In a unanimous vote during Thursday evening’s special-called meeting, the Knox County Board of Education selected Kelly Sprinkles to be the district’s next leader.
“It is an honor for me to have the opportunity to lead the Knox County Schools,” said Sprinkles, following the announcement.
Sprinkles, the current principal at Knox County Middle School, is set to begin work on Monday as interim superintendent Ralph Hoskins moves into a consulting role for the next forty-five days. Hoskins will assist Sprinkles during the transition in leadership.
“This is my home and I’m looking forward to working with our staff and community to make our school system the best”, said Sprinkles.
Sprinkles’ career in education spans twenty years in Knox County. He served as a science teacher at Boone Elementary from 1993 to 1998 before serving as principal at Dewitt from 1998 to 2001, Jesse D. Lay from 2001 to 2006, and Knox County Middle from 2006 to present.
During his tenure in Knox County, Sprinkles has participated on various committees both locally and at state levels. In addition to his knowledge of being a school principal, Sprinkles brings experience from serving on the State Professional Growth and Effectiveness Principal Steering Committee and the State Principal’s Advisory Council.
According to a public survey that was conducted this spring to collect opinions of what characteristics the next superintendent should have, someone local was at the top of the list.
“It was a reoccurring theme throughout the responses that we received,” said Frank Shelton, spokesman for the school district.
“While the actual qualifications people wanted varied, almost everyone mentioned someone local.”
Sprinkles was one of three local candidates that the screening committee presented to the Board for consideration. The other three candidates held administrative positions in other Kentucky districts.
The naming of Sprinkles to the post of superintendent comes nineteen days earlier than the originally scheduled date of August 27 on the search timeline. Board members stated that Sprinkles’ credentials and enthusiasm for the position made the decision to move up the announcement date one of the easiest decisions of the search process.
With schools slated to open on August 21, Sprinkles hopes to use the next two weeks to work with the district’s leadership team and principals to make sure the new academic year gets off to a smooth start.
“Knox County has many great employees and I’m looking forward to working with them, and calling on them for their expertise, as we kick off the new year,” said Sprinkles.