Diana Gochcoff

The board meeting covered several key agenda items and actions. Discussions included the contract status of Mr. Smith, which was noted as not being extended. Consent items were approved. New business involved the second and final reading and approval of alternatives to discipline practices for PreK. Approval was granted for the hire of two current teachers to serve as Math Instruction Coaches, funded through a Title 2A grant. The board also addressed recommended salary ratings for employees, noting that the pay scale structure remained largely the same, with adjustments only related to the new math instruction roles. Further approvals included expenditures for gasoline and diesel fuel, the purchase of a Type D passenger school bus (which included a debated luggage rack addition), the approval of the 2026-2027 school calendar, an amendment to a revenue line item due to property tax discount calculations, approval of school level Chromebook purchases using Title I federal funds, and the appointment of members to various committees, including the Ethics, Safety, Legislation Liaison, and County Financial Management committees.

The meeting commenced with prayer and the pledge of allegiance. A key agenda item involved the director of school search, where the board reviewed documentation for twelve qualified candidates for the director position. The board decided to schedule a special work session for February 3rd to discuss and potentially narrow down the list of candidates before proceeding with interviews scheduled for February 28th. Other business included the approval of consent items A through G, the superintendent's actions, approval of a gasoline bid via roll call vote, approval of policy amendments aligning with the Tennessee School Board Association requirements, and discussion of bid approvals for mechanical work on the Save A Lot building, including a query about remaining grant money usage.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks and a prayer, focusing on remembering faculty, staff, and students. The board expressed appreciation to the schools for their Schoolboard Appreciation remembrance activities from the previous month, noting the presentation of elementary school books for the library. The primary agenda item discussed early in the available transcript was the motion to enter into an executive session.

The discussion centered on establishing the process for selecting candidates for an interview following a score evaluation. Key procedural points addressed included the anonymity of initial candidate scoring, the method for handling ties in voting to determine interviewees, and the potential for board members to contact candidate references individually. Concerns were raised about the volume of calls to references and the potential for bias. Furthermore, the body discussed the practice of conducting background checks, agreeing that these checks should occur after narrowing the field to a smaller group of finalists to manage costs, and recalling previous policies regarding giving preference to internal candidates for positions before looking externally.

The session involved interviews for the Director of Schools position. Due to the absence of several board members and the desire to maintain integrity for the final vote, the selection of the top three candidates was postponed. A board meeting is scheduled for March 9th to choose the three finalists, followed by final round interviews on March 16th, and the selection of the new Director of Schools on March 17th. Discussion topics during the interview included the candidate's background, leadership style centered on relationship building and communication, a three-year strategic vision focusing on academic progress, fiscal management, and supporting career and technical education programs, methods for improving state assessment performance while maintaining a well-rounded education, the balance between postsecondary preparation and workforce readiness, the visibility expected of a superintendent, and an overview of Tennessee's TISA school funding formula, including base funding, economic disadvantage allocations, and CTE course funding levels.