Search for new superintendent could take more than a year, officials say

Jim McIntyre

The Knox County Board of Education has rarely had to conduct a search to replace a superintendent.

It did so when members hired Jim McIntyre in 2008, and when members selected Charles Lindsey in 1999.

Allen Morgan was elected superintendent in 1992 and then transitioned to be the appointed superintendent in 1996 when election for that job ceased.

Now board members will once again start the search process. And, if history is any indication of the amount of time it takes to find a new school leader, officials might be waiting a good while.

When Morgan resigned in September 1998 to take a job in the private sector, his replacement – Lindsey – didn’t come on board until July the following year – about 10 months later.

After the school board ousted Lindsey in February 2007, officials had to wait almost 17 months – until July 2008 – for Jim McIntyre to start his first day on the job.

"We took our time, we didn't rush into it, and we asked for help from the community and input from the community," said Indya Kincannon, who served on the school board when members hired McIntyre. "I'm sure this board will consider all those same elements, because it is a really important decision.”

Mike Cohen, a former KCS spokesman who was involved in a similar superintendent search in the late 1990s, agreed.

"They need to do some sort of outreach to every Knox County school employee: teacher, principals, custodians, cafeteria workers,” said Cohen, who now runs his own public relations firm. “They all need to be touched and asked for input . . . . You also need to reach out to the business community, through the Chamber of Commerce or some other organization because we produce a workforce that businesses in this town depend on."

WHAT’S EXPECTED

The school board will hold a special called meeting Jan. 19 to talk about a proposal floated on Monday by McIntyre that entails paying him a year’s salary to step down in early July.

McIntyre, citing a poisonous political environment agreed to resign, so that the new school board, which will take office on Sept. 1, can appoint his successor.

As it stands, the current board is expected to approve the severance plan - at least $227,000. The board at some point will then select an interim superintendent to take over on July 11 – the Monday following McIntyre’s last day on the job.

That person is expected to oversee the day-to-day operations of the school system until early September when the new board takes over, and begins steps to conduct a national search, likely with the aid of a search firm.

Once a firm is picked, it will hold public meetings, put together an application process and then narrow down candidates.

The board will then begin interviewing the finalists – probably three to five people. Board members also might travel to where the candidates work to interview peers.

In the end, it will more than likely take at least a year from the day McIntyre leaves until the day his permanent successor takes over, officials anticipate.

“It’s not a quick process,” said Cohen, who served as the KCS communications director for five years.

THE LAST TWO TIMES

Morgan, a superintendent for six years, retired from the school system in early September 1998. The school board at the time hired a consultant and conducted a public poll to help find his replacement.

The board eventually selected Lindsey, who came from South Carolina where he was the director for the Dorchester School District 2 near Charleston. He started July 1, 1999.

The hiring process for McIntyre was more complicated, and the public more involved.

Here’s a snapshot at what that looked like:

• Feb. 2007: The school board buys out Lindsey’s contract. He earned $160,300 annually, which included money for investment and a monthly car allowance. Under the agreement, the board kept him on as a consultant and paid him until his contract ended in July 2008.
• March 2007: Then-Deputy Superintendent Roy Mullins named to serve as interim superintendent.
• August 2007: Three organizations submitted bids to help the school board find a new superintendent.
• Oct. 2007: The school board agreed to pay to pay Iowa-based Ray and Associates more than $30,000 to conduct the search.
• Early Nov. 2007: The search firm suggested paying the next superintendent up to $90,000 more than Lindsey, saying that was comparable to what other school directors in similar sized school districts earn.
• Mid-Nov. 2007: The firm held two community meetings, seeking input on what residents wanted in a new superintendent. The school board was not invited.
• Feb. 2008: The search firm closed the application period after receiving some 40 applications. The firm whittled the list down to 12 names and turned them over to the school board.
• Early March 2008: The school board selected five finalists from the list of 12 candidates. The board conducted interviews and further cut the list to three.
• Early March 2008: The finalists met with the Knoxville Chamber and Great Schools Partnership.
• Mid-March 2008: Four school board members flew to Boston, Mass. to meet with educators and business leaders to further vet McIntyre.
• Late-March 2008: The school board in a 5-4 vote picked McIntyre over Bob Thomas, the school system’s assistant superintendent.
• July 2008: McIntyre starts work.

