The Knox County Schools is able to feel like it just one the lottery. They just received news that they are getting $1.2 million from the “Smart Spending” grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. $850,000 will be coming from the foundation and a local match will cover the rest. Knox County is one of four school districts in the country to receive this grant.
The grant is not for school supplies or technology. Rather, it provides assistance to district leaders and offers expect advice for aligning financial resources with the schools’ educational mission.
As Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre said, “One of the challenges for any public education everywhere across the country is limited resources, and you have a certain pool of resources to work with. And so the challenge is to make sure you’re using every dollar and every dime that you have, effectively and efficiently, to support great instruction and high level learning for our kids.”
Dr. McIntyre said that the district plans to focus much of their attention on the 2015 school budget and on building financial capacity for the future. As he said, “We’re really excited about, not just the short-term impact this will have on the budget process coming up, but also the long-term impact on making sure we are getting the best possible return on our educational investment in our community.”