| Number Surveyed | |
| Number Responding | |
| Response Rate |
October 25, 2021 6:00am
Knoxville Power Poll: Schools Superintendent Search
A majority of Power Poll members want the next superintendent to have a mix of classroom and administrative experience.
When Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas announced last month that he will retire at the end of the current school year, the Board of Education launched a search for his successor.
The school board hired the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) to conduct the search, with oversight by a three-member committee of board members.
In this month’s Power Poll, members were evenly split on whether the system’s next leader should be an external candidate or promoted from within the ranks. A clear majority, however, would prefer a candidate with a blend of classroom and administrative experience.
The district has hired both external and internal candidates in its most recent superintendent searches, hiring Jim McIntyre away from the Boston school system in 2007 and promoting Thomas from within in 2016. Thomas had been a finalist for the job when McIntyre was selected.
Presenting sponsor
BlueCross Receives High Quality Ratings for Health Plans
Commercial, Medicare and TennCare Plans Recognized
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has received high ratings for the quality of its plans across multiple business lines from key quality measurement organizations.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) awarded BlueCross:
- 4 Stars for the BlueCross commercial plan that serves Tennesseans through both employer-based and Individual/Marketplace coverage.
- 3.5 Stars for the BlueCare plan that serves 600,000 individuals on TennCare.
BlueCross was the only commercial plan
in the state to earn 4 stars.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ratings were:
- 4.5 Stars for the BlueCross Medicare Advantage PPO plan serving Tennessee’s seniors.
- 4 Stars for the Dual Special Needs program serving Tennesseans who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
BlueCross has also been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the country’s Best Insurance Companies for Medicare Advantage.
“At BlueCross, we do our best each day to improve the physical and mental health of our members,” said Dr. Andrea Willis, SVP and chief medical officer at BlueCross. “Earning such high marks demonstrates the value we bring as a trusted partner in health.”
NCQA evaluates health plans on the quality of care patients receive, how happy patients are with their care and health plans' efforts to keep improving. It gathers data through the annual Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey of healthcare consumers and the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), which measures clinical performance and health outcomes.
CMS ratings are based on a review of plan operations, including members’ reported experiences and health outcomes.
In 2020, BlueCross worked with its provider partners to make telehealth more widely available. This meant members could more conveniently and comfortably have their health care needs met and close gaps in care.
BlueCross senior care teams partnered with providers in a variety of creative ways to help maintain and enhance access to quality health care. These efforts included outreach drives with doctors’ offices to encourage use of at-home colorectal screening and community-based breast screening opportunities. BlueCross also collaborated with providers and pharmacists to ensure members were sticking to their recommended care plan for prescription medications.
BlueCross Director of Clinical Care and Quality Improvement Wisterya Thompson said, “Our mission is peace of mind through better health for our members. Even during a global pandemic, we’ve been able to educate and empower our members to utilize telehealth resources, complete preventive health screenings, and get the care they need in a timely fashion.”
More from BlueCross on the Quality Ratings
Press Release: BlueCross Commercial and BlueCare Plans Earn High NCQA Quality Ratings for 2021
Press Release: BlueCross Plans Earn 4.5-Star, 4-star Quality Ratings from CMS
The job is certain to attract a pool of candidates from across the nation. With about 59,000 students, Knox County Schools is larger than the public school systems in Boston, San Francisco and Seattle. Internal candidates could include Chief Administrative Officer Jon Rysewyk and Chief of Staff Renee Kelly.
Power Poll respondents were evenly split in their preferences, with about one-third in favor of an outside candidate, a little less than one-third supporting an internal candidate and slightly more than one-third who had no preference.
The survey’s respondents showed a clear preference — 63.4 percent — for a candidate with a mix of classroom and administrative experience. Extensive administrative experience was the main concern for 27.7 percent of respondents.
McIntyre, a career administrator, had scant classroom experience when he arrived in Knox County. He alienated many teachers and left when voters elected a majority of school board members who were former educators displeased with his performance.
Thomas, on the other hand, had extensive experience in the field as a teacher and principal before moving into the Central Office in 1985. Still, he has spent 36 of the 49 years he has worked in Knox County Schools in an administrative capacity.
School board member Jennifer Owen, a former teacher, said Thomas restored trust among teachers over the past five years. He also laid the groundwork for the Central Office’s impending move from the Andrew Johnson Building to the Tennessee Valley Authority's former East Tower.
That might not have prevented the school board from forcing his retirement next year when his contract ends. Two of the nine board members, including new board Chair Kristi Kristy, voted against extending his contract last year, and there has been dissatisfaction from several others over the handling of the start of the current school year.
Power Poll members gave Thomas mostly good marks for his leadership of the district. More than half rated his job performance fair to excellent, while fewer than one in five indicated they thought he had done a poor job.
School board members have said they want broad input from the public during the search. The TSBA’s process is to hold community input sessions all in one day, featuring hourlong sessions with stakeholder groups and a public forum in the evening, plus online surveys.
But some board members have said they want more community outreach — possibly with help from the nonprofit Knox Education Foundation, which has offered to help with the search process.
The Power Poll is not a scientific poll but a survey of views and attitudes among community leaders from government, business and nonprofit arenas.
This month’s Power Poll surveyed 534 people. One hundred twelve responded, for a response rate of 21 percent. Here are the questions and the results:
Power Poll Members: Do you have a friend or colleague who should be on Power Poll? Please invite them to join!
About Power Poll: Power Poll asks questions of the most powerful, influential people in U.S. cities. It is not a scientific survey. But because the people responding to the surveys comprise the leadership structure of their cities, the results afford a fascinating glimpse into the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of those in a position to make change. Power Poll is distinctly nonpartisan.
Corporate Sponsors
We thank the following organizations for their support of Power Poll. Learn more about becoming a sponsor here.
Member Comments