"At the time, I thought it was very helpful to have an outside search firm because they were objective and could also help us do a national search and have a large pool of candidates,” Kincannon said.

She added: "It was a long process, but it's worth taking your time to get it right."

Knoxville Mayor makes changes to staff, brings on former BOE member

Kincannon

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has added former Knox County School board member Indya Kincannon to her staff.

Kincannon, who will start Oct. 5 and earn $60,000 annually, will oversee community agency grants and appointments to city boards and commissions. She also will manage special projects for the Mayor, and serve as the mayor’s liaison to the school system.

“Indya brings a wealth of experience, leadership and talent to the mayor’s office,” Rogero said in a released statement. “Her 10 years of outstanding public service on the school board and strong record of community service make her an ideal addition to my staff. She understands our city and the importance of building strong community partnerships. We are fortunate to have her join us.”

Kincannon served as a school board member from 2004 to 2014 before teaching writing, history, Spanish and drama to international students in Slovenia in 2014 and 2015.

She’s also served as Beaumont Magnet Academy PTA president, a Fourth and Gill neighborhood leader, a Habitat for Humanity group leader and Mayan Families Project volunteer in Guatemala, and a volunteer AYSO soccer and Baby Falcon basketball coach.

Clay

Kincannon will replace Jackie Clay, who served as the mayor’s project manager since December 2011. Clay, who also will earn $60,000 annually, was promoted to a position where she will manage a community crime reduction program targeted to two specific Project Safe Neighborhoods that work to reduce violence and create opportunities for boys and young men of color from the ages of 15 to 24.

“Jackie brings a social worker’s heart and an organizer’s laser focus to address one of the biggest challenges in our city,” Rogero said. “She has been an asset in the Mayor’s Office these past four years and is the right choice to manage this new targeted effort to create opportunities for success for our young men and boys of color.”

Clay, who lives in the Parkridge community, has been a community organizer and an instructor at the University of Tennessee College of Social Work.

She serves on the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission, as board chair of Girl Talk Inc., as the nominating committee chair for HomeSource East Tennessee, and as vice president of the Freedman Mission Historic Cemetery Committee.

Commish picks John Fugate for BOE

Knox County Commissioners on Monday picked John Fugate, a banker of three decades, to serve on the Board of Education until a new member is selected in the November election.

Fugate, vice president of Commercial Bank, replaces Indya Kincannon, who recently stepped down to move overseas with her family for a year. He will represent the 2^nd District, which is comprised mostly of the North Knoxville area, on the 9-member board.

Fugate, 70, said he will not run for the seat in November, but sought the interim spot because he always wanted “to play a role in education.”

“I’ve got a yearning for education and I hope I can help in some way to set a different tone for the school system,” he said.

Fugate, who has grandchildren in three county schools, earned a degree in education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision.

His first meeting will take place in early September when he’s expected to help the school board to pick a new leader, a move that could shift the dynamics and philosophy of the board.

At this point, current board chairwoman Lynne Fugate, a strong supporter of the school system’s administration, has said that she wants to keep the seat for another year. In addition, board member Mike McMillan, a staunch opponent of the administration and the dissenting vote last year to extend Superintendent Jim McIntyre’s contract, also has shown interest.

Fugate, who is a "distant cousin" of Lynne Fugate's husband, declined to say how he would vote on the matter.

Fugate was one of six in a pool of candidates who submitted resumes and applications earlier this month that the commission considered on Monday.

He secured the seat in a 7-4 vote.

Commissioners Tony Norman, Jeff Ownby, Richard Briggs, R. Larry Smith, Dave Wright, Mike Hammond, and Ed Shouse voted for him.

Commissioners Sam McKenzie, Mike Brown, Brad Anders and Amy Broyles voted for Rick Staples, a former member of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office who worked in the programs rehabilitation department.

