Knox County school board members are seeking public opinion on the system's proposed five-year strategic plan.
Tonight at West Valley Middle School, board member Karen Carson will sit down with members of the public to hear thoughts and concerns on the plan, called Knox Schools 2020. For those who can't make it to that listening session, the board is also accepting comments on the Knox Schools 2020 website.
The five-year plan's major segments call for stronger ties to the community, teacher raises, and a move to a "balanced calendar." That calendar would eliminate the traditional long summer vacation in favor of shorter, more frequent breaks throughout the year. The hope is that shorter breaks will help students retain more of the information they learn throughout the school year, instead of taking a two-month mental break over the summer.
Other key components of the plan call for increasing the role of technology in the classroom, and for teacher salaries to increase 20 percent by the year 2020.
The Knox County Board of Education gave its initial approval to the five-year plan earlier this month. A meeting that will determine its final fate is scheduled for August.