I apologize to the Knoxville Branch NAACP for being a day late on publishing this letter they sent to the Knox County School Board in support of Dr. Linda Cash candidate for Knox County Schools Superintendent of Schools.
Dear Ms. Kristy,
On November 30, 2021, the Knoxville Branch sent its criteria for school superintendent to the Knox County School Board. The table below lists those criteria and summarizes an evaluation of the two candidates for Knox County superintendent of schools on those criteria.
Based on the available information, Dr. Cash more closely meets the criteria than Dr. Rysewyk. The Knoxville Branch recommends that the Knox County Board of Education hire Dr. Cash as our next superintendent.
Dr. Cash’s biggest apparent weakness is that Bradley County Schools where she has served as superintendent for seven years is smaller and less diverse than KCS. Bradley County’s students are 85 percent white, 7 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Black and 1 percent Asian. Knox County’s students are about 68 percent white, 17 percent Black, 11 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian. She may find our larger school district to be a challenge. Bradley County Schools have only about 11,000 students compared to about 57,000 KCS students.
Dr. Rysewyk has much less experience than Dr. Cash. He taught only 4 years as a licensed high school teacher, while she taught 18 years at elementary, middle and high school levels. They have comparable years of experience as principal and assistant principal.
Because it is impossible to be sure how anyone will perform in a new position until they are in the position a while, we must look to past behaviors and their words to guide us. As chief academic officer, Dr. Rysewyk has shown consistent attention to academic performance. Evidence of interest in eliminating disparities or improving school culture is lacking. Dr. Rysewyk seldom speaks about disciplinary disparities or school culture.
Dr. Cash speaks consistently of putting the student’s needs first and reminds us that they aren’t just test scores. She also speaks about the importance of providing teachers the supports they need. Because of the extremely rapid pace of the hiring process, it has not been possible to learn of specific actions thatDr. Cash has taken to improve school culture or eliminate disparities experienced by racial minorities and special needs students.
Regarding their willingness to put the needs of students above political and other pressures, we have mostly circumstantial evidence. Dr. Rysewyk appears to be highly attuned to political persons, such as, naming Mayor Glenn Jacobs and former Knoxville Chamber president and CEO, Mike Edwards as references. Dr. Cash appeared to show the kind of backbone we hope for when, as chair of the state textbook commission, she insisted on the commission’s independence in response to apparent meddling by the Education Department.
Fighting Forward, Rev. Sam Brown