Broyles called the decision “a political vote” and said Fugate had “no support” in the 2^nd District. She also suggested that he would not support the school system’s administration, which, in recent years, hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with the commission.

She suggested that the vote was political payback.

“It’s a tremendous disappointment and, frankly, it’s a slap in the face to every member of the 2^nd District,” said Broyles, who represents North Knoxville on the commission. “This should not be about anyone’s personal political agenda.”

Board members were upset with her remarks.

“I do not have the slightest idea what she’s talking about,” Norman said. “I made my decision based on the information I had through two interview sessions and from speaking to people inside this district and outside this district who are attuned to the school system.”

He called the allegations “wrong and rude.”

Fugate declined to comment on Broyles’ remarks.

Forum set Aug. 14 for BOE candidates

Got this release late Friday: The League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County (LWVKKC) and the Knox County Education Association (KCEA) will hold a moderated forum to inform commissioners and voters about candidates seeking appointment by County Commission to fill the seat of District 2 School Board Member Indya Kincannon who recently resigned. Kincannon and her family will live in Slovenia next year where her husband will be teaching law.

Candidates are seeking an interim appointment of three months ending in November 2014 when an election for the position will take place. Several candidates will participate in the forum on Thursday, August 14, 2014, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m., in the auditorium of Gresham Middle School, 500 Gresham Road, Knoxville, TN 37918. Beth Haynes, news anchor with WBIR TV, will moderate.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The Knox County Education Association promotes quality education by providing a support system that guarantees the opportunity for professional growth, secures and improves benefits, and protects the rights of educators of Knox County."

Ten apply for open Knox BOE spot

Ten North Knoxville residents, including a number of former educators, submitted applications to represent the 2^nd District on the Knox County Board of Education.

The deadline to apply was noon today.

The Knox county Commission, which will review the resumes and cover letters, is expected to hold a series of interviews with the candidates on Aug. 18.

The board will then make a final decision during its voting meeting a week later.

The person selected will replace Indya Kincannon as the area representative until the November election.

APPLICANT RESUMES RIGHT SMACK HERE

Kincannon, a third-term board member, submitted her resignation last month and officially stepped down this week to accompany her family to Slovenia where her husband was recently awarded a Fullbright U.S. Scholar grant.

Here’s a snapshot of the candidates:

• Juanita Cannon, a 40-year educator who spent decades serving as a principal, assistant principal and teacher in the Knox County school system.
• Emma Ellis-Cosigua, an office manager with JIG-Insurance Group, she also facilitates a college readiness class for middle school children and an adult ESL class for immigrants.
• Charlotte Dorsey, a former Knox County school administrator who spent decades in the system as a teacher, assistant principal and principal.
• John Fugate, vice president of Commercial Bank in Fountain City.
• Laura Kildare, a former Knox County school teacher who is currently working on her doctorate degree in special education.
• Tracie Sanger, a special education teacher in the Knox County school system and field experience supervisor for Tusculum College.
• Jennifer Searle, a current board member on the Knox County Schools Clothing Center PTA, and a regular school volunteer.
• Rick Staples, a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy who helped inmates obtain their GED.
• Elizabeth Lane, a former employee of Texaco and Shell Oil, working in administration and supervision. 
• Diana Ray, a former community development manager for the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians.

Commission now accepting BOE resumes

Knox County commissioners are accepting resumes until noon Aug. 8 to replace Indya Kincannon, who resigned from her 2nd District School Board seat.

They can be mailed, faxed, emailed, handed in, etc. to:

The Office of the Knox County Commission
Suite 603, City County Building
400 Main Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: 215-2534
Fax: 215-2038
Email: commission@knoxcounty.org

The commission will hold a public forum to interview candidates at 4 p.m. or immediately following the board's work session on Aug. 18.

The board is expected to make a final decision the following week during its monthly voting session.

State weighs in on Kincannon BOE seat; timing will be everything

Indya Kincannon

The state’s top election official has weighed in on the upcoming vacancy on the Knox County Board of Education, and timing is everything.

Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins said if the Knox County Commission accepts school board member Indya Kincannon’s resignation by Sept. 5, then the seat will appear on the November ballot.

