001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> 26 work session. Please stand as we observe a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance led by Mr. Wright. Attention. Pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> [laughter] [clears throat] >> Um so Albert has a school commitment this evening, but he will be back on Thursday at a regular session meeting. Just a reminder that in in addition to our Thursday, April 9th, regular session, there will be a called meeting on Thursday, April 23rd at 5:00 p.m. to consider the fiscal year 2027 budget. Our next policy review meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 15th at 10:00 a.m. Also, board members, when our 2026 meeting
002schedule was set, the date of our local general election was not known. Since that time, the federal and state primary elections, Knox County general election, and the town of Farragut municipal elections have all been scheduled for Thursday, August 6th, which is the same day as our regular session meeting. So, Superintendent Ryswyk and I have agreed to cancel our um the meeting on August 6th. So, you're canceling the work session? Right. And we're moving the regular session We'll be We'll be meeting on Monday, August 3rd. That was confusing. Okay, yes, so we will be meeting We'll will be combining the two meetings on Monday, August 3rd. Um so we'll have the discussion and voting on the same meeting. So, that was a lot. Okay. So, um are there any changes to the agenda? So, we have
003a motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Dr. Ryswyk. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. Um I like to begin by sharing that our district-wide recruitment fair is taking place on Saturday, April the 11th at West High School. Elementary, middle, and high school principals have been meeting with candidates interested in joining Knox County Schools. Um or they will be. I'm pleased to share that for the second year in a row, we have under 100 vacancies to fill. For perspective, a couple years ago, we were at two to three times that amount. So, that's a good uh 2 years in a row. Again, if you remember, we started with under 10 vacancies. So, this is a good running into year three that we
004might be on that same track compared to previous years. Um These numbers are a testament to the work of our talent acquisition team led by Alex Mosman. They've built a system that works and could be replicated year over year. The numbers also make it clear that people want to work for our schools, which speaks volumes to our school leaders. If you know anyone who's interested in joining our team, please let them know about this event. As you know, we'll be proposing our FY27 budget later this month. Most of you have had your one-on-one meetings already, and I think Reverend Butts, we got yours coming up this week, so that we're looking forward to that. Uh the community budget meeting will be held on Tuesday, April the 14th at 5:00 p.m. here in this room, uh
005and will be live-streamed on the district website at knoxschools.org for anyone waiting uh wanting to follow along. We began building this budget last fall using feedback from our regional teacher and family councils, as well as responses to our budget surveys. At the end of the day, the approach we took in this budget is the same as it has been for the last 3 years. First, we prioritize the classroom. Second, we're funding what works. And third, we're making the most of every dollar to the greatest possible impact that make sure it has the greatest possible impact on students. I'm confident that this budget reflects a clear alignment of resources in support of the district's plan, and I look forward to sharing more on the in that coming community event. I also want to thank Mayor Jacobs
006for inviting us to be part of a workforce development round table with Senator Marsha Blackburn last week. Leaders from UT Medical Center, the Knoxville Chamber, the Crisman Company, Regions Bank, and CGI were also there, along with Dr. Ashley Speas from West High School, uh the principal of West High School, and Rebecca Pack, who's a senior at Farragut High School. The conversations we had demonstrated the growing recognition of the work happening in this region and around workforce readiness and the role Knox County Schools plays in that. And finally, I want to point out that testing season is right around the corner, uh which can cause some anxiety for stu- anxiety for students and families. So, I just want to remind everyone that testing simply is just one way that our students show to us uh and
007demonstrate the progress that they made during the year and what they know. Uh so, to families, the best way to support your students is to is to keep it simple and treat it like any other school day. Make sure they have a good night's sleep, have a good breakfast, and know how proud you are of them. Madam Chair, that concludes my report for this evening. >> [clears throat] >> Thank you, Dr. Ryswyk. And now our legislative update, Mr. Wright. Thank you, Madam Chair. Once again, obviously on Friday, all of you got a legislative tracker from TSBA. There are a ton of education bills. These are all education bills, and they're printed uh front and back pages and two per sheet. There are lots of them. Um there's a lot of videos also contained in there.
