Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves consent agenda, grants and contracts at Dec. 4 meeting; many items pass by voice vote
Summary
At its Dec. 4 regular session the Knox County Board of Education approved multiple first‑reading policy updates, grants totaling several tens of thousands in awards to schools, a design contract for $11,500, and charter school performance reviews, mostly by voice vote or unanimous consent.
The Knox County Board of Education moved through a packed agenda on Dec. 4, approving routine policy first readings, multiple grants, a small design contract and several charter‑school items by voice vote.
Among the items approved on first reading were a set of district policies including political solicitation (C181), payroll (D190), paid parental leave (G467), compensation guides and contracts for support personnel (G500), time schedules for classified personnel (G570), and a repeat high‑school courses policy (I350), with board members saying some items corrected prior practice or reflected recent supervisor input.
The board also accepted several grants: a Tennessee Department of Education School Turnaround grant of $125,000 for Northwest Middle School; a National Endowment for the Arts grant of $20,000 (which requires $20,000 in required in‑kind match); a Tennessee State Parks Conservancy award of $1,275 for Chilhowie Intermediate; a Knoxville Museum of Art grant of $350 for Gibbs Middle; an Angela Floyd Schools grant of $500 for Holston Middle; a TVA Learning Environment grant of $10,213 for Rocky Hill Elementary; and an Argosy Foundation/First Robotics sustainability grant of $2,800 for Southdale High School. Motions were made by board members (commonly Mr. Triplett or Miss Pike) and carried by voice vote.
The board approved a design contract with Smead + Busby Architects PC for an $11,500 West High School vestibule project and moved to accept performance reviews for Emerald Academy and Knoxville Preparatory charter schools (Emerald met expectations; Knoxville Preparatory did not meet standards in several areas, including supports for students with disabilities as noted by Miss Spike).
On committee appointments, the board approved appointments to the charter school review committee following a roll‑call vote (the chair announced the result as 6 yes and 3 no). The board also adopted additional legislative priorities (see separate article on Priority 6). No large capital appropriations or multi‑million dollar contracts were approved during the meeting.
What’s next: Routine policy first readings will return to the board for second reading/ adoption as required by district policy and state law. Grant recipients will proceed with their programs under grant terms and any required reporting.
