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Kingsport City Schools, Tennessee, elections

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Kingsport City Schools
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 7,784 (2022-2023)
Schools: 12 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Kingsport City Schools is a school district in Tennessee (Hawkins and Sullivan counties). During the 2023 school year, 7,784 students attended one of the district's 12 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

Tennessee code establishes default regular school board general election dates in August and November of even-numbered years, but also allows for school board general elections to be held on a different date.

In Tennessee, school board primary elections can be held to select party nominees for the school board general election. State law does not require there to be a school board primary election, and parties can nominate candidates through other methods. The date of a school board primary election, if held, depends on the date of the school board general election. If a school district holds a school board general election on a date other than the default August or November dates in even years and if a primary election is held, it must be on the first Tuesday of the third month before the general election. If that day is a holiday, it must be on the second Tuesday of the third month before the general election.

Tennessee law sets the first Thursday in August as one of the default dates on which school board general elections can be held.

School districts in Tennessee that hold school board general elections on the first Thursday in August, if they hold school board primary elections, must hold the primary elections on the first Tuesday in May in nonpresidential election years and on the first Tuesday in March in presidential election years.

School districts in Tennessee that hold school board general elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, if they hold school board primary elections, must hold the primary elections on the first Thursday in August.

Tennessee law sets the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as on of the default dates on which school board general elections can be held.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203 and Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203

In Tennessee, the school board candidate filing deadline depends on what election date is used and whether or not a primary election is held. For elections held at other times than the August and November dates, candidate filing deadlines are 12 pm on the third Thursday in the third calendar month before the election. If a primary election is held, the filing deadline for the primary election applies to all candidates.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 2-5-101

Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts holding school board general elections in August of even years

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts holding school board general elections in August of even years. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • General election date: August 7, 2025
  • Filing deadline date: February 19, 2026
  • Primary election date: March 5, 2026
  • Filing deadline date: April 2, 2026
Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts holding school board general elections in November of even years

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts holding school board general elections in November of even years. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Primary election date: August 7, 2025
  • Filing deadline date: August 21, 2025
  • Filing deadline date: April 2, 2026
  • General election date: November 3, 2026

Election system

School board members in Tennessee are elected either through a system of a nonpartisan general election without a primary or through a system of partisan party primaries and a partisan general election. Political parties can nominate candidates through party primaries or through other methods according to party rules.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Tennessee can be partisan — which means candidates can be nominated by political parties and are displayed on the ballot with party labels — or nonpartisan — which means candidates are displayed on the ballot without party labels. Tennessee Code states, "If at least one (1) county primary board of a political party elects to conduct school board elections on a partisan basis, then a person seeking a position on any board in that county may campaign as the nominee or representative of a political party, and political parties may nominate candidates for membership on the board." Legislation was enacted in 2021 to allow partisan elections. Before 2021, Tennessee school board elections were all nonpartisan without party labels.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203

Winning an election

In Tennessee, if a political party holds a school board primary election to nominate a candidate for the general election, the candidate that receives the most votes in the primary election advances to the general election as that party's nominee.

In Tennessee, the school board candidate that receives the most votes in the general election is elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201 and Section 2-13-203 and Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

Term length and staggering

Tennessee Code sets four-year school board terms for all school districts except for some special school districts with a different term established by special or private act. As of 2022, there were four special school districts with six-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

As close to half of school board members as possible are up for regular election every two years. Special acts can establish different election schedules.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members in Tennessee are elected at large by all voters in the district, by sub-district, or through a combination of the two. State law provides that county school board members are elected by sub-district, but special or private acts and grandfathered systems establish at-large elections for some county school board members. Special school district board members are elected according to special or private acts. Municipal school district board members are elected with the same representation method as the municipality's governing body. State law says that municipal school districts with board members elected by sub-district as of June 6, 1995, must continue to use that method of representation.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 49-2-201

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

In Tennessee, the school board candidate filing deadline depends on what election date is used and whether or not a primary election is held. For elections held at other times than the August and November dates, candidate filing deadlines are 12 pm on the third Thursday in the third calendar month before the election. If a primary election is held, the filing deadline for the primary election applies to all candidates.

For districts holding school board general elections in August with primary elections in March (presidential election years) or May (nonpresidential election years), the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the second Thursday in December in presidential election years and 12 pm on the third Thursday in February for nonpresidential election years.

For districts holding school board general elections in August and for which no primary "is called for any office to be filled in the regular August general election," the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the first Thursday in April.

For districts holding school board general elections in November and for which no primary election is called, the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the third Thursday in August.