008Uh right now, several of the committees are closing out for the year. Uh the final House Education meeting will be on April 8th at 2:30 Central Time, if you want to try to catch that one, but most of the committees are closing or getting ready to close. Uh there's lots of important pieces of legislation in there. There are amendments that are being filed to things that we've talked about before. Uh some of the just a couple of highlights, um House Joint Resolution 146, which is basically the uh lottery and uh school support organization bill, which my understanding, there's several factors. It has to pass in a gubernatorial election year. Things like that. There are several pieces that go into that. It is on the calendar for 4/8 for the Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee. Um
009so it's possibly there, but not quite. Uh but I know we've talked a lot about that with TSBA. Um some other bills that have uh already passed, may not be signed yet, but uh 1466, which requires LEAs to administer presidential fitness test to assess student physical fitness, um let's see. Uh House Bill 1527 requires public and uh public charter schools to teach child trafficking prevention and awareness. Um there are some others, let's see. One dealing with Red 40 and the food dyes, uh that one has passed, so that affects school nutrition. Uh then also House Bill 1785, that's the one where it is allowing private school students that go to a school that has less than 200 students in their population to play sports for the public school in which they're zoned for. So, there's
010several of those that have already passed. They're just kind of on the governor's desk, I guess, at this point, as you could say, but there are a lot more important ones out there also to come. So, pay attention this week and call your senator or house representative and let them know your thoughts, for sure. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. Thank you, Mr. Wright. So, next we have a strategic plan committee update. Board members, you may recall that you were given copies of the Strategic Plan Committee's proposed new superintendent evaluation instrument along with the current instrument and the 2030 strategic plan at our March 2nd work session. The committee's recommendation was to give the board ample time to review the new instrument and then consider its adoption at our April meeting. However, due to changes
011in the instrument, we will also need to consider some minor changes in the superintendent's employment contract to align >> [snorts] >> information and dates. To allow time for the contract changes to be drafted, I'm asking the board to delay consideration of the evaluation instrument until our May meeting so that we can consider both the instrument and the contract at the same time just for consistency and transparency purposes. As you continue your review of the evaluation instrument, please let Corey, Terry, or Gary know if you have any questions. So now, we will move into our discussion of the April 9th regular agenda. Board members, you received an email earlier today, but I wanted to note publicly that Superintendent Riswick and I agreed this afternoon to add consent agenda item 5C16 due to time sensitivity. This is
012an agreement and proposal with Bold Square for Carter High School related to the Green Heck donated funding. As always, please please feel free to ask any questions on that item when we get to it. Also, I wanted to note that when the agenda was published, the agreement referred to an item 7H was still in draft form. This agreement with Edward Charles Foundation has since been finalized and is attached to the electronic agenda as well. All right. So, there are those items. So, moving into our regular agenda. So, item 5A or B. C items and contracts one or two. Three or four. Five or six. Seven or eight. Nine or 10. 11 or 12. 13. 14. 15 or 16. School musical season is here. Clearly. Moving on to board policies at 6A or B. C or
013D. Sorry. F. [clears throat] F. E. E. Okay. Want J196. Is that the right one? Yes. Sorry. I know they're all kind of like grouped together. Yes, that's E. Item E. Um So sorry. Uh my question was just I know we talked about this in policy review. Um and I talked a little bit to Ms. Lautner about this. Um the move I think this is the one. Is it the one before? Is it D? Okay. But basically, where we change and move the director in in instead of the board, we kind of talked about that. Could you speak to that? Ms. By, Madam Chair, members of the board, I will begin, but I may also ask Mr. Dupler um to assist just as we're going through. I believe we're looking at J195. So, that's the
014student disciplinary hearing authority. Is that correct? Okay. So, what item is that? That would be item D um is what we're taking a look at right now. So, this is something um actually, I think that the law office caught uh which was a very good flag for us in that there was a step from the disciplinary appeals process that has really just been unclear in the existing policy. So, this is not a change in practice. This is a clarification in the path to an appeal. Um specifically, how an appeal from a disciplinary standpoint would reach the Board of Education. So, there was if you read kind of through the existing language, you can probably identify where the confusion lay. There were a series of decisions that the director of schools was um assigned to weigh
