Kingsport school board honors students and celebrates districtwide performance gains

Board President called the meeting to order and invited four Washington Elementary students to the podium; the children introduced themselves, led the Pledge of Allegiance and received applause for their selection to appear at the meeting.

School and staff recognitions were the focus of the opening portion of the meeting. Speaker 6 announced that artwork by student Izarina from Washington Elementary was selected to be the Kingsport City Schools 2025 Christmas card; the board presented Izarina and her family with 10 cards and a framed keepsake. David Fry and other board members also recognized long-serving staff, including remarks about Fry’s years with the district and a past award for outstanding school business leadership.

Speaker 4 told the board that Kingsport City Schools earned a districtwide level-5 composite score on Tennessee’s value-added assessment system (TVAAS) for the ninth consecutive year, attributing the result to sustained student growth year over year. The board called forward principals and representatives from Adams, Johnson, Kennedy, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Washington, Dobbins Bennett and other schools to receive certificates marking the achievement. Mr. Marshall and Speaker 7 noted that several schools were also designated as Tennessee “reward schools” based on 2024 TCAP results.

Human-resources-related business followed the recognitions: Speaker 8 presented a list of teachers certified as eligible for tenure under state statutory requirements (degree, license, required probationary service and evaluation scores). The board moved and approved the recommended tenure list.

Superintendent Dr. Hampton congratulated students, staff and administrators for the recognitions, previewed the forthcoming release of school letter grades (noting they remain embargoed), and closed his remarks with holiday greetings to families and staff. The meeting then moved on to regular business.