donate their time and efforts to ensure Kingsport students have a world-class education, Board members were presented a gift of Dobyns-Bennett logo gear.  A proclamation by Governor Bill Haslam was read celebrating School Board Appreciation Week, and a book was presented to students from each KCS school for placement in their school library on behalf of the Board. KCS students accepting books on their school's behalf evening were:
  • Bonnie Ann Irvin, Palmer Center
  • Warner Stallard, Adams Elem.
  • Faith Denman, Jackson Elem.
  • Jonah McDavid, Jefferson Elem.
  • Reece Baker, Johnson Elem.
  • Justin Rivera, Kennedy Elem.
  • Benjamin and Nathan Anderson, Lincoln Elem.
  • Austin Beck, Roosevelt Elem.
  • Eden Cradic, Washington Elem.
  • Cassidy McGuire, Robinson MS
  • Ryan True, Sevier MS
  • Kendrick Tate, D-B HS
  • Mackenzie and Cassidy Bolton, D-B EXCEL
  • Kim Christian, Cora Cox Academy
Mr. Scott Pierce, Director of Technology, provided an update on technology implementation throughout KCS. 
  • Technology projects recently completed include wireless classrooms upgrades at KCS elementary schools, purchase and deployment of 157 teacher laptops, Google G-Suite rollover and training, software and data support, and TNReady network readiness testing.
  • The district's 1:1 implementation continued, with a total of 4,647 PCs and 4,047 Chromebooks now deployed to students.  
  • More than 1,000 online courses are now offered through Canvas, the district's online learning platform.
  • Future projects include wireless upgrades at secondary schools, purchase of 112 additional teacher laptops, secondary internet connection improvements to support online testing, and classroom instructional equipment.
Mr. True reviewed policies from Section 5 - Personnel for Board consideration. 
  • Three new policies and one revised policy were recommended for updates, with 12 other policies from 5.100 - 5.205 being recommended for approval in February with no change.
  • Policy 5.118 - Background Investigations is a new policy to ensure the safety and welfare of students and staff by requiring criminal history background checks and fingerprinting of applicants for teaching positions and any other positions that require proximity to children.
  • Policy 5.200 - Separation Practices for Tenured Teachers is a revised policy and 5.201 Separation Practices for Non-Tenured Teachers is a new policy.  Both of these are necessary in response to Public Chapter 287 which addresses the number of days retired teachers are allowed to substitute in the classroom without loss of retirement benefits.
  • Policy 5.203 - Recommendations and File Transfers is a new policy that limits information that may be provided to assist an LEA's employee or contractor in obtaining a new position if the person was engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor.  LEA staff may still transmit administrative and personnel files on behalf of the employee or contractor, but may not aide such persons in obtaining another position by other means. This federal law is aimed at preventing LEA administrators from giving a neutral or positive recommendation to a potential employer on behalf of the employee or contractor if there is probable cause to believe that sexual misconduct occurred.
Mr. True and Mrs. Marybeth McLain, Communications Editor, provided an update on the district's communications efforts. 
  • Communications Department objectives and outcomes are aligned with the KCS Guiding Tenets, particularly Goal Five, "Engage Families and the community."  The department produces numerous publications and directs district marketing efforts in support of this goal.
  • Marketing efforts include news releases, web posts (k12k.com, social media, and blogs), handling media inquiries, event coordination/promotion, and community relations.
  • Internal district support includes survey development/distribution/reporting, website maintenance, district-wide photography, media support/coordination, promotion of student and staff success stories, and district-wide campaigns.
  • The district website has had over 6.7 million hits since its launch on July 1, 2015.  Some of the most popular pages since launch are the district home page, events calendar, parents tab, and menus.  The highest traffic days are inclement weather days.
  • WCSK Radio, 90.3 FM the "voice of Kingsport City Schools," has music and programming which includes interviews with district staff, BOE members, and community members.  Live sports broadcasting is provided by students who are members of the D-B Radio Club.
 
Mrs. Marybeth McLain, Communications Editor, presented a brief overview of the 2016-17 KCS Annual Report which is currently at the printer for publication and will be mailed to KCS families shortly.
  • The Annual Report provides community interest reports from schools and district-wide departments, as well as district initiatives, statistics, and demographics. 
  • It is photo-centric 12-month calendar and highlights the unique characteristics of each school, in addition to major accomplishments from the prior school year.
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The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on Thursday, February 8, 2018 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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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 WeAreKCS.com.

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