BOE to approve interim contract Wed.

Buzz Thomas

The Knox County Board of Education on Wednesday is expected to agree to a one-year contract with interim Superintendent Buzz Thomas, paying him $195,000 annually.

Thomas will replace Jim McIntyre, who oversaw Knox County Schools for eight years.

McIntyre agreed in January to step down in July due to the “political environment.” In exchange, the school board agreed to pay him his salary - $227,000 – for a year.

Thomas, the current president of the Great Schools Partnership, will technically assume responsibility of KCS on June 15, and McIntyre will provide “support, mentorship and counsel” to him until July 8 – McIntyre’s last day on the job.

The 3-page contract notes that if the school board has not hired a permanent director within a year, “the terms of this agreement are subject to renegotiation.”

Thomas, according to the contract, has agreed not to submit his name as a candidate for the permanent position.

The board unanimously picked Thomas in early April to become the interim superintendent.