MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Rutherford County, just southeast of Nashville, spans an impressive 624 sq. miles, with the city of Murfreesboro at the center of it all.
And for the eighth year in a row, it's the fastest growing county in the state.
The population has more than doubled since the year 2000—soon to reach 400,000 residents.
Many are families, with school-aged kids, which has led to a big jump in enrollment numbers for the Rutherford County School District.
Rutherford's Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan said with 52 schools, 52,000 students, and 6,600 employees, his district is the fourth largest in Tennessee and ranked 84th largest in the nation.
This dizzying growth means those numbers change fairly often.
Naturally, more students means more staff and more schools.
"We've had three ribbon cuttings already this year," Sullivan said. "And in the next couple of months, we'll ask for design fees for a new high school."
Of course, building new schools, along with renovating and expanding existing ones isn't cheap.
Sullivan said smart budgeting and key partnerships are essential, especially with the leaders in charge of approving the money, aka the Rutherford County Commission.
"They have funded over $320 million in building the last two, two and a half years for us without a tax increase, which we know that's what our constituents want is to not have their taxes raised," Sullivan said.
That $320M went to a handful of projects including four additions to district high schools, the opening of a new middle school, and a new elementary school.
Sullivan said he understands changes like these can lead to a sense of uncertainty, especially among parents.
Which is exactly what I found when I stopped at Domenico's in Murfreesboro, and I was sure to share those concerns with Sullivan.
"Five, six, seven years from now, is there going to be enough room in the elementary school classrooms?" I asked Sullivan.
"Yeah, by 2030 we should have 55 schools," Sullivan replied.
His answer aligns with the school district's latest strategic plan, which outlines the next five years.
But "should" is the key word here because projecting future enrollment and other district needs with growth happening so quickly isn't a perfect science.
Sullivan agreed to that notion and recognized the challenges that come with limited land that is accessible for a campus.
A challenge perhaps well-suited for Sullivan, a Rutherford County native who knows a thing or two about planning.
"Even though I'm an educator by trade, my doctorate in learning organization is strategic change, so that is something that I'm passionate about," Sullivan said.
That passion involves detailed work, constantly gathering data from across the county to, essentially, help local leaders predict future scenarios.
"But then we still have to figure out a way to go ask for funding, figure out where a school needs to go, figure out a school site, what zones are those gonna pull from," Sullivan added.
The work doesn't seem to slow because the growth isn't slowing.
Sullivan told me that he's confident in this planning process, thanks to a lot of help from staff and teachers throughout the district, along with students and their families.
He said dealing with all the planning details and data points is all part of the bigger picture—educating kids.... has a purpose of course. Sullivan says the big picture here will always be about educating kids.
"What we're proud of is that all of our schools are successful," Sullivan said. "I don't ever want this county to be to where it's just like a factory setting and kids are just going through and we're just educating numbers and not students. That's how a county loses its identity."
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This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys - young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team's success has stolen the spotlight - what I love about Steve Layman's story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, "we all have scuff marks." This team proves perseverance pays off!
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