Highlights of the January 2021 Board Meeting

Members of the Board at January meeting

The first regular monthly meeting of the 2021 calendar year took place at the Knox County Board of Education Annex on Monday, January 25.  Like prior meetings in 2020, the meeting was limited to school board members and staff due to meeting protocols issued for the novel coronavirus.  The meeting was streamed live and the video is available for replay at kcps.media.

Communication Items

The Honorable Judge Wendell “Skip” Hammons was present to administer a ceremonial Oath of Office to newly elected board member Jim Miles and re-elected members Dr. Thomas Ashburn and Jimmy Hendrickson. The three had previously been sworn in this month to be able to conduct business prior to the regular monthly meeting.

The district recognized the contributions that board members make beyond the monthly meetings.  January is School Board Recognition Month in Kentucky in cooperation with the Kentucky School Boards Association.  Each member was presented with a plaque from the district and a certificate from KSBA.

Highlights of Action Items

  • The Board voted to keep meetings on the fourth Tuesday of the month, with exceptions in May, June, November, and July due to holidays and vacations – which will be on the prior Monday.  The Board voted to move the start time to 6:30 pm from 6:45 pm.
  • A change in leadership on the Board occurred.  Dr. Thomas Ashburn was nominated and elected to serve as chairman for the year.  Kevin Hinkle was nominated and elected to serve as vice-chair.
  • Mowing service bids were awarded following a bid opening. The Board voted to contract with M&B Complete Lawn Services for properties on the eastern side of Knox County.  Phipps Mowing and Landscaping was selected for a contract to serve Lynn Camp and Lay Elementary, upon acceptance by the contractor.
  • Chemical bid services for athletic fields were awarded to Turfworx, LLC.
  • The Board passed a resolution to extend COVID-19 emergency leave days for employees following the ending of federal leave options on December 31, 2020.
  • The Board reviewed and approved both the district’s Certified Evaluation Plan and the Comprehensive District Improvement Plan.
  • Finance officer Gertrude Smith presented the staffing policy and draft budget to the board.  The staffing policy sets the student to teacher ratios and the number of additional employees (classified) at each school.  The Board voted to approve both.
  • The Board voted to approve the 2019-2020 financial audit performed by Cloyd and Associates. During the communication and reports section of the meeting, the firm provided an overview of its services and work.

This is an unofficial briefing on the actions by the Knox County Board of Education on January 25, 2021.  Official minutes will be approved at the Board’s February meeting.

A copy of the agenda is available for download as a PDF document and is embedded below.


Download the PDF file .