July 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Kingsport City Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting

Description:  Calliope Barrett will lead the Board of Education and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. She is a rising 2nd grader at Kennedy Elementary School. 

Description:  Dr. Brandon Fletcher, 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:  Board President Dr. Brandon Fletcher will recognize Emery Corpstein, a recent graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School, who won the 2026 TSSAA Class AA (formerly AAA) Boys' Tennis Singles State Tournament Championship in Chattanooga on May 15. He became the first D-B boys' tennis player to win a state championship in 21 years and the first Indians player to win a boys' singles title. Reedy Toney serves as head coach and assistant coaches are Kaelin Toney and Holly Perdue.

Description: 

For Public Comment during Kingsport Board of Education Regular and Called Meetings:

SIGN-UP REQUIRED

Any person wishing to address the Kingsport Board of Education during the Public Comment portion of a Board regular meeting will have an opportunity to sign up immediately prior to the 6:00 p.m. meeting.  Prior notification of intent to speak is not necessary, but recommended.

HOW LONG MAY I SPEAK?

Per KCS Board Policy 1.404 - Public Communications at Board Meetings, those who have signed up may speak for up to three (3) minutes. Before addressing the Board, the speaker shall state his or her full name and address, including zip code. The public comment period will last no more than thirty (30) minutes in total, unless the Board waives the limit(s) upon considering a request for extension made prior to the President's announcement for public input.  

WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN?

Speakers will be called in the order in which they signed up or announced their intent to address the Board. When the Board President calls your name, please make your way to the podium.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Please address the Board as a whole. Note that the Board will not respond to public comment. 
• Limit comments to the allotted time as determined by the Board President.
• Profane language, making threats, or revealing confidential student or staff information will not be allowed.
• Comments regarding personnel or personnel matters are not germane during public input.
• Speakers may not refer to students by name without permission from the parent or guardian.
• Groups representing a common viewpoint are encouraged to select one spokesperson.
• All comments become a matter of public record.

In order to communicate with individual members of the Board, the public may obtain members’ contact information from the Office of the Superintendent or from the Kingsport City Schools website, www.k12k.com.

Description:  The Board of Education meeting dates for FY 2026-2027 are attached for Board consideration and approval.

Description:  The 2026-2027 Projected Annual School Board Agenda is attached for review and approval.

Description:  Per Board Policy 6.317 - Student Disciplinary Hearing Authority (DHA), the BOE must appoint members to the DHA. The DHA shall consist of a minimum of three members, with at least two of which shall be licensed employees of the Board. The maximum number must not exceed the total membership of the Board. DHA members shall be appointed to one-year terms and subject to reappointment.

Recommended for Board approval to serve on the Disciplinary Hearing Authority for the 2026-2027 school year are the following employees:

Jim Nash, Chief Student Services Officer (Chair)
Matthew Smith, Attendance Coordinator
Amanda Arnold, Assistant Principal at Dobyns-Bennett High School
Ben Robertson, Assistant Director of Special Education
Virginia Marshall, Associate Principal at Adams Elementary School

Description:  The proposed list of KCS school fees for the 2026–2027 school year is attached, as well as Policy 6.709 - School Fees and Fines. This policy states that school fees shall not be charged to any student as a condition of attending school, except for applicable tuition fees for students residing outside the city limits. Under some circumstances, fees are needed to fund certain activities. School fees may be waived upon parental request. The annual waiver process shall conform to the guidelines established by the Tennessee State Board of Education.

Description:  Mrs. Jennifer Guthrie, Chief Human Resources Officer, has submitted the 2026-2027 Differentiated Pay Plan for Board approval. This document describes teacher compensation-related proposals being considered for the 2026–2027 school year.

Description:  The Consolidated Funding Application for Federal Programs summary for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for the 2026-2027 school year is attached for review and approval. The budget is based on the KCS preliminary allocation and may change after the final allocation is determined by the U.S. Department of Education and the Tennessee Department of Education.

Description:  Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, has submitted one revised policy that was reviewed at the June BOE Meeting. It is recommended the Board approve this policy for adoption on First and Final Reading.

Description:  Per Policy 3.204 - Threat Assessment Team, a report is required to be provided to the Board of Education at least once per quarter.listing the local number of incidents reported to state and local law enforcement agencies requiring notice to parent(s)/guardian(s) for the respective quarter, as well as for the year to date.

