The start of a new calendar year brought changes to the Knox County Board of Education.
The Board met on Thursday night and unanimously elected Charles Merida as its chair and member Gordon Hinkle as vice chairman. The leadership positions are for one year. Hinkle had previously been serving as chairman.
The changes in chair followed the swearing in ceremony for newly elected member Jimmy Hendrickson, who serves district five (5) which is the Lynn Camp and Gray area of Knox County. Returning members Dr. Tom Ashburn and Charles Merida were sworn in following re-election of their Board seats in November. The oath of office was conducted by the Honorable District Judge Wendell Lewis “Skip” Hammons Jr.
At the start of the meeting the Board members were in the spotlight as the district joins others across the state in recognizing January as School Board Recognition Month.
Academic standards. Achievement gaps. College and career readiness. School safety. Athletics and extracurriculars. Policies of all kinds. Plus the budgeting that undergirds it all. “These are just some of the areas local school board members must understand because of their responsibilities,” said Kentucky School Boards Association President Allen Kennedy in a recent press release about the state recognition month.
Dr. Tom Ashburn, Peggy Gray, Jimmy Hendrickson, Gordon Hinkle, and Charles Merida are among the 850-plus school board members in the state’s 173 local school districts who will be singled out for their service in doing a job that has become increasingly complex.
“Being Board member is a challenging task, as they represent the best interest of the students amid challenging financial decisions and changes to state and federal requirements,” said Kelly Sprinkles, superintendent of the Knox County Public Schools.
“They listen to the ideas and needs that our stakeholders share and make the critical decisions of what resources and changes need to take place to ensure continued student success,” said Sprinkles.
Posted on January 13, 2017