By Sally Absher

 

Special Called Board of Education Meeting – Tuesday, January 19

School Board Chairman Doug Harris has scheduled a special called meeting of the Knox County Board of Education for Tuesday, January 19 to discuss a potential resignation agreement and a possible buyout of the superintendent’s contract. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the Boardroom on the first floor of the Andrew Johnson Building located at 912 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The meeting will be broadcast live on Comcast Cable Channel 10 and streamed live at www.knoxschools.org. The Board’s Mid-Month Work Session will occur directly following the special called meeting.

 

Junior League of Knoxville Awards More than $15,000 to KCS Teachers

Through its Mini-Grants Program, the Junior League of Knoxville (JLK) awarded a total of $15,162 to teachers in Knox County Schools to fund 39 classroom projects aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for area students.

Every year, the Junior League partners with Belk to award mini-grants in the amount of $50 to $500 on a competitive basis to teachers to fund innovative classroom projects. More than 80 grant applications were submitted this year.

“We are excited to continue to support teachers who find innovative ways to enhance education for their students,” said Cammy Kromer, president of the Junior League of Knoxville. “Throughout the past 30 years, the Junior League has awarded more than $366,162 to fund projects in Knox County schools. We are proud to continue to support teachers and education in our community.”

The teachers were honored at the Junior League General Membership Meeting on Jan. 5 at the Lighthouse Knoxville Event Center.

 

L&N STEM Academy to receive $1500 donation from Meritor Inc.

Meritor Inc., based in Morristown, annually recognizes their top engineer and as an accompaniment to the recognition, the engineer selects a school to receive a monetary donation in their name. This year’s recognized engineer chose L&N STEM Academy because of their work in engineering. The $1500 donation will go to further CTE and robotics programming at L&N Stem.

 

More Problems in KCS Security Department

Last month, it was reported that the Knox Schools Chief of Security Gus Paidousis was under investigation, citing claims of racism, sexual harassment, angry outbursts and threats of physical violence by KCS security investigators Dan Stewart, Doug Ryerkerk, and Bill Kee. The complaints follow an earlier complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by school security officer Larry Grant alleging gender favoritism in hiring, and threat of a second EEOC complaint alleging racism.

Last week, Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “JJ” Jones revoked the unrestricted bond cards for the three officers following review of their personnel files. The bond card allows a school security officer to carry a gun anywhere in Knox County Schools, and is a requirement of their position. The officers were put on paid administrative leave pending further review and recommendations from KCS human resources.