Otherwise, it will appear on the August 2016 ballot.

Goins, in a letter sent to the Knox County Election Commission on Friday, notes that once the commission accepts the resignation, it is binding and cannot be withdrawn.

The Sept. 5 date is tied to the state’s “60-day rule,” which gives candidates sufficient time to qualify for a race.

Goins letter RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Earlier this week, Kincannon, who is in her third term on the school board, announced that she will step down Aug. 6 to accompany her family to Slovenia where her husband was recently awarded a Fullbright U.S. Scholar grant.

She has served the 2^nd District since 2004.

At this point, the Knox County Commission is expected to appoint someone to take over for her.

Further, the commission more than likely will accept her resignation by August, thus setting the stage for a Nov. 4 election, said commission Chairman Brad Anders.

The commission has a July voting meeting set for the 28^th and an August one set for the 25^th. During one of those meetings, members are expected to accept Kincannon’s resignation and appoint her replacement.

On a side note, there's already been a couple folks who have called commissioners and expressed interest in the seat. Traditionally, the board doesn't appoint folks who want to run for the position later on.

We'll see.

BOE seat on November ballot? Maybe

A little update on Indya Kincannon stepping down in August from her school board seat. Initially, officials thought that the County Commission could go ahead and appoint someone to fill the spot, and that person would hold the position until the next county general election, which isn't until August 2016.

That's true if it's a partisan seat. However, school board spots are not. So, there is case law out there that suggests the county - based on timing - could go ahead and put the race on the November ticket.

A number of things need to happen and politics (obviously) could play a role. For example, Indya would need to officially  resign from the board and then the commission would need to accept it within a certain amount of time (I think 60 days), and then others would need to work to get the names, etc. on the ballot.

We'll know more in the coming days as the county election commission has asked the state for an opinion.

Kincannon leaving BOE in August

Indya Kincannon

Indya Kincannon, who is in her third term on the Knox County School Board, will step down Aug. 6.

According to a release issued by the school system, she is leaving to "accompany her family to Slovenia, where her husband was recently awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant."

She has served the 2nd District since 2004.

The Porch sincerely wishes Indya and her family all the best.  I know a lot of people didn't necessarily agree with her, but she wouldn't BS ya.

CLICK RIGHT SMACK HERE for what Indya had to say on her website.

Now, onto what happens next.

The Knox County Commission will appoint Inday's successor. There will not be a special election. The person appointed will serve until the next county general election, which won't be until August 2016 when - coincidentally - her terms expires.

(November by the way is not a county general election.)

The commission will soon start taking applications to fill the slot, and my guess is that someone will be in place in late August or in September. The board will hold public interviews, etc., and then vote.

Folks, there is going to be some serious politicking going on here. And my guess is that there's a pretty good chance that whoever is picked will not be a supporter of Superintendent Jim McIntyre.

Let's face it: The commission isn't exactly his biggest fan. 

As someone else said: Get the popcorn ready; we're looking at a political dogfight.

Heh.

Just the facts ma'am: Was bogus BOE 'ethics violation' a political ploy?

Hoo-Haw, man they got some funny stuff going on over there on the school system’s side of county government. Heh.

So, get this: The Knox County Board of Education was set to meet on March 5 to talk about “allegations of a potential ethics violation and consideration of possible action and recommendations.”

The supposed violator? BOE member Mike McMillan.

The reason? For being transparent.

Hahahahahaha. Naw, I’m not kidding.

McMillian forwarded a PUBLIC RECORD to a newspaper reporter and a state representative.

Yet, South Knoxville parent Kristi Kristy (and by default BOE member and BOE Ethics Chairwoman Indya Kincannon) wanted to conduct kangaroo court.

However, on Friday the school system sent over a public notice that said the committee meeting “has been canceled due to the withdrawal of the complaint.”

Well wait a minute!

According to the News Sentinel, Kristi Kristy “decided not to file an official complaint.” (KNS story right here if you have money for a paywall.)

