The Knox County School Board First District seat has been represented by Gloria Deathridge. Deathridge has decided NOT to seek reelection, so there are three candidates running in this no partisan primary election. If one candidate receives 50% plus one vote they will be the sole candidate on the August 2nd General Election ballot. If no one candidate receives 50% plus 1 vote, the top two will face off on the August 2nd General Election ballot.
Evetty Satterfield and I on Thursday 2/22/2018
Evetty Satterfield is one of the three candidates. Evetty and I sat down on Thursday. Evetty is an Austin East Graduate and a Project Grad Scholar. She graduated from Alabama A&M with a Special Education degree, she went on to be a special ed teacher at Decatur High in Decatur, Al. After a season there, she went to Denver and worked with Americorp City Year, working with low income schools. She then went to obtain a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. She moved to Chicago and worked in Indiana with students that went to junior college for two years and transition to a four year University. She then went to overseas and worked internationally as the Director of Student Services at an International school in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
In 2001, while I served as the Knox County School Board Fifth District, I visited Houston, Texas and ultimately supported Project GRAD to Knox County. As a Project Grad graduate, I was interested in Evetty’s view. She informed me that every December there is a reunion and this past December over 200 attended. I have a renewed appreciation for the decision, seeing that Evetty has and is excelling in small part because of Project Grad.
Evetty really wants to look at the academic approach, getting everyone with hands on deck, organizing everyone. Part of her work has been with East Knoxville Freedom School, which is a 6 week Summer Reading Enrichment program at Sarah Moore Greene. This next Summer the program will grow from one school to three including Maynard Elementary and Alcoa Elementary in Alcoa, TN. She has a non profit which is a youth summit.
Evetty wants to work to pair businesses with students. She interned once at KUB and discovered she didn’t want to be an Accountant. One critical understanding that Evetty recognizes is that what is best for the first district may not be whats best for the ninth and the nine member board has to work through that process.
Evetty comes with NO agenda, she comes with a desire to high light the greatness of district one. A win for Evetty is a Win for the First District.
Evetty has a Brunch Fundraiser on Sunday at Relix, you still have an opportunity to RSVP, attend and Support Evetty. Just go to her website and RSVP.
Sunday Bruch Fundraiser
I will be meeting with one of the other candidates and have reached out to the third. So, a profile will be forthcoming on them after the meetings are held.
