Board of Education

The Hamblen County Board of Education  consists of seven members. 
The board appoints the director of schools.

Board members are elected for four-year terms.
They are responsible for setting educational policy  for the school system.

Officers are the chair, vice chair and secretary. They take office each September.

The director of schools is the chief executive officer of the school district and serves as secretary to the board.  He administers the policies set by the school board.

SCHOOL BOARD COMMITMENT TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT STATEMENT

Recent TSBA School Board of the Year.

Vision, planning and teamwork are the keys to being an effective school
board, according to the Hamblen County Board of Education.

"I think planning is at the core of a successful school board," says Gary Chesney. "Planning gives you direction and guidelines."

Over the past few years, the Hamblen County board has won several Awards for Excellence in Education Programs from TSBA. The board is always looking for ways to do things better. The board picks up on success stories in other systems and determines whether those programs will work in Hamblen County. He also says the board members learn new things from being active in TSBA events.

"We try to take opportunities to grow as board members," he says. "We like to stay current on things that are affecting education on a both a state and national level."

The Hamblen County Board of Education was designated a TSBA Board of Distinction in August of 2002.

In 2003, the Hamblen County board was presented with their sixth TSBA Award of Excellence in Education Programs.

A total of 58 years of experience makes up the board in Hamblen County, including two members who have achieved Master Board Member status in TSBA's Boardsmanship Awards Program.

Hamblen County board members have established a summer work session entitled Camp ABC (Administration-Board Collaborative), which addresses new laws and regulations for the upcoming school year.

The board has participated in the TSBA academy Planning: A Joint venture for three consecutive years.

School board members and administration have met with state and federal
representatives to discuss legislation on multiple issues including ELL,
school nutrition programs, etc.

New grants have been awarded to the school system in areas of homeless
education, school renovation and reading excellence. Grant money totaled
$1.5 million during the 2003-2003 school year.

The school board has completed a $35 million building renovation project
addressing every school in the county, including the addition of two new
middle schools.

The school board has been a strong force in the community building support for education in the district through partnerships with HC*Excell, a local education foundation, the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce and many other local civic groups.

School board meetings took on a new look in 2002-2003 by having students participate in board meetings to present speeches, perform music or display other talent.

Content and Photography courtesy of Teresa Ayers