Oak Ridge Schools Named Top Workplace, Borcher Named Leadership Award Recipient

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Oak Ridge Schools has been named a Top Workplace in the Greater Knoxville area by the Knoxville News Sentinel, earning second overall in the Large Businesses category for businesses with more than 500 employees. Additionally, Dr. Bruce Borchers, Superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, received the Leadership Award for the confidence district employees expressed having in him through their survey responses. This is the fourth consecutive year that Oak Ridge Schools has landed on the Top Workplace list, and third time being recognized in the Top 3.

The business rankings are determined solely by employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey that measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization including alignment, execution, connection, and appreciation. In total, 91 companies representing more than 26,000 employees were surveyed by Knox News and its survey firm partner Energage.

“This year, our staff response rate to the survey was more than 80 percent, which is an incredible achievement for an organization of our size,” said Dr. Bruce Borchers, Superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools. “Our staff’s willingness to take the time to provide feedback and contribute to the overall improvement of our district is a testament to the culture we’ve built around the continuous improvement process and our commitment to getting better, year after year.”

Dr. Borchers was also awarded the Leadership Award, given to a company whose survey responses demonstrated that their employees feel confidence in the leader of the organization. One of the comments from the anonymous survey was highlighted during Borcher’s award presentation and said, “he seems to genuinely care about our students and the well-being of the staff.”

“In his 11 years as Superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, Dr. Borchers has been a dedicated, inspiring and innovative leader,” said Bruce Lay, Executive Director of School Leadership. “Through his vision and commitment to making decisions that put students first, we have reached new heights as a district and continue to raise the bar for student achievement. His recognition as the Leadership Award winner is hard-earned and well-deserved, and we could not be prouder.”

Oak Ridge Schools is hiring for positions on an ongoing basis, with opportunities in the classroom or as a support staff member. For all open positions in the district, please visit the online job board. To learn more about Oak Ridge Schools, visit www.ortn.edu.

For the complete list of Knoxville Top Workplaces, visit knoxnews.com.