Huh? So was a complaint filed or not? And if one wasn’t filed, then why would Kincannon schedule the meeting?  That doesn’t make sense. Right?

Surely this wasn’t a political move against McMillan, the one BOE member who has not fallen in line with the rest of the board?  

Naw. No way!

Heh. Right. This whole thing stinks. The ethics committee isn’t supposed to even bother with these matters unless the chair receives a complaint that is “in writing and SIGNED UNDER OATH by the person making the complaint . . . .”

You can find the BOE’s Code of Ethics right smack here. 

However, the committee was going to go ahead and discuss it anyway. Without a sworn statement!

OK, so enough rambling. Let’s get to what was in that PUBLIC RECORD and what McMillan did and didn’t do.

Without further ado, it’s time for some Porch factoids:

FACT: On Dec. 6 at 3:11 p.m. Kristi Kristy sent District 9 BOE member Pam Trainor an email asking that it be sent to the Board and Superintendent Jim McIntyre. In the email, Kristy touted the good superintendent’s awesomeness and was upset that someone depicted him as Adolf Hitler in a now-viral YouTube video in which “McIntyre” raged about teacher concerns and expressed dismay that he might have to go back to teaching himself. You can find the video right here by the way.

FACT: Kristy wanted Trainor to redact her name from the email because she was concerned that teachers would like go over to her house and/or harass her, or some such nonsense.

FACT: At this point said email was NOT a public record (according to the county law department).

FACT: It BECAME a public record once Trainor forwarded it on – as requested by Kristy – to the school board members and once they received it.

FACT: Pam Trainor did NOT redact Kristy’s name.

FACT: Shopper reporter Betty Bean and State Rep. Gloria Johnson asked McMillian for a copy of that PUBLIC RECORD later in the day and he honored their OPEN RECORDS REQUEST.

FACT: This whole thing is silly. If Kristy wants to be mad at someone, she should be mad at Trainor for not taking her name off the email.

FACT: These facts come from PUBLIC RECORDS. And NO, I didn’t get them from McMillan. Heh.

So, click right smack here for a set of documents that includes an email from Kincannon to Kristy that says the ethics committee will hold a hearing despite the fact that there was no signed-under-oath complaint; and two different emails from Kristy to BOE member Lynne Fugate – one that basically blames McMillan for all the world’s problems, and another that, just. . .  wow.

Further, for another set of bad boys, click right smack here for the original email that caused this whole mess AND a Jan. 10 letter from Knox County Law Director Richard “Bud” Armstrong telling Kristy that she doesn’t have a case! (Hey, I had to get the factoids from somewhere.)

Now, if the BOE really wants to look into a violation, then the board should address a potential solicitation violation committed by a certain political candidate it happens to support.

Kincannon goes after mayor on Twitter

Knox County school board member Indy Kincannon earlier tonight took a shot at county Mayor Tim Buchett on Twitter, saying: "Imagine if Tim Burchett spent as much time supporting our kids as he does bashing our schools superintendent."

I'm assuming Kincannon's tweet is in response to a story I wrote - right smack here - about Burchett's request that the school system hire an outside auditor to look at school security, and a story Georgiana Vines wrote - right smack here - in which Burchett also used a GOP meeting to push for an elected school superintendent.
 
I talked to the mayor about it and he said: "That's her right as an American to do that. My father fought in World War II for her right and my uncle died in World War II, so I stand behind her First Amendment rights."

No word on whether the mayor, who is no stranger to Twitter, will take to the web waves with another response.

Mayor Burchett hosts another luncheon

Buchett mingling with the crowd

Knox County Mayor Tim Buchett on Friday continued his "lunch with mayor" series, this time at Central Flats & Taps in the Happy Holler community. Here's a couple of photos (on left) from the event taken by county IT guru Jon Gustin.

Also, Georgiana Vines wrote a story about it. Find that right smack here.

She notes that the "purpose of the Dutch-treat lunch was to focus on locally-owned restaurants and attract people throughout the community who might not otherwise know about the establishments. It's similar to the 'cash mob' events at locally-owned businesses."