015in on in terms of affirming that decision or modifying the decision. But at that point, we were talking about the board um just reviewing that uh that appeal. So, we were out of order in the existing policy and we didn't very clearly delineate that there is an opportunity once the director of schools weighs in on the appeal, families or a student still has the opportunity at that point then to elevate their concern to the board. And so, that added redline language in lines 28 through 30 just clarifies the process that a family would need to take the path that they would need to pursue to request that the board um hear that appeal. And it is a request at that point and that's part of why I would turn it over to Mr. Dupler. The
016board does have an opportunity to hear not hear that appeal, which is where some of that discrepancy in the language was coming from. Mr. Dupler, anything you'd want to add? Uh no, Ms. Lautner. I mean I mean you you're you're absolutely correct and um it and you're also correct in pointing out that the director of schools for for many, many years has heard and it's not I mean when it gets to that level and I know John will say will say the same thing. I it's not a full hearing, right? It's a review uh to look and see if the process and the procedure went went as planned and and the way it should and that nothing was overlooked and um and then and then he issues the decision and then at that point, the
017parents [snorts] and the student are free to move to the board if that's that's what they so choose. But but because it's been done for years and and and and there's nothing wrong with that. It's it's a great way to do it. But uh but the director of schools change was being made in line 11. So so so our recommendation from our office was, "Hey, we need to add this clarifying language as well so that it's so that again, it's very clear what the steps are. And frankly, most of what the board does is already set out in state law. So, so we're just trying to make it a little bit more clear what is allowed but not necessarily required by state law. So, nothing is really changed with how we do and do things.
018It's just clarifying language. Absolutely. The on line 30, um it says within 5 days. Is that 5 business days? Does that matter? >> That's that's always been defined as 5 school days is my understanding. Okay. Yes. Okay. That's it. Thanks. All right. Moving on, items 6E or F. Ms. Lautner Whitley. Um I had a question about F. Uh J211. Um the harassment intimidation and bullying. Are parents allowed to bring that to the attention of the principal? Or is it only the student that can do that? I couldn't find it in the in the policy. Cuz I know kids are sometimes afraid >> Dr. Brown. >> forward. Yeah. Uh thank you, Madam Chair. Uh Ms. Lautner Whitley, no anyone can bring that to the attention of the school. Student, parent neighbor bus driver, anybody. Okay. Great.
019Thanks. All right. Item G or H. I've got one. Uh yes. Um So, the the bus conduct I know that sometimes there were big problems on the bus where I was and the driver couldn't do anything right at right at that moment. Is the teacher or the assistant or whoever's riding the bus with them or can they create a report of a student behavior? Dr. Brown, is that you as well? On item H. >> [clears throat] >> Uh yes, Madam Chair. Uh student discipline falls in my world. Um Uh yeah, I mean just like anything else, if there's a conduct behavior in the school building, you know, a bus is an extension of the school, so if the teacher was not able to write up or in this case, the bus driver was not, then
020an assistant or another employee on the bus could also document that as long as we've got some kind of record to get it back to administration so they can handle the incident. Any anyone uh in an authority role would be able to do so. Okay. Thanks. All right. So, anything else on that item? All right. So, moving on to I or J. K or L. All right. So, moving on to grant 7 A or B. C or D. E or F. G or H. All right. So, moving on to contracts, item 8 A or B. Nope. All right. Regular agenda items, 9 A. 9 B. Or C. Ms. White. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um speaking to 9 C and uh the Prep Public Schools to terminate the Knoxville Preparatory School Charter School agreement. Um I'm
021sure everyone generally knows how I feel about this, but I am really sad for the students and their transition that they that they'll have to make to whatever school. Um but I hope that for me going through the approval of that process, I really wanted to see a more robust application and a more robust commitment to the community. So, I really hope that in the future when new charter schools come that we will see that and we'll see kind of this dedication to um going above and beyond for our students and above and beyond for our communities. Thank you. So, in just speaking to that because I had a couple of questions um just about the transition. I I know that the team at Knox Prep is continuing to support the students um and families
022in their transition. They have, in case anybody was wondering, they have a dedicated school navigator for each student and family that they have been paired with um a professional navigator to help identify and enroll um in another school. They have summer academic programming to make sure that students remain on track and prepared for the next grade level and then the transition funds um include additional academic supports for student clothing needs for students and other specific supports as requested by students and families. And all of those transition funds are supported by private donors. So, I did I did reach out to them and I do feel like they're really trying to be supportive of these families as they transition back or to their next um school. So. Does anybody else have anything on that? All right.
