Dr. Jimmy Carter, Union County Director of Schools, introduced Dr. Tobi Kilgore as the new HMMS Principal at the July Board of Education meeting. Kilgore related that he has a wide array of experience in administration at the middle and high school level in Knox County.
His student teaching was in Halls. From there he taught or was an administrator in Karns Middle, Powell Middle, Northwest Middle, Ridgedale Alternative Day School, and South Young High among others. He expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be part of a county system with one middle and one high school and the chance to tackle the challenges and build the relationships to make Union County a better place.
He commented that adding a third assistant means each grade has an administrator to address the needs of that grade level. He said that the school schedule will have home room and a victory period at the beginning of the day where behavior, expectations, study skills, relationships and enrichment can be cultivated.
The remainder of the day will have core courses of language arts, math, science, and social studies. This compressed schedule should limit the chance for misbehavior. Kilgore said that parents would be notified of a meeting for each grade level to relate expectations and inform parents and students of the new schedule and structure.
Carter related that two school resource officers would be placed at HMMS to monitor behavior and safety. They will also be expected to build relationships and support the school structure. He also noted that there are still a number of math positions and other positions to be filled due to an overall shortage of teacher applicants across the state and the nation.
The board approved a contract with Tennessee Valley Title to search the title for the Latham property for the new middle school. The property survey is in process. Core drilling has begun and sample results should be available soon. Carter complimented Marty Gibbs for his expertise in speeding up the process and also Ms. Stackhouse for her diligence with the title search.
The board also approved a contract with Mission of Hope Pediatric Services for therapeutic services.
Tonya Childress, TNVA Principal, explained the changes in the handbook. Changes include many grammatical edits. In addition, a new student orientation that included in classroom experiences was added to the online part of orientation. The policy for students who attend from another district was aligned with the second reading and passage of Board Policy 6.204 for Students Attending Out of District. Students were also made aware that the handbook may change throughout the year as new state and local requirements change.
The board approved the new grading system that was required by a new state law. The state law addressed high school only. But Jimmy Carter asked that the grading system be made system wide. The grading system was approved on first reading in order to be implemented at the beginning of the school year. Grade values will be as follows: A = 90 to 100, B = 80 to 89, C =70 t0 79, D = 60 to 69, and F = 59 and below. Now the K-12 grading will align with post high school and make grade point averages more understandable across all levels.
In closing, Carter commented that he was unsure that there was enough available staff to put assistants on buses. He also mentioned that he would like to see the maintenance salary schedule expanded to 20 years experience and give administrative assistants a two percent salary increase this school year. Board members Gibbs and Reed asked that time be set aside to review all of the board policies and that the number of microphones be expanded so each board member would have a microphone. Carter responded that he would encourage the board to do the review by sections and Dr. Ronnie Mincey, Federal Programs Supervisor, asked that the board begin with the changes caused by new laws.
Chip Brown, IT Tech for the board, said that more microphones would mean purchasing additional sound ports and Carter said that was possible. However, the next board meeting is Thursday, August 11, at Luttrell Elementary School at 6 p.m. and Brown said the setup would remain as is for that meeting.