No elected superintendents for Knox?

Frank Niceley

So, I was talking to state Sen. Frank Niceley this morning about his bill that could again lead to local counties electing school superintendents. (Right smack here for that bad boy.)

The Strawberry Plains Republican said that state Rep. Harry Brooks, R-Knoxville, is about to introduce an amendment to the bill that he thinks will be somewhat of a compromise for those who are against it, and also help it move along through the state General Assembly.

Niceley said if Brooks' amendment is approved, then counties where the school system meets its AMO (annual measurable objectives), will NOT be allowed to vote on whether to go back to elected school superintendents.

That means Knox County (cause despite what some knuckleheads believe, we do have good teachers here).

“Clearly, if the system is not making its goals then the parents should be able to try something different,” said Niceley, adding that our school system was “developed under three elected supervisors for its first 50 years and it has a great school system.”

Hmmmmm. Is that irony? The elected superintendents were so good, they're not coming back? Or something. I don't know. Just figured I'd pass this along.

Bills look at local gov't dynamics

State Sen. Stacey Campfield, left, and state Rep. Frank Niceley are sponsoring a couple of bills that, if approved, could potentially impact the dynamics between county mayors and county commissions.

Whether the proposed legislation goes anywhere, remains to be seen.

But right now, Campfield, the primary sponsor, said (in an email to me which I imagine will be posted on his blog) that he's not actively moving either one forward right now.

“You never know what may come up that our county mayor might need and with the (way the) system (works) in Nashville, if a caption of law is not opened in the first few weeks of session then nothing can be done for the issue later on,” he said.

In other words, if it's not proposed now, then it can't be later. Actually, not a bad move. Pro-active and all.

As introduced, the first bill “deletes the authority of the county legislative body (the commission in our case) to confirm appointments made by the county mayor (Tim Burchett in our case) to county boards and commission and department heads.”

This makes sense. It's not like Burchett gets to sign off on appointments made by commissioners to various boards.

The other bill “changes the required vote of the (commission) to override the veto of the county mayor from a majority vote to a two-thirds vote.”

Right now the Knox County charter says the 11-member commission needs a majority plus one to override the mayor.

And yes, these two bills could potentially impact Knox County even though it is under the charter form from what I understand.

(Although I'm thinking that our charter – a majority plus one – could be the same as two-thirds. But, I'm not sure. I suck at math.)

Campfield said lawmakers could adjust the bills later should the need arise.

I was curious about whether the Burchett administration asked for the changes (the mayor said he didn't).

Campfield said no one in local government directly contacted him about the proposals.

Niceley: Pay superintendents less

(The dynamic duo of state Rep. Frank Niceley and state Sen. Stacey Campfield are co-sponsoring a number of bills. Here's the last one I wrote about. And I've got a few more coming.)

Either county mayors aren't making enough coin, or school superintendents make too much.

So, Campfield and Niceley filed a bill declaring that a school superintendent cannot be paid more than the county mayor.

Apparently Campfield (who hates the KNS, and probably me by default and won't call us back) is driving this train. Niceley said he joined because his counterpart in the Senate needed a House version of the bill, and he supports the proposal.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that county Mayor Tim Burchett emphasizes that he doesn't have anything to do with it. In case you're wondering.

Still, the mayor weighed-in: “I'm sure my wife would like it, but I'm very satisfied with what I'm making right now.”

Burchett pulls in $154,300.

Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre makes $222,800.

I don't expect this bill to get very far. And if it does, I'm not exactly sure how it would work.

Does the mayor get a raise. Or does McIntyre take a hit?

And what does the proposed cap mean for recruiting the best qualified candidates?

“Well, this wouldn't prevent you from giving bonuses based on performance,” Niceley said. “But, really, I can't see any need for the county director to make more than the mayor, especially in tight budget times.”

Niceley said the bonuses would encourage the school directors to crack the whip, I mean, work, to make sure test scores improve.

“This will give them an incentive,” he said. “We spend billions on education, and it's supposed to be for the students, not the administration.”

He must have checked out the Knox County school system payroll before he made that last comment.

Heh.

Niceley: Elect superintendents

Talk about an unlikely alliance.

Apparently state Rep. Frank Niceley, left, and the Tennessee Education Association are working together to get school superintendents elected, rather than appointed.

Heh.

The two sides haven't exactly seen eye-to-eye in 20 years. (His words. Not mine.)

“When a conservative like me and the TEA both agree on something, then it's time to take a look at it,” said Niceley, who represents parts of Knox County and most of Jefferson County. “This is one of the first times the TEA and I have worked together.”

I guess something most have frozen over.

Anyhoo, lawmakers should discuss the bill further next week.

Here's the gist:

If two-thirds of a county commission calls for a referendum and the voters sign off on it, then it's possible that we'd one day – again – hold elections for superintendents. (Back in 1992, the General Assembly phased out elections for school directors, letting school boards instead make the appointment.)

By the way, state Sen. Stacey Campfield is co-sponsoring the Senate version of the bill. (Yes, click on that – it gives you more detail.)

Niceley, the House bill sponsor, said he was recently in Union County when “the TEA – the teachers – asked me: 'Frank, what can we do. We need to have a director of schools that last more than a year.'”

Apparently, it's not uncommon for school superintendents to tick off school boards in some rural counties. They don't last long when that happens.

“Some of these counties are paying three (superintendents) at one time, kind of like a UT basketball coach,” Niceley said.

(Great quote!)

The state representative said “80-plus-percent of the people” in Jefferson county favor the proposal. He did, however, admit that Gov. Bill Haslam told him recently that he didn't support it.

(Not sure how he got that number, but I digress.)

“When 80 percent of the people want to do something and the experts say you can get just as good of a person through an election as appointing one, then we should do it,” he said. “There's no evidence from the test scores to suggest that one (way) is better than the other.”

This issue comes up a lot. But, I expect it will at least get out of committee this year.

Here's a note from Knox County School Board Chairwoman Indya Kincannon opposing it.

(My esteemed colleague, Scott Barker, a member of the KNS editorial board, sarcastically added: "Emulating Mississippi on education is the way to go."

Here's some reasons to change it.

Personally, I'm concerned that elections limit the hiring pool, since candidates would have to come from the area. (Although that probably doesn't upset all the “you're not from around here, are you” folks.)

But, it could stop the revolving door of directors, too.

We'll see.