CARTHAGE, Tenn. — Six candidates will move on to interviews in Smith County’s search for a new director of schools after the Board of Education voted Monday at a special-called meeting.
The Smith County Board of Education called a special meeting Feb. 9 to move the search for a new director of schools forward, voting on which applicants will advance to interviews and setting ground rules for the position. The published agenda included an executive session, the interview selection process, pay, benefits, contract length and a discussion of the board’s monthly meeting day.
After the board returned to open session, members selected six candidates to interview: John Ash, Elizabeth Lackey, Mike Lytle, Jimmy Maynord, Bobby Storie and Tim Towns. To keep the process transparent, board attorney Robin Moore handled the tallying in a
way that ensured the vote was not secret.
way that ensured the vote was not secret.
The board also agreed to set a minimum salary of $130,000 for the position and approved a three-year contract term. Members decided to hold off on a detailed benefits discussion until later, once the field is narrowed further.
The board briefly discussed moving its regular monthly meetings from the third Tuesday to the third Monday, with a vote expected at an upcoming regular meeting.
“Most of the time, [interviews] are twenty minutes to forty minutes; depends on how long we need to take it,” school board Chair Tommy Manning said. “So, you got six candidates, you know, you’d be looking at four or five hours.”
Interviews were tentatively set for Feb. 28 at the central office. Members discussed basic organization, including standardized questions and interview order, to keep the process consistent for each candidate.
