Knox County is a big county (third largest in TN) But, really we are small Southern town. Native Knox Countians love to know your story. Native Knox Countians want to know how you are one of us. If you ain’t a Native Knox Countian, you need to figure us out in order to be one of us.
Part of the crowd from the 2014 State of the Schools Address. Held at Hardin Valley Academy
The other part of the crowd at the 2014 State of the Schools Address held at Hardin Valley Academy
Tonight at Hardin Valley Academy was the third State of the Schools Address by Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. Tonight he got a base hit in this writers opinion. The first State of the Schools address, McIntyre had Great Schools Buzz Thomas. The second State of the Schools address he brought Randy Boyd. Boyd is a great business man, a man of immense vision in preparing students for higher education and removing obstacles to higher education. However, when Boyd mentioned a local private school in his talk, it busted the balloon.
Tonight, Dr. McIntyre came with MY former State Senator and Current SCORE CEO Jamie Woodson. Woodson was a great supporting cast member. But what do you ask made McIntyre’s State of the School address a base hit? I am glad you asked. After laying out the successes and four main initiatives (which I will respectfully disagree with him on a balanced calendar) and mentioning the challenges. He ended with a Why? Why does he push so hard, so intently? First, he is a Father (he put a picture of his two boys up, both decked out in West Valley Middle School apparel) Second, he discussed being a Husband (he put up a picture of his wife and introduced a small glimpse of her story) Third, he discussed being a son (a picture of he and his father, one of six raised in a less than affluent way of life, his father still working after 50 years) Fourth, he explained being an Educator. He discussed his year as a classroom teacher and the students that he taught that year. He discussed David a 16 year old student that took his own life by suicide. How that incident lead Dr. McIntyre through self reflection to desire to impact as many students as he can, setting him on a course to Administration.
Dr. McIntyre delivering his State of the Schools Address with a picture of his Father and himself. Also in the picture is the Passport of his Grandmother that got her to the USA
Tonight was a night that I had hoped to see in Dr. McIntyre since the first time I met him, he sat down with me just a couple of months into his tenure in Knox County. I believed and still believe that the bureaucracy of the school system often ran and runs itself, regardless of who the Superintendent happens to be receiving the BIG check. In my experience as a father of three children (two that have graduated) and as a School Board Member, the Superintendent is held back by the personalities and egos of the nine school board members. Tonight, McIntyre stepped up and stepped out from behind the school board. For that reason he got a base hit. This year is an election year. New school board members will be seated (at least two in Districts 6 and 7) and maybe more. There are 5 seats up, three incumbents are seeking re-election, two are not.
How he steps up and out with new school board members will determine how he travels from first to second base. This is the Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. that I believed existed the first time I met him and tonight he did it.
