KNOX COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Knox County Board of Education Narrative Evaluation of Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. for the 2014-2015 Academic School Year Douglas A. Harris Chair Tracie Sanger Vice Chair Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. Superintendent MEMBERS Gloria Deathridge Lynne Fugate Karen Carson Terry Hill Patti Bounds Mike McMillan Amber Rountree Sydney Gabrielson Student Representative Terri Coatney Executive Assistant

Each year the Board of Education is charged with working individually with the Superintendent in evaluating and assessing his job performance for the previous school term. Part of the individual evaluation includes submitting a written narrative that encompasses five primary areas:     

Student Achievement Strategic Planning and Execution Effective Use of Resources Relationships with Staff, Personnel, and Board Members Family and Community Engagement

Guided by board policy, this narrative is a composite, to the extent possible, of the evaluation by individual Board members, but the Board, as a whole, shall meet with the Superintendent to discuss the composite evaluation. Among other tasks, the Superintendent is responsible for:         

Stewarding a total budget of approximately $450 million Educating, developing and protecting 57,000 children, many who have inadequate family support or special needs that create unique challenges Managing 8,000 employees in a quickly changing environment Maintaining 90+ buildings, including overseeing the occasional $20 million construction project Serving tens of thousands of meals per day as one of Knoxville’s largest food service operations Overseeing one of the largest transportation operations in the state Leading a security team that would rank as the 11th largest police force in the state Handling media requests that communicate the work of Knox County schools. Keeping abreast of the numerous laws and regulations that govern public schools.

Student Achievement The academic achievement of our students is the most important “area of focus” that the Board measures as part of our evaluation and, fortunately, it has the most objective data to assess change. In short, under Dr. McIntyre’s tenure, and working with our excellent teachers, students have made significant academic progress, and a solid foundation and culture of learning is in place.

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Referencing the recent school year, a few of the Board’s evaluative comments include descriptors like “encouraging, tremendous progress, good, pleased, proud, and commended.” However, the most revealing and important information for this evaluation and highlighted by the Board is found in the objective academic results of our students. There were many, but some of the most notable, specific benchmarks for the past year that should be recognized include: 

KCS earned State designation as an “Exemplary District”, an award received by less than 10% of the 140+ school districts in Tennessee.

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An increase in student proficiency on TCAP in 20 of 25 subject and grade combinations.

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KCS met all state achievement targets for 11 of 11 Annual Measureable Objectives (AMOs).

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Graduation rate of 90%, an improvement from 79% in 2008.

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Since 2008, the number of Advanced Placement exams passed with a 3 or better has almost doubled to 2,600.

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ACT composite score improved to 20.7, even while the state and the nation remained flat.

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Percent (42%) of incoming freshman graduating four years later with a 21 or better on the ACT continued to increase for class of 2015, and is up 20% since 2008.

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Earned composite Level 5 TVAAS, the highest level attainable Level. (Measures students who are making substantially more progress than the “Standard “for academic growth.)

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Achievement gaps defined by income, race, disability and language were narrowed in 11 out of 16 subjects. Area of Focus

District wide focus needs to remain on improving number of 3rd graders reading at or above proficient level. Dr. McIntyre should continue to look at avenues that allow our teachers to identify barriers and have access to targeted intervention strategies with our youngest students. While significant progress has been made on reducing the amount of time spent on testing, there also needs to be time spent decreasing the amount of time devoted to practice for testing. We need to continue to explore ways we can better meet the needs of our ESL students. With the increasing number of students from different countries (with and without formal education) enrolling in our schools, it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the needs of each of these students. 2

Strategic Planning and Execution Under Dr. McIntyre’s forward thinking leadership, Knox County Schools have been guided for several years by a strategic plan. Developed with significant stakeholder input, a second fiveyear strategic plan was adopted by the Knox County Board of Education this past year. The creation and consistent implementation of the first Strategic Plan was instrumental in moving our schools forward and this updated document will guide our work until 2020. As outlined in Dr. McIntyre’s self-evaluation, he has already begun the work of the new plan by creating the Task Force on Disparities in Educational Outcomes, he has created a Task Force to work on restructuring Strategic Compensation, he has continued the work of the Teacher Advisory Committee, and he led a community discussion on a Balanced Calendar. Developing and methodically following our strategic plan is an important strength of our Superintendent that is consistently acknowledged by a majority of the Board. Of particular note from the last strategic plan, the implementation of the School Technology Challenge that employs one to one computers is flourishing. This important initiative now includes a total of 17 schools. Dr. McIntyre has done a great job in expanding the program by securing a grant this year that provided iPads to more than 2,000 new students at Bearden Middle and Carter Middle. More importantly, we have empowered our teachers to develop and implement new ways to effectively employ the technology in the classroom. In fact, Knox County teachers and administrators are seen as leaders in our state and nation and are frequently called on to share advice and expertise. Area of Focus In the coming year, the Board looks for continued progress in each area of the plan. It is recommended that the Board agenda be aligned with the strategic plan. Also, effort needs to be ongoing in involving employees in the development of initiatives which directly impacts their work. Lastly, communication at public events outside of our schools should always include specific ties to implementation and accomplishment of specific areas of strategic plan. Effective Use of Resources Management of budget and communication of adjustments, concerns, and solutions continues to be an area of strength. Efforts to tie our spending and decision making directly to student outcome and support are consistent and clearly communicated. Dr. McIntyre continues to leverage his experience and national stature in obtaining grants that augment our general fund budget in support of our educational priorities. A recent example is the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS) grant that was made possible through our participation in the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. Aligning our budget with the strategic plan is a yearly challenge as KCS is never fully funded by the State’s own BEP funding plan. However, leadership was demonstrated in a compromise this year working with Knox County Commission and the Mayor’s office. Dr. McIntyre, working closely with Mayor Burchett in a strengthened relationship, was able to fund a 2% teacher raise which outpaced inflationary household expenses. Under Dr. McIntyre’s leadership, in the last 3

