May 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Kingsport City Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting

Description:  Jackson Elementary School students Ana Brown and Carsten Land will lead the Board of Education and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ana is in 3rd grade and Carsten in a 5th grader.

Description:  Mrs. Melissa Woods, Board President, will ask for a motion to accept the agenda, which includes the consent agenda. Once the agenda is accepted, the Board mutually agrees not to discuss any item of business or take any action that has not been accepted for the agenda.

Description:  Throughout this school year, the Destination Imagination Team at John Adams (self-named The Cheesy Kings) worked to prepare for the Tennessee State DI Tournament that took place recently. Their challenge was to build a machine that could walk across a tightrope while carrying weights and present it in a visual story form. Per the rules, no adult involvement was allowed.

The team's creativity, teamwork, perseverance and humor were an inspiration throughout the process. The comedy they wrote into their skit had the judges laughing out loud during their performance. At a crucial point in the presentation, the machine they built fell off the tightrope and shattered. Undeterred, the team banned together and jumped into action. They miraculously rebuilt their machine and sent it flying successfully across the tightrope just in time. What a testament to perseverance we can all learn from!

The team's perseverance earned them 1st Place in Engineering and a chance to compete at the Destination Imagination Global Tournament taking place in late May.  

Team Members include:
Danny Bailey
Jamen Eslinger
Charles Hall
Isaac Kremer
Harrison Phillips
Lincoln Sentell
Hudson Tipton

Sponsors:
Cassie Phillips
Jamie Doran

Description:  The Dobyns-Bennett High School Saxophone Ensemble, Portail du Son, was selected as one of only ten high school chamber ensembles nationwide to perform at the esteemed National Chamber Music Festival on March 13-15, 2025 in Indianapolis, IN. The festival is sponsored by Music for All, a national organization responsible for hosting the nation's top young musicians and is affiliated with Bands of America National Marching Band Championships.

Portail du Son student-musicians include Chris Egan (alto saxophone), Liam Klug (soprano saxophone), Luke Nash (tenor saxophone), Eli Turner (baritone saxophone), and Matthew Williams (alto saxophone). These students are also members of the Dobyns-Bennett Band and have earned numerous individual accolades.   

As part of the festival, Portail du Son delivered a 25-minute performance on the national stage, followed by a post-performance from a panel of nationally distinguished musicians.

Description:  The Dobyns-Bennett High School Robotics team, Cyber Tribe, won their sixth consecutive Southeast Regional Championship at the First Robotics Competition in Huntsville, Alabama. The team was ranked 1st in Tennessee (out of 29 teams) and ranked 38th in the world (out of 3,712 teams). They also placed 33rd in the world for autonomous routine. This was the team's highest finish at the world's competition in team history.

Description: 

Public Comment Guidelines:

This is the time when members of the audience are invited to comment on agenda items. If pre-approved by the Board Executive Committee, members of the community may also address the Board regarding non-agenda items. In order to speak on a topic not included on the agenda, per Board Policy 1.404, you must submit a written request to the Superintendent of Schools at least three (3) business days before the regular meeting.  

This is not the time to speak about personnel issues, as there are more appropriate ways in which these can be addressed. If you are not sure how to do this, please ask a Board member after the meeting. In your remarks, you may not refer to students by name without permission from a parent or guardian.

Speakers are requested to first state your name and limit your remarks to a maximum of three (3) minutes.

Thank you. 

Description:  Mr. David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, has submitted a list of multiple donations from various sources received by Kingsport City Schools. The total of the individual school receipts is $87,273.00. It is recommended the Board approve acceptance of these donations. 

Description:  Mr. Frye will present a recommendation to enter into an agreement with Holston Engineering for architectural and engineering services for the Washington Elementary School HVAC replacement project. Holston Engineering will provide design services, bid administration, construction administration and close-out services. The proposed fee for these services is 6% of the total construction cost, not to exceed $240,000. Funding for the project will be from the GP2512 account.

Description:  Mr. Frye will present a recommendation to utilize Sourcewell Contract #010521-LTS-8 to purchase playground equipment from Playworld Preferred, Inc. in the amount of $108,028.06. Funding will be from the School General Purpose Fund. A portion of the funding has been donated by the PTA.

Description:  Mr. Frye will present a recommendation to award the bid for the Palmer Center Parking Lot Improvements project to Watts Paving & Maintenance, Inc. Four bids were received at the bid opening on April 17, 2025, with Watts Paving & Maintenance, Inc. being the lowest compliant bid in the amount of $370,823.25. The total cost of the project is $415,321.25, including a City Engineering Fee ($22,249.00) and six percent contingenc ($22,249.00). Funding has been appropriated in the KCS Parking Lot Improvement Project GP2511 account.

Description:  Mr. Frye will present a recommendation to purchase science textbooks and instructional materials for student use over the next six years. Tennessee Book Company is the official State of Tennessee school book depository/distributor. It is recommended the Board of Education authorize the purchase for the science textbook adoption for grades K-5 from Tennessee Book Company in the amount of $390,000.00. Funding for the science textbook purchases will come from the current year School General Purpose funds ($195,000.00) and from FY 2025-2026 School General Purpose funds ($195,000.00). In addition, it is recommended a blanket order be issued for FY 2025-2026 to Tennessee Book Company in the amount of $275,000.00 to cover the K-5 science textbooks, freight costs for consumables and Quavers.

Description:  Mr. Frye will present Budget Amendment #5 for Board consideration.

Description:  Mr. Frye will present the proposed FY 2025-2026 Kingsport City Schools Budget for Board consideration.
 

Description:  Mr. Frye will provide a financial update for the 3rd quarter of FY 2024-2025.

Description:  Mrs. Woods will provide a report on the recent Board evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Chris Hampton.