Johnson City school board candidate: Jonathan Kinnick

Incumbent Republican candidate Jonathan Kinnick is running for the Johnson City Board of Education in a contested race in the Nov. 3 State and Federal General Election. With four seats up for election and five candidates in the running, the Johnson City Press invited each candidate to share their perspective on key issues; below are Kinnick's responses: The following answers have been edited for clarity. Q: What skills, experiences or perspectives will you bring to the board? A: I develop software and do computer consulting for a living, and those analytical skills have been an immense benefit to the Johnson City School Board and the school system. I analyze systems, then find and implement solutions. Besides the critical thinking that helps in all areas, my background and experience with technology has helped with technology decisions. I have often helped explain to our Superintendent and our Board in layman's terms the pros and cons of technology options and decisions. Q: What is your number one priority if elected and why? A: To continue making the appropriate decisions to keep Johnson City Schools in the top ten schools in Tennessee for student performance, outcomes, teacher pay, and any other ways to measure success. This has also led to Johnson City Schools ranking extremely well on a national level. I am always looking at data from our administrators to see what areas we can look at to improve. Q: If elected, what would you like to see happen or change during your time on the school board? A: The most exciting thing will be to see the new Towne Acres Elementary School open! This is the last piece of the puzzle from our transition to two middle schools and moving 5th graders back to the grade schools, all of which I helped initiate and plan. Q: What do you think is the most pressing issue currently facing schools? A: Funding. Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement is much improved over the Basic Education Program formula it replaced, but Tennessee still ranks toward the very bottom when it comes to per-pupil funding. More funding is needed overall, and pre-school needs to be added to the TISA formula. Johnson City Schools already pays for state-mandated pre-school students without the state providing any funds for those students, and Tennessee needs to cover not only that unfunded mandate, but pre-school for all students at least one year before kindergarten, and two for those that show need. Q: How will you ensure members of the community are represented during school board discussions and decisions? A: My contact information is on my website at www.VoteKinnick.org. Anyone can email me anytime and we can set up a call or meeting if needed, as I work full time. The Johnson City School Board will start on a new 5-year plan in the near future, and we purposely invite community members to participate in those discussions and planning.