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Kingsport board approves tenure for 17 educators, citing statutory criteria
Summary
Kingsport City Schools approved the administration’s tenure recommendations for educators who met statutory criteria, with the board recording unanimous approval at the Jan. 14 meeting.
KINGSPOPRT, Tenn. — The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education approved a slate of tenure recommendations at its Jan. 14, 2025 regular meeting, accepting the list put forward by district staff and voting unanimously to grant tenure to the named educators.
Human-resources presenter Jennifer Guthrie outlined the statutory requirements used to determine tenure eligibility, citing “statute, 49.5503” as referenced in the meeting. According to Guthrie’s presentation, the criteria the board relied on are: possession of a degree from an approved four-year college or applicable career-and-technical license; a valid Tennessee teaching license; at least five years (not less than 45 months) in the district within the last seven years; the most recent two years must be in a regular teaching position (not interim); and a performance score of level 4 or 5 for the most recent two consecutive years.
The list of educators recommended for tenure (eligible as of the end of the 2023–24 school year) included teachers from multiple schools in the district. The names read into the record were: Lindsay Carpenter and Alana Street (Adams Elementary); Nathan Bailey, Candice Burchfield, Charles Roden, James Scales, Patty Denmark, Stephanie Strickler and Kalyn Toney (Dobyns Bennett High School); Philip Trammell and Keisha Ryan (Jackson Elementary); Hannah Hughes and Robert Ramsey (Johnson Elementary); Tanya Warner (Roosevelt Elementary); Summer Hughes (Washington Elementary); Mitch Carter (Robinson Middle School); and Conley Smith and Sarah Pearman (systemwide special education department).
A board member moved to approve the recommendation and another board member seconded; the meeting transcript records that the votes were cast and that approval was unanimous. The board chair congratulated the newly tenured educators.
Guthrie told the board that the district often receives the required state performance scores later in the fall, which can delay placement of eligible teachers on the agenda. The tenure approvals were presented after the presenter confirmed each candidate met the stated statutory criteria.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the tenure recommendations unanimously; the motion and second are recorded in the transcript and the outcome is listed as unanimous (exact numeric vote count not specified in the transcript).