Description:  It is recommended the Board approve a renewal agreement (addendum 13) with ESS South Central LLC for substitute staffing for the 2026-2027 school year. There will be no changes to the pay scale for the upcoming year. Funding will be from the General Purpose School Fund.

Description:  Ballad Health will provide a one-time grant in the amount of $4,500 to each of the following schools: Dobyns-Bennett High School, DB-EXCEL, Jefferson Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School., Kennedy Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Washington Elementary School. The donation, which totals $31,500, will allow the schools to set up a reset room to aid in positive mental health and stress reduction for students and teachers.

Description:  Kingsport City Schools has contracted with Solution Tree for professional development services since the 2022-2023 school year. On May 13, 2026, a purchase agreement for $42,600 was executed for three-day workshops at Jackson Elementary School and Robinson Middle School. The administration desires to add additional services for interactive web conferences for the Leadership Team. The cost for the additional services brings the total cost of the agreement to $60,600. Funding will be from the 2026-2027 Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) Grant.

Description:  It is recommended the Board approve a Contractual Agreement renewal with Frontier Health for the purpose of continuing current services provided by Holston Children and Youth Services for alcohol and drug prevention, behavioral health intervention services, and student assistance services. The contract total for the 2026-2027 school year is not to exceed $140,000.00, with funding for this agreement contained in the FY2027 General Projects School Fund.

Description:  It is recommended the Board approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) renewal with Clarvida/Camelot Care Centers, Inc. for the 2026-2027 school year to ensure the continuation of current behavioral health and counseling services provided to all students at Kingsport City Schools. Camelot Care Centers, Inc. is a provider of behavioral health and counseling services. They provide mental health professionals to work with children, families of KCS students, and school staff to develop and implement treatment plans and provide services in accordance with the established treatment plans. Camelot will again have eleven counselors to meet the needs of the students. The contract total is not to exceed $198,000 for the 2025-2026 school year. Funding for this contract will come from the School General Purpose Fund ($45,000.00), Coordinated School Health Fund ($18,000.00), and Safe Schools Grant Funds ($135,000.00).

Description:  It is recommended the Board approve a Services Agreement renewal with Blue Ridge Medical Management Corporation for the purpose of continuing current services provided by Blue Ridge Medical Management Corporation for extracurricular student drug screening services. The agreement total for the 2026-2027 school year will not exceed $15,000.00, with funding for this agreement contained in the General Projects Fund.

Description:  It is recommended the Board approve utilizing state contract 89157 with SchoolKit, LLC to acquire services in connection with a Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant in the amount of $80,000.00. Services provided include, but are not necessarily limited to, the identification of needs in literacy education, training on instructional practices in literacy, and training and support of using state approved instructional documents to improve literacy instruction.The total cost of this contract is funded from the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Grant.

Description:  David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, will present Budget Amendment #2 for Board consideration.

Description:  David Frye will present a recommendation to enter into a contract with Thompson & Litton, Inc. for Phase 3 for the new elementary school in Lynn Garden. The administration recommends entering into an Agreement for a lump sum fee of $2,265,000 with Thompson & Litton, Inc. for professional architectural and engineering services to provide the design development, construction documents, bidding assistance, and construction administration for Phase 3 of the New Elementary School in Lynn Garden. The total fee includes $188,795 for additional services for landscaping consultant, kitchen equipment consultant, furniture design consultant, furniture bidding, and cost estimating. There is also $48,000 included for reimbursable expenses. Funding for Phase 3 is designated in the Lynn Garden Elementary School Project GP2507. The completion date of the new school is scheduled for the end of May 2029.

Description:  David Frye will present a recommendation for Board approval of an agreement with Construction Partners for the Dobyns-Bennett High School Select Renovations Phase ! Project in the amount of $2,901,801 and a 6% contingency in the amount of $174,108. With the receipt of TISA growth funds, it is recommended the following alternates be included in the project: Alternate 1 - $236,000 for all demolition and new work associated with the renovation in the old administrative area; Alternate 2 - $160,000 for all demolition and new work associated with the construction of the existing building connector (fire shutter replacement), and Alternate 9A - $106,000 for technology wiring to the new classrooms and associated spaces on the second floor East wing. If approved, the total cost for the construction agreement will be $3,403,801.

The total cost of this project will be $3,852,052. Funding will be from the Dobyns-Bennett renovation project GP2111.

The administration recommends issuing a change order to the agreement with Construction Partners in the amount of $502,000 and increasing the 6% contingency by $30,120.

Description:  Dr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, will review several policies recommended for Board approval on First Reading at the August Board meeting.