Some guy eating some good food

I've taken in a few of the cash mobs, and if you haven't checked one out, then you should. They're actually pretty cool, and while they're not going to turn the economy around, the businesses are sure thankful for whatever extra coin they can get.

It's too bad other county and city leaders don't host their own. If anything, it gives the public a chance to interact with them on a more personal level.

That said, there were a few local leaders who turned out for Friday's event, including a number of department heads, as well, as Knox County Commissioner Dave Wright and Ed Shouse, School Board Commissioner Indya Kincannon and Election Commission Chairman Chris Heagerty.

BOE to vote on proposed budget tonight

School Board Vice Chairwoman Indya Kincannon put together some frequently asked questions about the school system's proposed budget. You can find it right smack here.

I don't think it's going to be any surprise if the school board tonight signs off on the zillion dollar spending plan. After that it will be in the hands of the County Commission.

Make no mistake, county Mayor Tim Burchett is NOT putting that request (It's actually a little more than $47 million in coin, with about $12 million of that attributed to natural growth) in his proposed budget. He's just not.

I don't expect the County Commission, which really controls the purse strings, to do anything, either. There's not six votes there right now. (And they'll need seven to override a mayoral veto.)

But, here's the thing, and School Board Lord Jim McIntyre reminded me about it yesterday.

A while back (Was in January?) the school board and county commission had a little powwow where the two sides agreed to make the Knox County school system “the best school system in the southeastern United States.

As McIntyre said: “That's a big deal; that's a high bar, also.”

Oddly enough, for all the complaining about how much this plan will cost, I haven't heard too many alternatives. Actually, I haven't heard any.

(And, based on the students' crappy test scores, it's obvious that the current system isn't working although I'm a firm believer that crap-parenting has a lot to do with that.)

So, right now it's looking like they either raise taxes to support the plan and their promise to make Knox County the best blah, blah, blah.

Or don't raise taxes and go back on your word.

Heh.

Kind of in a pickle.

How much would tax increase really cost?

Yesterday I posted about a phone survey taken last week and whether residents were on board with raising taxes to fund the proposed school budget for the upcoming fiscal year. In addition, I encouraged folks to get in on the conversation over at the hippie's blog, which you can find right smack here.

Anyhoo, school board Vice Chairwoman Indya Kincannon responded to the entry about the Focus poll, noting that it's all in how you frame the question. She agreed that the tax increase would amount to more than 14 percent, but that the numbers might not be as high.

For example, someone who pays $900 per year in taxes would need to ante up another $137 a year to pay for Superintendent Jim McIntyre's plan. She said that's a little more than $2.60 a week.

By my math that's about a couple of sodas (and not even a six-pack of brew unless you drink that real cheap stuff, and if that's the case, you should probably quit drinking).

Anyhoo, Indya wondered what the poll results might have looked like if the questions was framed (I'm paraphrasing here): Would you be willing to pay an extra $2.60 in coin per week to support the children?

In the meantime, she put together a pretty cool property tax worksheet that shows the costs if taxes were raised. The $2.63 per week by the way applies to the median Knox County homeowner ($156,500 house).

You can find the complete table right smack here.

UPDATE: Super PR guy Mike Cohen sent me a note, saying he liked Indya's chart, but that a lot of taxes in Knox County are paid by businesses, which are valued at 40 percent, not 25 percent. He suggested it would be good to do a chart for them. Of course, my laziness is well-documented so . . . . Indya also sent me a note, saying that $2.63 is less than a gallon of milk and less than a gallon of gas, and way less than many parents contribute to their PTAs and classroom supply lists.

Weigh in on 2013 school spending plan

There's a pretty good discussion about Knox County Superintendent Jim McIntyre's proposed budget going on over at the hippie's blog. Click right smack here for the goodness and some links.

As you might recall, Lord McIntyre is asking county Mayor Tim Burchett to give him roughly $3 trillion in folding paper over the next five years. (Actually, it's a lot less than that, but anything over “natural growth” is too much for Mayor Cheapskate. So it doesn't really matter.)