three years our teachers have earned a total of 4.5% pay increases which moves us closer to our teacher salary goals. Dr. McIntyre leads his staff in finding ways to deliver more to our students than our budget would allow otherwise by creating partnerships with others in the community. Working closely with The Great Schools Partnership education foundation, we saw innovative programs developed and funded with significant private financial resources and include the CodeTN competition and the TeacherPreneur grants. Another significant partnership created this past school year was with Pellissippi State and resulted in the opening of the Career Magnet Academy. Dr. McIntyre’s previous work experience as a School Finance Director is a definite asset in managing our financial resources. His expertise in this area is recognized by the University of Tennessee where he teaches a class in school finance each spring. Area of Focus Annual fiscal audits last year uncovered some isolated incidents of misuse of funds by unscrupulous employees. We appreciate the zero tolerance policy toward this behavior and the implementation of change in oversight to prevent future issues. In the context of a $450 million budget the losses were not extraordinary, albeit disconcerting. Our accounting systems were adequate to keep the total losses to less than $20,000 or 0.0005% of budget. Safeguarding every dollar of taxpayer funds and tightening our accountability systems should continue to be a focus in the coming year. Substantial focus will need to be given by the Superintendent, along with Board, on the effect of building two new middle schools. Plans on staffing, rezoning, and impact on other schools will require significant community input. Also, coordination of joint efforts between the Board and the County Commission to proactively give input, guidance, and oversight to the upcoming potential changes to the BEP will also need to be a priority. Relationships with Staff, Personnel, and Board Members As Dr. McIntyre noted in his self-evaluation, his relationship with school leaders, teachers, and other staff has improved. He has made a very concerted effort to bolster communication and support of teachers as he was strongly encouraged to do in his last evaluation. Perception is difficult to change and trust between Dr. McIntyre (and his leadership team) with some administrators and teachers still needs improvement. Some of this is a result of mandates dictated from our State Department of Education and implemented by the Board over the last several years. To his credit, Dr. McIntyre has improved his communication with teachers by being very intentional. He has sent direct emails to all teachers and staff on a regular basis. Additionally, it has been valuable for him to continue the Teacher Advisory Committee to hear the insights and perspective of classroom teachers and also to foster important relationships with them. The communication of notes after each meeting has been consistent and the decision to have a group 4

report to the Board has been effective in keeping all up-to-date on issues discussed. Periodically, the Superintendent also has lunch with small groups of teachers and attends different school staff meetings. The focus in this area is producing a positive impact that was evident in the 2015 Teacher Survey. For virtually every question asked in 2013 and 2015, the Knox County Schools experienced increases in the positive responses, and decreases in the negative responses. Some of the highlights include: • 84% of teachers responded that their school was a good place to work and learn. • 53% of teachers surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that their school-district was a good place to work and learn. In the 2013 survey, the results were 28%. Area of Focus Efforts to open dialogue with employees needs to continue. Significant work continues to be needed in the development, implementation, and utilization of a safe, reliable communication loop that is responsive to employee concerns and suggestions at each level of our organization. A consensus of the Board indicates that responsiveness to members continues to be appropriate, professional and timely. He keeps us informed on an almost daily basis about issues involving our work. Dr. McIntyre should continue to reach out to all board members in an effort to reach our shared goals of Excellence for Every Child. Family and Community Engagement There have been continued efforts with family and community engagement with the District Advisory Committee and Principal for a Day. Our county was engaged with community meetings and surveys regarding the Balanced Calendar. There were also community meetings and task forces set up regarding student assessments and student disparities in academics and discipline. The State of the Schools has become a great way to connect with our community about the importance, progress, and goals of the education of our students. Dr. McIntyre was also able to start a Community Relations function this past year. He consistently recognized teachers, staff, and students for their accomplishments and work in the community during board meetings. He also used social media with Facebook and Twitter to try to make connections with our schools’ stakeholders. The Community School Initiative is one where the community along with the civic and business stakeholders work together to help establish and implement programs applicable to their community. This effort continues to grow to meet the needs of the students and families in the community they serve.

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As he has every year that he has been our superintendent, Dr. McIntyre attended every high school’s graduation ceremony last spring. He is to be commended for this hard work and engagement. In a previous review, Dr. McIntyre was encouraged to have his leadership team become more visible in the community and he has done that. Area of Focus Continue to increase visibility of your leadership team both in the schools and the community. Efforts at the school level to be more effective in utilizing and engaging available community resources can be improved. Mechanism of getting reliable feedback from parents and community related to satisfaction should also be developed system-wide and communicated with the Board. Conclusion Children in Knox County Schools are making academic progress and great strides for which we can be proud. A clear majority of the Board has affirmed the direction and significant accomplishments of Dr. McIntyre and Knox County Schools. Overwhelmingly, the Board recognizes Dr. McIntyre’s tremendous work ethic as he manages and maintains a schedule that is truly amazing in its breadth and scope. Directing 8,000 team members and overseeing 57,000 students is an extremely demanding task and we are fortunate that our Superintendent consistently exceeds our expectations. As was discussed, Dr. McIntyre has areas that he can focus on to improve his performance and help us meet our goal of Excellence for Every Child. Despite the daily challenges of this job, Dr. McIntyre consistently displays a positive and forward looking attitude. These attributes should serve him well in the future as the leader of Knox County Schools.

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