Knox County Schools superintendent rated ‘above expectations’ by school board and himself – Knoxville News Sentinel

After a big year marked by a significant salary hike for Knox County Schools employees and successful efforts to fill job vacancies, Superintendent Jon Rysewyk received an “above expectations” rating from the school board.

It’s the second year in a row he received the designation. His overall score from the board was 4 out of a possible 5 points, which means, per his contract, he will not get a raise on his $260,000 annual salary.

Rysewyk gave himself a 4.1 overall score.

The board will vote on the evaluation at its June 9 meeting .

“The superintendent’s personal involvement and leadership in critical initiatives like the Region 5 plan has paid dividends for students,” the board noted in its evaluation. Region 5 is a geographic cluster with a high number of underperforming schools.

The board has advised Rysewyk to focus on improving student literacy and special education.

Knox County Schools was ranked “satisfactory” for a second year in a row by the Tennessee Department of Education after it was designated “in need of improvement” among the bottom 5% in the state in 2022.

The district ratings combine academic test scores, test score improvement over time, chronic absenteeism and English language proficiency. The state uses the scores to determine which schools need extra help.

More:What is Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk focusing on in his third year?

Rysewyk was named superintendent in summer 2022. He has focused his leadership under four priorities and reorganized schools into a regional structure, allocating resources as needed to the district’s most challenged schools.

How did school board members rate Jon Rysewyk?

Rysewyk’s overall rating is a combination of scores from the nine individual board members.

Here’s how each of them rated his work on a scale of 1 to 5.

• District 1 – John Butler, score: 4.1
• District 2 – Anne Templeton, score: 3.3
• District 3 – Patricia Fontenot-Ridely, score: 3.5
• District 4 – Katherine Bike, score: 3.2
• District 5 – Lauren Morgan, score: 4.6
• District 6 – Betsy Henderson, score: 4
• District 7 – Steve Triplett, score: 3.06
• District 8 – Travis Wright, score: 4.4
• District 9- Kristi Kristy. Score: 4.86.

What was in Rysewyk’s self-evaluation?

Rysewyk noted his progress made in improving staffing at the district and raising compensation for all employees.

Here’s how he scored himself individually on 15 objectives with an explanation for each score (on a scale of 1-5):

• Literacy – align resources to introduce highly effective literacy strategies. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Algebra I preparedness – align resources to introduce highly effective math strategies. Score: 5 (significantly above expectations)
• Concentrate resources to ensure highly effective reading and writing strategies are being implemented in every English language arts classroom districtwide. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Establish innovative strategies to address teacher shortages. Score: 5 (significantly above expectations)
• Recruit and retain highly effective teachers in areas of greatest need. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Create opportunities for educators to grow professionally and to receive exposure to leadership development. Score: 3 (at expectations)
• Organize and reorganize school processes and structures to ensure all students have access to opportunities and are prepared for success after graduation. Score: 5 (significantly above expectations)
• Advance local business partnerships for every school within the district. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Implement processes to equip every student with the characteristics defined in the KCS portrait of a graduate: lifelong learner, effective communicator, collaborative teammate, creative problem solver, and community-minded citizen. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Establish plans to address achievement gaps for underperforming student groups. Score: 3 (at expectations)
• Initiate processes to address mental health obstacles and challenges for all students. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Develop a strategic plan to address needs for underperforming schools. Score: 3 (at expectations)
• Communication – superintendent is an effective communicator, both oral and written, and exhibits strong interpersonal communication skills. Score: 4 (above expectations)
• Community engagement – Superintendent creates opportunity to solicit support and engagement from the community. Score: 5 (significantly above expectations)
• Strategic and innovative leadership – superintendent sets goals, leads necessary change and builds plans to maximize efficient use of resources to support innovative practices to advance the work of district priorities. Score: 4 (above expectations)

Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X @AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news.