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Knox Co. Schools leaders approve superintendent search timeline, "learning cottages" proposal fails

On Nov. 3, the Knox County Board of Education met for a work session to discuss several policy changes and proposals.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Schools leaders met on Nov. 3 to discuss several proposals and policy changes before voting on them. 

During the Nov. 10 meeting, board members voted to approve several new problems that changed how the board handled student wellness, foreign travel and textbooks.

During the meeting, they planned to discuss the ongoing search for a new superintendent and a resolution that would start a survey collecting student and parent opinions on "learning cottages."

Superintendent Search

Evetty Satterfield presented a layout of a website informing people about the search for a new superintendent. It should go live on Thursday. 

They also voted to approve a timeline on the search for a new superintendent which outlined dates when specific steps would be taken by the board.

Jennifer Owen said she wanted to expand the timeline, and felt like the search was going too quickly. However, Patti Bounds said she was in favor of keeping the current timeline, but also said the board should consider having more meetings about the search.

"I think we want someone who wants to be here," Owen said.

She also said she wanted the website to provide some additional explanation of what each step in the timeline means. She also pushed for a student forum about criteria for the search before Dec. 8.

Meetings would also be held throughout January, with candidate options compiled in February. The survey would need to be completed by December 2, and the search firm would need to submit a report about the results of community meetings by January 15.

The board also voted to approve a schedule for meetings with the community, which will be open from 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. on several days.

Information about whether employees will be able to take time out of their workday to attend the meetings was not immediately available. Students will also be able to go to any of the meetings. Community members can also take a survey to provide input about the search.

"I want everyone to understand how important this survey is," said Susan Horn. "It really is key."

The board also decided to purchase a superintendent evaluation tool and to pay for the travel costs of candidates.

During the meeting, they said that the search committee met on October 19 to develop a plan to find a new superintendent.

Patty Bounds recommended meeting the director of TSBA to learn more about their search process in Cookeville. Officials said the search group planned to include community voices in their search process. Community forums will be available in the evening, board members said, and the search group will meet with teachers and other stakeholder groups.

"They were able to go into deep details about how the search process works," said Evetty Satterfield. "I do feel confident in the process after meeting with them."

She also said that before moving forward, the board would need to agree on details of the job description such as the person's salary. She also warned that superintendents' longevity is trending down to between 3 and 5 years in the position.

Board members also discussed creating a webpage where parents and community members can go to follow the search process. They said it would host recordings of the search committee meetings, and provide additional information about the process.

Board member Daniel Watson also said creating a transparent search process can help create more confidence in the school system's leadership. He also asked if surveys about the superintendent search could be provided in Spanish.

"Learning Cottages" Survey Proposal 

A resolution was also proposed by Betsy Henderson that would tell school administration to conduct an anonymous survey of guardians of students at-risk for COVID-19. The survey would ask them if they would be interested in participating in a new kind of virtual learning program if a federal judge decides to end the mask requirement in the county.

The resolution failed after a discussion about what to include in the survey and how the plan would be implemented. A survey is expected to be sent out to parents about the plan.

Owen, Babb and McMillan voted against the proposal. It failed with a 4-3 vote, since they would need more people to cast a vote. Satterfield passed, and Watson was not present.

The program would have used "learning cottages" on campuses of a larger school building. Students would be able to go to these cottages for instruction, while also using the school building's overall facilities like the cafeteria, fields and playgrounds.

In the resolution, officials said that the survey would be a preliminary step to create a plan for courts to review. The court would have to decide whether the learning cottages plan would qualify as a "reasonable alternative accommodation" for at-risk students.

"If this goes to trial, we're looking at years of our children being in masks," Henderson said. "Our parents' choices are being taken away from them. We need to do something about this."

In the resolution, officials said that the judge ruled that Knox County Schools' current virtual learning plan was not a reasonable alternative accommodation for at-risk students. The judge claimed the virtual learning system did not allow for in-person interaction between staff and students.

Without the option to interact with staff, the judge said that students were not receiving the same quality of education. Parents have said in the past that the April deadline to decide on virtual learning was unfair. They said they were told KCS would follow 2020-2021 restrictions as school started.

Instead, the board got rid of the mask mandate and implemented limited restrictions to keep children safe from COVID-19.

Gary Dupler, the board's legal counsel, said that KCS would be able to legally implement the learning cottage system. However, he later said it was not certain if the plan would be feasible.

Henderson also said that they would provide a caregiver, instead of a certified staff member to work in the cottages. She also said that the plan could be used in the appellate court to back up their arguments with other judges and hoped that it would lead to the mask mandate being lifted.

"To me, this feels a little more like a yank in the chain," said Owen. "I know we're not trying to craft it right now, but you've had to give it some thought to it."

Officials said the plan would only apply to students currently enrolled in virtual schools, but the survey would be given to all students.

Yet, Virginia Babb said it could create more problems than solve them.

"I feel like we're taking what the judge has said and creating something that we think will comply. We're going to go through a lot of work, hoping this will change his mind," she said. "I feel like this is cropping up more ADA issues and lawsuits than what we've got right now."

Henderson said a memo from the legal department claimed that the proposal would not violate any federal laws, as long as the area is staffed appropriately and provides opportunities for students.

You can watch the meeting below.

   

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