Merry-go-round or musical chairs? Knox County Schools principals shuffle around – MASHAHER

Fourteen Knox County schools will have new principals in the coming school year, and all of them are familiar faces within the district.

The new positions go into effect in July before Knox County Schools students return to class Aug. 8 for what’s expected to be another busy school year.

This year, a new school opens within the district: the all-boys charter school Knox Prep. The district’s board of education has four seats up for election this year, and the district is in the midst of making big improvements to its special education and Region 5 schools.

With 24 schools recently making the state’s list of highest achieving schools, the district’s newest leaders will be in charge of carrying that momentum.

Meet the new principals who will guide students this academic year, along with the latest available data about their schools from the Tennessee Department of Education.

Rob Speas has been named the new principal of Austin-East Magnet High School. He will replace Tammi Campbell, who is moving to a new administrative position with Knox County Schools.

Speas joined the district as a teacher and coach at Austin-East in 2000. In 2008, he was promoted to assistant principal. He served as an assistant principal at Fulton High School and assistant principal at L&N STEM Academy before moving to Hardin Valley Academy.

He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, an education administration specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of the Cumberlands.

School enrollment: 669

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 82%

• Hispanic: 9%

• White: 8%

• Economically disadvantaged: 53%

• Students with disabilities: 23%

School board representative: John Butler

Knox County Schools region: 5

Sofia Roth is the new principal of Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy. Roth joined Knox County Schools in 2002 as a teacher at Carter High School. She moved to Fulton High School as a teacher in 2008 and later became an assistant administrator at the school and a student support coordinator for English language learners.

In 2016, she was named assistant principal at Vine Middle Magnet School. Last year, she became the principal of Richard Yoakley School. Roth has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, a master’s degree in ESL/FL secondary education, and an educational specialist degree in supervision and administration, all from UT. She also has a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of the Cumberlands.

School enrollment: 95

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 25%

• Hispanic: 10%

• White: 61%

• Economically disadvantaged: 37%

• Students with disabilities: 27%

School board representative: John Butler

Knox County Schools region: 3

Beth Spence is the new principal of East Knox County Elementary School. She joined the district in 2010 as a teacher at Gibbs Elementary School. Nine years later, she began her career in administration as an assistant administrator at Amherst Elementary School. In 2021, she was named an assistant principal of the school.

Spence has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in elementary education from UT. She also has a leadership licensure and an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Lincoln Memorial University.

School enrollment: 478

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 5%

• Hispanic: 6%

• White: 88%

• Economically disadvantaged: 31%

• Students with disabilities: 22%

School board representative: Travis Wright

Knox County Schools region: 3

John “J.D.” Faulconer has been named principal of Fulton High School. He joined Knox County Schools in 2013 as the founding principal of Career Magnet Academy. Before joining the district, he worked for five years as a teacher and 12 years in administration at Anderson County Schools and the Corbin Independent School system in Corbin, Kentucky.

Last year, he became the principal of Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy.

Faulconer has a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Kentucky, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Tennessee Technological University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from East Tennessee State University. He recently became a commissioned captain in the United States Army Reserves.

School enrollment: 897

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 36%

• Hispanic: 36%

• White: 27%

• Economically disadvantaged: 39%

• Students with disabilities: 17%

School board representative: Jennifer Owen

Knox County Schools region: 5

Carl Whipple is the new principal of Gap Creek Elementary School. He joined Knox County Schools in 1998 as a teacher at Vine Middle School. Before Knox County, he worked at Darlington School in Georgia and at Webb School of Knoxville. In 2006, he began his career in administration when he was appointed assistant principal at Norwood Elementary. In 2019, he was named assistant principal at Northshore Elementary School and now serves as the principal of West Haven Elementary School.

Whipple has a bachelor’s degree in music from Davidson College in North Carolina. He also has a master’s degree in music education from UT, as well as an education specialist degree in leadership and administration.

School enrollment: 70

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 9%

• Hispanic: Less than 5%

• White: 87%

• Economically disadvantaged: 23%

• Students with disabilities: 26%

School board representative: Kristi Kristy

Knox County Schools region: 3

Kirk Renegar is the new principal of Hardin Valley Academy. He joined the district in 2008 as a teacher at the school. In 2013, he began his administrative career in Virginia as an assistant principal at Patrick County High School and later was named principal of Hardin Reynolds Memorial School in Critz, Virginia.

He also has served as principal of Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge and worked as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at Tennessee Wesleyan University. He is an assistant principal at Central High School.

Renegar has a bachelor’s degree in modern American history from Brevard College, a master’s degree in education from Shenandoah University, an educational specialist degree in educational administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Liberty University.

School enrollment: 2,112

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 9%

• Hispanic: 14%

• White: 72%

• Economically disadvantaged: 9%

• Students with disabilities: 11%

School board representative: Betsy Henderson

Knox County Schools region: 2

Rachel Harmon has been named the new principal of Hardin Valley Middle School. She joined Knox County Schools in 2010 as a teacher at Bearden High School.

In 2016, she began her career in administration when she was named an assistant principal at Bearden High. She later became an assistant principal at West Valley Middle School and is now an assistant principal at West High School.

