Just before lunchtime Monday, Knox County School Superintendent Jim McIntyre announced his resignation, which will take effect in July.
In his more than seven years as superintendent, McIntyre has been a polarizing figure in local education. But just last month, he secured a contract extension to keep his job through 2019. McIntyre said he's not leaving to take another job, and he doesn't plan to move his family out of Knoxville. He did talk about what he characterized as an increasingly dysfunctional political climate that he said made it harder to carry out his vision for education in the county's public schools.
A preliminary deal struck over the weekend allows McIntyre to receive a partial buyout on his contract in exchange for his resignation. The board of education must approve that agreement before it can take effect.
To learn more about what led to today’s announcement, and what comes next, Lydia McCoy, education reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel, spoke with WUOT All Things Considered host Brandon Hollingsworth.