KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Schools launched a new website to help families understand the superintendent search process show people what each step in the process is like.
The website includes an intuitive timeline that is color-coded to show which steps have been completed and which step the board is still working on. Until Dec. 3, they will be working to collect community input from everyone involved in the school system.
To do that, the school system is asking people to take a survey about what they would like to see in the district's new superintendent. The survey asks people to rank different aspects of potential candidates, such as the person's communication skills and experience as an academic leader.
The survey also gives community members a chance to share in-depth thoughts about the school district as a whole. It asks people about challenges they expect the new superintendent will face, and personal characteristics they want to see.
The survey can take as few as 5 minutes to complete, depending on the depth of participants' answers.
Officials are organizing a series of 1-hour meetings to be held on Dec. 2 for specific groups of stakeholders. A location for the meetings has not been announced. Anyone can also stop by during any of the meetings — the groups are suggested times for stakeholders and not specific requirements.
The times of the meetings are listed below.
- 11:30 a.m. —Public Officials/Community Leaders Luncheon
- 1:30 p.m. — Classified Employees
- 3:00 p.m. — Central Office Staff, Supervisors, and Principals
- 4:30 p.m. — Teachers
- 6:00 p.m. — Community Forum
Officials also posted a Spanish version of the website and a Spanish version of the survey. The timeline has also been posted in Spanish on the superintendent search website.
After collecting input from the Knox County community, the board will adopt a set of criteria describing the role. Those criteria will be given to interested candidates if they want to apply for the job.
The board expects to make an official announcement about the new superintendent on March 14, 2022, after offering a contract on March 9. The candidate will officially assume the position of the new superintendent on July 1.
Dr. Tammy Grissom, Executive Director of the Tennessee School Boards Association, is leading the process to gather community input, according to officials.
Anyone who wants to provide additional details about what they want out of the new superintendent can also email superintendentsearch@knoxschools.org.