With the help of community leaders, the Metro School Board takes a big step in launching a search for new director.
At a special called meeting Tuesday, the board unanimously approved recommendations made by a Search Advisory Committee regarding the type of person who should lead the district.
“Sometimes things happen for a reason,” said Will Pinkston, a Metro School Board Member. “Maybe what happened last year happened for a reason. We are at the dawn of a much brighter conversation then we were before, in my opinion."
Members of the Search Advisory Committee presented their final report to board members. The 17 member committee was made up of various community leaders. For 10 weeks, the committee worked to come up with recommendations on how to find a new director of schools. The group also surveyed 5,000 people from across the community.
“We hope you walk away tonight feeling energized about our prospects, and a have a clearer road map on how we can all do this together,” said Shannon Hunt, Nashville Public Education Foundation President and co-chair of the task force.
The Search Advisory Committee was asked to answer three questions: What does Nashville need? Who might fit that profile? Are we competitive enough to attract high caliber candidates?
The committee presented 10 recommendations to the board that included launching an aggressive national search, being grounded in a sense of clarity about what they are seeking, and not compromising on candidate quality.
Committee members offered to help Metro School Board members with the process if needed, but board members will make the final decision. Now the Metro School board will hire a search firm to help with the process, and set a timeline for the hiring. The board hopes to have a new director in place by June 1.
Metro Schools have been without a director since Dr. Jesse Register retired last June. The last search ended when the top candidate, Dr. Mike Looney, opted to stay in his position as Director of Williamson County Schools.
To read the full presentation click here.
