The Knoxville School Board approved a personnel committee district attrition plan recommendation at their meeting Monday.

The committee recommendation was presented at a board meeting earlier in the month, and was tabled at the time after citizens expressed concerns about the proposal. A special work session was then held a few days later to further discuss the impacts of the plan, primarily how it will affect the TAG program. On Monday, the board moved forward with the plan, which is not replacing six different positions after retirements and resignations and retaining two others. The positions that will be attritioned out after retirements will be a middle school administrator, two elementary school classroom teachers, a TAG teacher, and a middle school exploratory teacher. Two positions will be attritioned out after resignations including an elementary school teacher and shared contract for director of special education. The district will retain a high school counselor and an elementary art teacher. 

The board gave direction at a meeting earlier in the month to immediately start advertising for the art teacher and counselor that will be retained. The plan was implemented due to a projected $205,000 budget shortfall ,after a larger than anticipated decline in enrollment. Superintendent Cassi Pearson says the district has the right steps in place to adjust to the staffing changes.

“We really feel we have a great plan that we can continue to offer a great education experience to our students with the staff we will have next year but take a look at right sizing our budget by using retirements as an avenue to do that.”

The total cost savings for this attrition plan is just over $726,000.