The proposal, I assume, has been turned over to Burchett by now, and he'll incorporate it into whatever he gives to the County Commission for final approval. At this point, the mayor is being pretty quiet about where he's willing to compromise, but he's made it pretty clear that he's not going to raise taxes to fund the school superintendent's request.

Anyhoo, check out the debate and weigh in. Also note that school board Vice Chairwoman Indya Kincannon is commenting over there, which is pretty cool, because it's not often that public officials do this. I mean, sure, they talk a big game about reaching out to/engaging the community, blah, blah, whatever, but it's really not that common.

Kincannon to kick off campaign tonight

As usual, I get no love from a school board member. Although that probably has more to do with me calling all of them "Lord McIntyre's disciples" all the time.

But, I digress.

Anyhoo, Knox County board of education Vice Chairwoman Indya Kincannon wrote a letter to the hippies over at R. Neal's blog - click right smack here - letting them know that she's kicking off her re-election campaign.

(Indya by the way once wrote a letter to the paper about me, but it wasn't very nice. Funny, though.)

Here's the kickoff info:

Dear Knoxviews Readers,

I'm running for re-election to the Knox County School Board and would appreciate your support. You're invited to a kick-off reception tonight, Wednesday November 30th, from 5-7pm, at the Whetsel Home, 1015 Luttrell Street, 37917.

Blah, blah, blah.

Indya also has a campaign website.

The election is March 6. The qualifying deadline is set for noon on Dec. 8.

There, that's my good deed for the day.

School Board to look at travel fund

Apparently Knox County School Board Chairwoman Indya Kincannon didn't forget.

Credit to good memory. Because I pretty much did.

So, I'm going to eat my slice of humble pie. Probably have some bacon with it. Cause, you know, bacon is awesome and it goes with everything. Ice cream included.

Anyhoo, yesterday I posted a note about whether the school board would address its travel allowance. I was actually more curious to find out if something I posted here would get back to the board. Wouldn't you know it. Indya checked out the site and called me a few hours later.

All of this dates back to a story I wrote about how much coin the county pays for gas. County Mayor Tim Burchett, when he was sworn into office, cut travel allowances for almost every employee under the executive branch purview. In his proposed budget he cut it for the county commission, and it appears that members will go along with the proposal. At least that's what six of them told me. And six is the magic number on a board of 11. (I think some elected officials forget that from time to time.)

So, awhile back, Indya told me that if the commission cut its allowance, she'd ask the school board to look into it, also. I figured she was just saying that.

She wasn't.

“Not only will we choose to follow what the commission does, we're compelled to,” Kincannon said, referring to the county charter. “If they chose to give themselves a raise, we'd take it (also) whether we wanted it or not. But if they choose to change something, then we'll do the same.”

She said looking into the travel allowance is “a reasonable thing to do and could ultimately save some money.”

She said once the county commission approved the overall budget, which includes school system funding, the board will talk about the allowances, so long as commission does eliminate its own.

“What I would suggest is to keep the amount in the budget and see if the reimbursements are the same or less than – and hopefully not more than - the allowances to see how it matches up next year.”

School board members and commissioners get an extra $300 a month for travel allowances. Most employees under the executive branch now submit reimbursement forms for gas money. They get 51 cents per mile traveled.

What about school board travel?

OK, I want to try something here. I'm curious to see whether the school board takes action on a blog entry. I doubt it, but I wonder if it gets back to them.

I'm not going to report about it – I don't cover the school system. But I can ramble right here.

Anyway, awhile back I wrote a story about how much the county spends on gas. It's a lot. Click right smack here for the masterpiece.

But county Mayor Tim Burchett – when he took office – eliminated pretty much all of the travel allowance for officials who operate under his purview. Well, in his proposed budget he also axed the county commission's travel allowance.

Initially, I thought they'd complain about it. But it looks like a majority will go along with the mayor's proposal and fill out the travel reimbursement forms instead of collecting the $300 a month. Now, I don't know which one really saves the most money. I'd be willing to bet, though, that you spend more on allowances, if only because folks don't want to go through the hassle of recording every mile and submitting a form.

But, whatever.