For districts holding school board general elections in November with primary elections in August, the candidate filing deadline is 12 pm on the first Thursday in April.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Tennessee Code Section 2-5-101 and Tennessee Code Section 2-5-101



 


About the district

School board

Kingsport City Schools consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Jamie Jackson
Phillip Marshall
Brandon Fletcher2021
Melissa Woods2021
Todd Golden2014

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $12,343,000 $1,647 13%
Local: $50,245,000 $6,706 52%
State: $34,431,000 $4,595 36%
Total: $97,019,000 $12,948
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $88,749,000 $11,844
Total Current Expenditures: $84,093,000 $11,222
Instructional Expenditures: $51,758,000 $6,907 58%
Student and Staff Support: $10,779,000 $1,438 12%
Administration: $8,855,000 $1,181 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $12,701,000 $1,695 14%
Total Capital Outlay: $3,670,000 $489
Construction: $258,000 $34
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $986,000 $131
Interest on Debt: $0 $0

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 35 55-59 21 30-34 20-29 37
2018-2019 47 80-84 33 45-49 30-39 48
2017-2018 42 75-79 25 35-39 <=20 43
2016-2017 42 65-69 28 35-39 <=20 44
2015-2016 36 >=50 20-29 >=50 PS 36
2014-2015 71 85-89 58 60-64 >=50 72
2013-2014 68 80-84 58 70-74 60-79 68
2012-2013 69 80-84 59 65-69 <50 70
2011-2012 67 >=90 46 55-59 >=50 68
2010-2011 61 80-84 50 45-49 >=50 62

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 38 65-69 23 35-39 11-19 40
2018-2019 43 65-69 28 35-39 30-39 44
2017-2018 41 70-74 23 30-34 <=20 43
2016-2017 41 70-74 24 30-34 21-39 44
2015-2016 47 >=50 11-19 <50 PS 50
2014-2015 62 75-79 44 40-44 >=50 64
2013-2014 61 75-79 44 50-54 40-59 63
2012-2013 63 75-79 50 50-54 >=50 64
2011-2012 65 80-84 44 45-49 >=50 67
2010-2011 64 75-79 40-44 45-49 >=50 66

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 94 >=50 >=95 >=80 PS 94
2018-2019 94 >=80 >=90 >=80 PS 94
2017-2018 96 >=50 >=90 >=50 PS 96
2016-2017 95 PS >=90 >=80 PS 95
2015-2016 96 >=80 >=90 >=80 PS 96
2014-2015 94 >=50 >=90 >=80 PS 95
2013-2014 90 >=50 80-89 >=50 91
2012-2013 90 >=50 80-89 >=80 PS 91
2011-2012 90 >=50 >=90 >=80 PS 89
2010-2011 93 PS >=90 >=50 PS 93

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 7,784 2.0
2021-2022 7,629 1.8
2020-2021 7,493 -1.4
2019-2020 7,599 -1.0
2018-2019 7,672 0.5
2017-2018 7,637 0.2
2016-2017 7,618 2.8
2015-2016 7,402 1.4
2014-2015 7,298 0.6
2013-2014 7,256 2.9
2012-2013 7,044 1.0
2011-2012 6,972 2.8
2010-2011 6,778 3.0
2009-2010 6,575 -0.7
2008-2009 6,618 1.1
2007-2008 6,543 -2.6
2006-2007 6,713 2.2
2005-2006 6,566 -0.1
2004-2005 6,572 2.9
2003-2004 6,381 -0.1
2002-2003 6,387 0.6
2001-2002 6,347 -2.1
2000-2001 6,478 1.4
1999-2000 6,390 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Kingsport City Schools (%) Tennessee K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.6 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.6 2.0
Black 4.8 20.7
Hispanic 7.1 13.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 8.3 4.5
White 77.6 58.7

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Kingsport City Schools had 532.10 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.63.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 13.00
Kindergarten: 32.00
Elementary: 326.02
Secondary: 161.08
Total: 532.10

Kingsport City Schools employed 2.00 district administrators and 34.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 2.00
District Administrative Support: 44.00
School Administrators: 34.00
School Administrative Support: 20.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 133.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 12.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 22.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 13.00
Library/Media Support: 12.00
Student Support Services: 26.00
Other Support Services: 295.50

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Kingsport City Schools operates 12 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School399PK-5
Andrew Jackson Elementary School496PK-5
Andrew Johnson Elementary School543PK-5
Dobyns - Bennett High School2,5149-12
George Washington Elementary School503KG-5
John Adams Elementary School453KG-5
John F. Kennedy Elementary School266PK-5
John Sevier Middle School7506-8
Palmer Early Learning Center141PK-PK
Ross N. Robinson Middle School9556-8
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School277KG-5
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School487PK-5

About school boards

Education legislation in Tennessee

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Tennessee
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External links

  • Office website
  • Search Google News for this topic
  • Footnotes