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The Results of Karen Carson’s work as your School Board Representative over the past term: Work Together. Karen’s leadership in fostering the Board’s ability to work together has been acknowledged by her peers as they have elected her as Board Chairperson for the past two years. She has also fostered a good working relationship with both the City and County Mayors. Additionally, she has worked with the County Commission to increase funding for education in Knox County. Recruit and Retain Great Teachers. Karen has supported a budget that will help us recruit and retain our great teachers. Some accomplishments in this area in the most recent budget include: · a 4% increase in pay · payment of 75% of the health insurance premium increase · a sick leave buy-out program along with new guidelines for notice of retirement · tuition reimbursement for teachers willing to achieve certification in hard to staff subject areas · changes in the Human Resource department to allow for earlier placement of certified applicants Enhance Student Achievement. The focus on family and parental involvement increased in Knox County Schools as Karen served as the School Board Representative for Family Friendly Schools. She has supported and promoted the addition of other technology advances including: · institution of Parent Portal which allows parents to keep up with all of their child’s grades, attendance, and transcripts · institution of Parent Notification system which allows almost instantaneous communication of school information with all parents · establishment of PayPams which allows online payment of school fees, lunches, etc. · creation of technology support personnel at every high school Eliminate Overcrowding. Hardin Valley Academy will open in August of 2008 and will be able to accommodate 2100 high school students in the West Knox area. Cedar Bluff Elementary will be complete in 2008 and will be able to accommodate 1200 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. The combined capital cost of these projects brought to 5th district students over the past 3 years is almost 70 million dollars. Be Accessible and Listen. Karen continues to work to be accessible to all constituents. She: · established an email list that reaches hundreds of constituents. She mails out updates of all issues that will affect the 5th district and seeks feedback from all · returns all phone calls and emails within 48 hours · publishes Board Notes columns in PTA newsletters and writes a monthly column for the Knox County Education Association · holds community forums when issues arise that need community discussion and planning · attends school events, PTA/PTO meetings, sporting events, and homeowner association meetings · participates on Blogs that discuss education in Knox County Karen Carson’s Education Agenda for the 2004 School Board race was: Work Together. It is time to end the personal squabbles and petty politics and get the School Board’s focus back to the task of providing a quality education for our children Recruit and Retain Great Teachers. In order to achieve excellence in education, we must attract and keep the best teachers. Excellent teachers are the foundation of an excellent school system Enhance Student Achievement. By encouraging increased parental involvement, developing mentoring programs to help new teachers succeed, and improving the quality and availability of technology available to all of our students, we can enhance achievement for our students Eliminate Overcrowding. Schools that exceed capacity and overcrowded classrooms is unacceptable. We must address this urgent problem that affects our fast growing community. Be Accessible and Listen. I will be accessible to both parents and teachers. I pledge to listen and to work with all interested parties when making decisions that impact the education in our community.
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