The Knox County Board of Education has named current Assistant Superintendent of Knox County Schools Bob Thomas as the new superintendent of Knox County Schools.

Mr. Thomas, who was selected during a special-called meeting Monday, will take over the reins from Interim Superintendent Buzz Thomas, who has served in the role over the last year.

“I am deeply humbled and grateful for the confidence the Board has placed in me. I look forward to continuing my commitment to serve Knox County Schools and working to provide the best education we can to all students,” Bob Thomas said.

With more than 44 years in education, Mr. Thomas currently oversees charter school applications, implementation of the new payroll system and assists with human resources cases. He previously directed the transportation, finance, human recourses and facilities departments. Early in his career, he taught at Bearden Junior High, Bearden High and Rule High School.

During a recent community forum, Mr. Thomas named three top priorities that were “non-negotiable” for him: enhancing student achievement, continuing to work toward creating a positive culture in schools while eliminating disparities of any kind and focusing on personalized student learning.

With a mission statement of “all means all, not one more than another,” Mr. Thomas said, “Our pre-K-12 commitment is to increase student achievement by better preparing all students. Every student we serve is entitled to the best education we can provide. We can do this by putting an effective teacher in every classroom and continuing our work to eliminate disparities in every way we can. Parents send us their best every day. When we say ‘all means all,’ we mean that.”

The Board will begin the process of negotiating a contract for Mr. Thomas, who is expected to take office later this spring.