Harmon has a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in teacher education, and an education specialist degree in education, all from UT. She also has a doctorate in leadership with a concentration in education from the University of the Cumberlands.

School enrollment: 976

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 7%

• Hispanic: 10%

• White: 78%

• Economically disadvantaged: 10%

• Students with disabilities: 11%

School board representative: Betsy Henderson

Knox County Schools region: 2

Daniel Champion is the new principal of Karns Elementary School. He joined Knox County Schools in 2003 as a teacher at the Knoxville Adaptive Education Center. Champion has worked as a teacher in Loudon County, at Karns Middle School and at Vine Middle Magnet.

In 2015, he began his career in administration as an assistant principal at Vine Middle Magnet. In 2018, he was named principal of the Knoxville Adaptive Education Center. Two years later, he became principal of Whittle Springs Middle School.

Champion has a bachelor’s degree in history from UT and a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from the University of Tennessee, Martin.

School enrollment: 1,110

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 11%

• Hispanic: 13%

• White: 74%

• Economically disadvantaged: 17%

• Students with disabilities: 21%

School board representative: Betsy Henderson

Knox County Schools region: 2

Cory Smith is the new principal of the Knoxville Adaptive Education Center. He joined Knox County Schools in 2006 as principal of Rocky Hill Elementary School, where he worked for 11 years. He also has experience as a special education teacher in Maine, where he became special education director and principal for Greenville Schools.

Before entering education, Smith served in the U.S. Army and continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves. In 2017, he was named the founding principal of Hardin Valley Middle School, where he still works.

Smith has a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Maine Farmington and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Maine Orono. He also has an educational specialist degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in educational leadership, both from Carson-Newman University.

School enrollment: 44

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 34%

• Hispanic: Less than 5%

• White: 61%

• Economically disadvantaged: 39%

• Students with disabilities: 86%

School board representative: Katherine Bike

Knox County Schools region: 4

Ashley Ketner has been named the new principal of Richard Yoakley School. She joined Knox County Schools in 2004 as a program facilitator at the Knoxville Adaptive Education Center. In 2020, she was named its principal.

Ketner has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Centre College in Kentucky, a special education teaching license from UT and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Carson-Newman University.

School enrollment: 106

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 36%

• Hispanic: 15%

• White: 46%

• Economically disadvantaged: 40%

• Students with disabilities: 45%

School board representative: Jennifer Owen

Knox County Schools region: 4

James Slay is the new principal of Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy. He joined Knox County Schools in 2011 as a teacher at Inskip Elementary School. In 2016, he was selected for the Leadership Academy and placed at Shannondale Elementary School as an assistant principal. In 2017, he was named assistant principal of Green Magnet Academy and is now the principal of Gap Creek Elementary.

Slay has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from South College and a master’s degree in educational administration and leadership from UT.

School enrollment: 434

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 76%

• Hispanic: 13%

• White: 10%

• Economically disadvantaged: 62%

• Students with disabilities: 19%

School board representative: John Butler

Knox County Schools region: 5

Robin Curry has been named principal of Vine Middle School. Curry joined Knox County Schools in 2001 as a teacher at Bearden Elementary School. She also worked as a parent educator before returning to teaching at Cedar Bluff Middle School. In 2015, she was selected to be part of the Leadership Academy and placed at Vine Middle School as an assistant principal. In 2019, she was named principal of Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy.

She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in elementary education and an education specialist degree in educational leadership, all from UT.

School enrollment: 440

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 70%

• Hispanic: 12%

• White: 18%

• Economically disadvantaged: 55%

• Students with disabilities: 20%

School board representative: John Butler

Knox County Schools region: 5

Tye Sutton has been appointed principal of West Haven Elementary School.

Sutton joined Knox County Schools in 2014 as an assistant principal at Fulton High School. He previously worked as a teacher in Alabama and Ohio, where he also served 13 years as an administrator. He has been a principal at South-Doyle Middle School and an assistant principal at Northwest Middle School. In 2017, he was named an assistant principal at Karns High School. He is now principal of Vine Middle School.

Sutton holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Alabama State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Wright State University.

School enrollment: 311

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 32%

• Hispanic: 26%

• White: 38%

• Economically disadvantaged: 33%

• Students with disabilities: 16%

School board representative: Jennifer Owen

Knox County Schools region: 2

Kathleen Turnmire has been named the principal of Whittle Springs Middle School. She joined Knox County Schools in 2017 as a teacher and instructional coach at Austin-East Magnet High School, 10 years after she began her education career as a teacher at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

In 2019, she was named an assistant administrator and instructional coach at Dr. Paul Kelley Volunteer Academy. She is now an assistant principal at Austin-East Magnet High.

Turnmire has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and English from the UT, and a master’s degree in secondary education from Vanderbilt University.

School enrollment: 434

Student demographics:

• Black or African American: 32%

• Hispanic: 36%

• White: 31%

• Economically disadvantaged: 44%

• Students with disabilities: 23%

School board representative: Jennifer Owen

Knox County Schools region: 5

Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Schools principals shuffle before students return