Childhelp ➤ VOL. 11 NO. 11
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Teacher offers support for Bob Thomas
a big hit for senior class
By Lauren Hopson
Lauren Hopson can be reached at 865-5229793.
NEWS News@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark – 865-661-8777 Sarah Frazier – 865-342-6622 ADVERTISING SALES Ads@ShopperNewsNow.com 865-342-6084 Amy Lutheran | Patty Fecco Beverly Holland | Mary Williamson CIRCULATION 844-900-7097 knoxvillenewssentinel@gannett.com
By Nancy Anderson
More than 100 daddies and daughters gathered at Karns High School for an evening of princess dresses and chicken dancing to benefit the senior class Saturday, March 4. The inaugural Daddy-Daughter Dance featured a cake auction, raffles for five-pound Hershey bars, face painting, bake sale and a photo booth. The event raised $650 for the senior class incentive celebration – a new take on an old theme, according to principal Brad Corum. “The senior class has the choice of a trip or a field day. I heard they were leaning toward a field day, which is not a new idea by any means, but we’ve tied it to a grades and attendance incentive this year. “It’s going to be a fun day no matter what they decide to do, but to attend, students will need to be on target for graduation, passing all classes and completing all recovery courses. Attendance rate must be 90 percent or better. Emily Burnette, 4, gets a little help from her dad, Brad Burnette, adding a little “bling” to her outfit before having “You can’t just be a senior, you their picture taken in the photo booth. More photos on page A-3 have to be an engaged senior.”
MPC approves ‘safety center’ By Sandra Clark
Now it’s up to Knoxville City Council to approve or deny the request of Helen Ross McNabb Center to open a behavioral health urgent care center on Dewine Road off Western Avenue in northwest Knoxville. It was previously called a “safety center” and is intended as a short-term, voluntary alternative to jail for nonviolent offenders with mental health issues. Several members of the coun-
cil attended a public meeting March 2 at Cumberland Baptist Church, but were noncommittal. Brenda Palmer represents District 3 where the facility will be located. Helen Ross McNabb Center already operates a treatment facility, Centerpointe, next door. John Zimmerman represented opponents of the location at the March 9 meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Commission. MPC commissioners listened
politely, but then voted unanimously to accept the staff recommendation to approve the facility. Their only caveat was that the entrance be off Ball Camp Pike rather than Dewine Road. The facility will have up to eight staff members if 31 beds are installed, and it will always have one law enforcement officer on duty. The facility will only accept patients brought by law enforcement officers, and patients will only leave the fa-
cility with a law enforcement officer or a family member. The average stay for patients will be three days. The center has been advocated by Mayors Tim Burchett and Madeline Rogero, Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones and Attorney General Charme Allen. It will receive start-up funding from the state of Tennessee. The date for appeal to city council had not been set at press time.
Bye-bye sidewalks if developers prevail By Betty Bean Mayors and planners across the state are lining up to oppose a bill that would require local governments to pay developers for rightof-way acquisition. “We need to maintain the ability to require developers to dedicate that right of way – their developments contribute to creating the need, and we want them to contribute an equitable share of the costs of making those improvements. This bill would make it very challenging for local governments to finance road improvements,” said Gerald Green, executive director of the local planning commission. A bill (SB1368/HB0496) sponsored by two Middle Tennessee lawmakers, Sen. Paul Bailey and Rep. Ryan Williams, would require local governments or planning agencies to pay fair market value for the right-of-way acquisition rather than demand it as a
Video Tape to DVDcial Spe Now extended through march
March 15, 2017
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KHS Daddy-Daughter Dance
FIRST WORDS
At the public forum for the final two candidates for Knox County superintendent of schools, I witnessed two ends of the spectrum. One struck Hopson me as a used car salesman who talked a lot but avoided answering the questions. What he said did not match up with the stories I have heard from people who have worked with him. The other was sincere and clearly connected with the crowd. On many occasions, he has asked for my input on how best to move our school system forward and restore a culture of respect and professionalism to our system while keeping the focus on our kids. When my term as president of the Knox County Education Association ends, I will most likely be returning to the classroom. Leaving KCS would cost me my tenure and likely my ability to advocate for public education. It could jeopardise my career and ability to provide for my family. However, I will not work for another superintendent who puts on one face for the public and another out of the spotlight. I will not work for another superintendent who refuses to genuinely collaborate with the people who do the heavy lifting every day. I will not work for another superintendent who makes teachers feel afraid to be an active part of their professional association and advocate for our students. I will not work for another superintendent who won’t support my right to challenge the Department of Education when it enacts policies that are harmful to our profession and our children. I will not work for another superintendent who rewards those who publicly agree with him, no matter how they feel in private, and punishes those willing to speak the truth. However, I will proudly work for a man who exemplifies integrity and decency while building relationships with teachers and students based on a desire to help both groups succeed. I will proudly work for Bob Thomas. The Board of Education will choose the next superintendent in less than two weeks. I encourage everyone to contact all school board members and voice your opinion, even if it is not the same as mine. My opinion is only one. They need to hear all of them.
See Sherri’s story on page B-3
Scott Davis
Gerald Green
condition of rezoning. “The cost of acquiring easements would tax our financial ability to undertake road improvements, and as a result, many needed projects (including sidewalks) would not get done,” Green said. “Using taxpayer money to pay developers for right-of-way rights will siphon funds away from much-needed infrastructure projects. And we’re speaking out of both sides of our mouths – saying we don’t have the funds to undertake necessary transportation improvements, so we’re having to
consider a gas tax increase at the same time we’re thinking about escalating costs by not requiring dedicating easements.” Developer Scott Davis is also watching this bill. Not surprisingly, he takes a different view. “In some cases, we’re forced to give up substantial amounts of right-of-way where there are no plans in place to widen the road or make improvements. Generally, we’re buying land on a per acre basis, and this reduces our usable acreage, taking land from us for ‘possible’ road improvements sometime in a distant future that never happens,” Davis said. He’s skeptical of the value of sidewalks in subdivisions in outlying areas with no possibility of connecting to amenities, and said that right-of-way acquisition leaves developers with less usable acreage and drives up the selling price of the homes that will be built.
“Remember I’m a greedy developer – if I thought adding sidewalks would increase the value of my lots, I would definitely put in sidewalks. People are not considering development costs. They’ve gone up so high that we are not able to produce affordable housing,” Davis said. Green has strong backing from Mayor Madeline Rogero, who said (through a spokesperson), “We share the concerns that Gerald Green expressed to you, about shifting the cost of infrastructure to support a development from a private developer to public taxpayers. We oppose the bill for that reason.” Green said it would be shortsighted to change the law in this matter. “Our society’s attention span has been limited to the time it takes us to type out 144 characters (on Twitter). We need to take a longer perspective on this.”
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