KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Board of Education is on track to interview at least three and perhaps as many as five finalists next month to become the next leader of the state's third-largest public school system.
Outgoing school board members Patti Bounds, Evetty Satterfield, and Virginia Babb spoke with WBIR on the weekly "Inside Tennessee" public affairs program about the superintendent search, among other topics. The program airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on Channel 10.
"I think that this process has gone very smoothly this time," said Bounds, who is completing her second, four-year term on the board.
Eighteen people so far have applied for the position, which would pay a base salary of $250,000, board members said. The Tennessee School Boards Association is facilitating the collection and screening process.
Some of the candidates are local; there's also statewide and national interest in the job, Bounds said.
Satterfield, who is overseeing the board's three-member search committee, which includes Babb, declined to name any of the local candidates. Among those long viewed as a possible candidate is Jon Rysewyk, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer.
Superintendent Bob Thomas announced at the start of the school year that he'd be retiring in June.
According to Satterfield, on Feb. 9 the TSBA will present to the board their recommendations for candidate finalists. The board will ponder the next steps for bringing the candidates to Knoxville, she said.
On Feb. 16, 17, and 18 the board will interview the finalists. On Feb. 22, the plan is to call a special meeting at which the nine-member elected school board will choose the next superintendent.
TSBA has forwarded all the names of the 18 so far to the board, Bounds said.
The board wants the community to have a chance to meet the finalists, Satterfield said. More than 1,000 people have already given feedback through an online survey about what they want.
"We will have a thorough interview process," Satterfield said.
Babb said the goal was to narrow the pool to three finalists ahead of interviews but members may be open to letting that grow with one or two last-minute options.
"I think by the beginning of March we might be really knowing who the next superintendent will be," Babb said.
