Click here to view the full results.
By Focus Staff
The week’s Knoxville Focus poll once again posed the question, “In your opinion, should the Superintendent of Schools in Knox County be elected by the people or appointed by the School Board?”
More than 75% of respondents said they believe the superintendent should be elected rather than appointed.
The strongest support for an elected superintendent came demographically speaking came from the age group most likely to have children in schools, people aged 30 – 49. More than 83% of voters in the 30 – 49 age group said they preferred an elected superintendent.
Another interesting statistic is that more than 92% of voters in the first District, said they prefer an elected superintendent. Residents of the Eighth District were overwhelming in their support for an elected superintendent, with more than 90% of likely voters saying they favored an elected superintendent.
The districts with the least support for an elected school chief were the Fourth and Fifth Districts, centered around Sequoyah Hills and the Town of Farragut, respectively. Still, 57% of voters in the Fourth District say they prefer an elected superintendent, while 60% of voters in the Fifth District back an elected superintendent.
The Focus has polled on this question several times in the past and the numbers favoring an elected superintendent are increasing.