Superintendent Jon Rysewyk on Knox County Schools’ biggest challenges
The Knox County Schools leader talks about how to make changes within a huge school district.
Knox County Schools has already worked through one change handed down from the Trump administration on DEI compliance, and Superintendent Jon Rysewyk says he’s ready for whatever comes next.
As confusion swirls around the future of the U.S. Department of Education, which President Donald Trump plans to disband, Rysewyk said he’s staying focused on the district’s core priorities.
“We can’t control what comes out of Washington, we can’t control what comes out of Nashville, but we can control what we do in Knoxville every day. We can control what we do in classrooms every day,” he told Knox News. “We’re going to continue to build those relationships. We’re going to continue to give kids opportunities.”
Rysewyk related the federal uncertainty to recent state law changes on holding back third-graders over reading scores and reviewing content of library books. KCS staffers developed strategies to comply while placing students and their education first.
Changes could be on the horizon, too, for the millions of dollars the district receives from the federal government each year. KCS received $35.8 million in the most recent year.
The district hasn’t received any communication on the future of federal funding, including whether a state agency will distribute it or if it will stop altogether. Rysewyk keeps an eye on the news to stay up to date.
For now, the district is planning to keep operations as normal as possible by “assuming that those funds will still be there,” Rysewyk told Knox News.
What Knox County Schools has done so far regarding federal compliance
A recent federal order called for K-12 schools to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices commonly referred to as DEI. Trump threatened Title I funding for schools in economically disadvantaged areas if those schools didn’t comply with DEI orders, according to USA TODAY. KCS receives Title I funding and mainly uses it for educator salaries.
KCS found it already followed the rules in the Trump order and signed a compliance letter. Compliance letters are a routine part of the work involved in obtaining federal funding.
“It’s not unusual for pretty much all of our federal funds that we do on an annual basis,” Rysewyk said. “This one’s getting more attention because of executive orders and things that are being signed.”
Federal funding could be in flux
In March, Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, a chance that would require Congress to properly dismantle the federal agency.
For the fiscal year 2025, KCS received more than $35 million in federal funding with most of it going to Title I schools and to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act services for special education. Other federal funding pays for technical education, teacher development, learning for nonnative English speakers and student supports.
“I think the reality of it is no district that I know of has contingency dollars to offset (a loss in federal funding),” Rysewyk said. “I think the conversations about federal dollars, the state has been having those for a couple years: ‘What do we get from there?’ And there’s no way at the local level that that could just be made up. We’re not talking $10 million, we’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars when you when you add all those in.”
The district’s budget for the 2024-25 school year was $684 million, which includes money to lower teacher-to-student ratios in low-income schools unrelated to the federal dollars. Federal funding is then applied to improvement plans, hiring staff and lowering those ratios even more.
“If all those funds went away, our mission would still be to find a way to serve and prepare the next generation. There would be challenges if we didn’t have all those dollars,” Rysewyk said. “That’s why we kind of wait and see what that looks like on the other side.”
One thing the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t have a hand in is school curriculum. KCS follows the Tennessee State Standards from the Tennessee Department of Education.
Maintaining Knox County Schools’ four priorities
Rysewyk brought up his four KCS priorities and how they guide the district’s direction through unprecedented changes.
- Excellence in foundational skills, particularly early literacy and middle-school math
- Providing great educators in every school
- Career empowerment and preparation
- Success for every student
“Our values wouldn’t change, our priorities wouldn’t change and our mission wouldn’t change,” he said. “Whatever hand we’re dealt, we’re going to move to make sure those things still happen, because our future depends on it, the kids’ future depends on it, and I think our team really understands that.”
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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