Anyway, part of the story talked about the major coin paid out to school employees. A small part of that – very minor – goes to the school board members. They each get $300 a month.

Now, I'm sure board Chairwoman Indya Kincannon forgot about this, but I still got my handy dandy notes where she said if the commission was willing to get rid of its travel allowance, then maybe the school board should look into it, too.

“It's not anything the (school) board approved,” she said at the time. “The county commission approved it for themselves and because of the charter we get the same identical compensation.”

OK, well, it looks like the commissioners are doing away with it.

Will the school board talk about getting rid of their travel allowances, too?

Naw, probably not.

It would probably go over about as well as their plan to limit the public from speaking.

School redistricting could get testy

Let's face it, the school board and county commission really don't like each other. No matter what they say.

I mean there's not necessarily an inherent hatred between the two bodies, but they just don't get along as much as they'd like to pretend.

So, when you see a school board member patting a commissioner on the back (or vice versa), it's not a sign of affection. The official is really just feeling for the soft spot.

To jab the knife into.

And I'm pretty sure the school board's early efforts to redraw its nine districts by the end of the year will be the latest example in the loveless relationship. (Which is cool because I'm tired of writing about Carter Elementary anyway.)

State law requires districts be redrawn at least every 10 years after the U.S. Census to make them as equal as possible, population-wise.

So, recently the good school folks who lord over the teachers who educate your children sought some clarity from the county law director's office.

They wanted to know whether the county commissioners (who lord over everyone else) really had the responsibility to redraw the lines.

Well, in a March 10 letter from Marty McCampbell to school officials, the attorney says: Yes, the legislative body calls the shots.

(Click here for the letter, which is mostly written in legal jargon if you really want to, or keep reading and I'll sum it up for you in Gorilla-ese.)

OK, still here?

McCampbell says “there is no constitutional provision that prohibits the Legislature from enacting laws which in some form or fashion are contrary to a local law set forth in a county's home rule charter.” (We operate under home rule by the way.)

She then cites a number of example where folks got their heads handed to them when they tried to challenge this.

Finally, she states (and this is great, especially the second sentence):

“All case law indicates that since the Charter and state law conflict, the state law supersedes the Charter. The final issue is whether the Commission wants to uphold the will of the people that voted for the Home Rule Charter and placed the power to redistrict in the hands of the Board.”

OUCH!

Now, six days later county commission Chairman Mike Hammond sent a memo to his buds on his board, saying:

“It is not my desire to have the Commission get involved or meddle in School Board districts; however, it is clear that any plan drafted by the School Board, by law, has to be approved by the Commission.”

(I love that “however” part.)

Hammond then says he's invited school board Chairwoman Indya Kincannon and school board member Cindy Buttry (who is the chair of the board's redistricting committee) to the March 28 commissioner luncheon to talk further.

And that, folks is where everyone will be patting everyone on the back!

You see, I'm thinking the school board members (at least some of them) want to have it both ways. They really believe they can redraw the district lines because the charter, they believe, actually trumps state law.

But, if that's truly the case, then the school board members should be subject to term-limits, which is what the charter requires. (Right? Maybe not.)

And, no, they don't want that.

But, whatever. It's just positioning.

Because, ultimately, what's happening is that the school board members want to base their districts upon school zone feeder patterns (elementary students go to such-and-such-middle school and then go to such-and-such high school, etc.) because they get their political support from the PTA's of those schools in those districts.

(Karen Carson was a former PTA president by the way. Not picking on her. Just saying. But obviously she'd want to redraw the lines along her political base.)

Politics. That's their real interest. It always is. Don't let them fool you into believing otherwise. Remember, the glass is always half-full.

So, what about the county commissioners? What's their rooting interest in all this? Why would they care how the school board redraws the lines?

They have their own districts, you ask. It won't hurt them, you say.

No. It won't.

But you don't think for a minute that some members won't use redistricting to settle old scores with the school board, do ya?

Heh.

That's what I thought.

(For more information, the election commission has some redistricting fun facts, and meeting times and other stuff that no one probably cares about until it happens. Check it out by clicking right smack here.)

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.