023Public forum, I believe is next. Nichols Public forum. We don't have any speakers that signed up for public forum today. All right. So, moving on to board forum. Dr. Bellar. No. Ms. Templeton. Yes. Well, um normally I have things written down and I didn't this time, but a couple of things are top of mind. Um We are very excited and proud of Central High School and um the girls and boys basketball teams and um the achievement that they have made and um it was an honor to be present at commission I guess it two weeks ago. I don't know, time flies. Might have been last week. Um just to present the girls team with um recognition through kind of commission. So, I wanted to do that here. And um yes, we are full steam ahead
024toward summer break. So, best of luck to all the parents as we gear up for that. And um yeah, want to encourage all the students to finish strong. Dig deep. Do it well. Ms. Fontenot Bradley. Ms. White. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I just want to wish everyone a happy Autism Awareness Month or Autism Acceptance Month. Um and encourage everyone to not just um judge it at face value or by the memes that you see online, but instead to connect with someone that has autism to learn a little bit more about it and how different people can be. And that um also my ask is that when someone might be annoying you or saying something that you don't like or you might consider them weird, um don't just assume that they have autism because sometimes
025when you say that, it gives anyone with autism a negative connotation and hearing that over and over again can be really stressful. So, that's my ask. Happy April. Thank you. Ms. Morgan. Thank you, Madam Chair. I had the pleasure of attending the variety show auditions last week at Farragut Intermediate School and I was blown away by the talent of our third through fifth graders there. Um the just incredible ability to do things that are far beyond what I could ever dream of, including uh number of students who've memorized very in-depth classical pieces and composed their own at the age of 9 years old. Um very impressive and it was a great reminder of all the talent we have in this district and all the ways that it shows beyond just the testing like Dr. Isaac
026said. So, congratulations to everyone for putting themselves out there. Ms. Henderson. Today I got to attend the Special Olympics. Hardin Valley Academy is hosting it for um today and tomorrow. So, if anybody wants to come out and watch some of these athletes, they're very impressive. It was a really cool event. Today they hosted um the elementary and middle school kids around the whole district and tomorrow will be the high school students. So, it's really it's really fun to watch. Mr. Triplett. Mr. Wright. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to give a shout out to the folks at Carter. Uh Ms. Christie and myself were able to go out there and check out there everything that they're doing with the funds that they got from Green Act. Obviously, there's three uh items on here for
027contracts. It is a pretty cool thing that's coming together out there for sure and give a shout out to uh Ms. uh Casey Helton and Mr. Sherrod out there because they're doing doing some cool stuff. Also uh got to attend the Top Wrench competition, which was also pretty cool and I I just want to give a shout out to all the people that made that possible because it was it was really cool to see how excited the uh kids that have, you know, that do the competitions, the the welding competitions, the auto body competitions, the you know, even the making the engines run and all that fun stuff. It was it was really cool to see how excited they all were about getting to do that in one spot and compete against each other. So.
028Thank you, Madam Chair. I would I would concur that was um pretty fun to watch and a great opportunity for students. And just to add a little bit more, I'd like to congratulate our South-Doyle robotics team for winning the Smoky Mountain Regional. They will be going to the world um competition in Houston later this month. Um we had a block party for them with elementary kids competing last week and also I got to visit their fabrication lab while I was there and it's there's just so much so many great things happening in our 865 Academies. I know they are building all the beds for the tiny homes um that our building trade students are working on. So, it was it was just a really cool experience. So, thank you for that and for Superintendent you
029and your team for investing in those opportunities. So, with that, we are adjourned.