Bradley County school board Chairman Nicholas Lillios attends a meeting at the Bradley County Board of Education.CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The search for a new director of schools for Bradley County has been narrowed down to two Middle Tennessee candidates: Dr. Bill Heath, director of Lawrence County Schools, and Dr. Linda Cash, assistant director of Robertson County Schools.
On Monday, Bradley County school board Chairman Nicholas Lillios announced the two candidates will be interviewed by the board on May 26.
The new director is expected to be in place June 1, replacing Johnny McDaniel, who served in the position for eight years and accepted a buyout agreement of his contact from a divided board in February.
Scott Humberd, the supervisor of attendance/technology, has served as interim director since March.
Cash has been assistant director of Robertson County Schools since July 2013, according to news archives on the school system's website.
Heath has served as the Lawrence County director of schools since 2007, according to a resume posted online in conjunction with a Montgomery County director of schools search in 2012.
As of Monday afternoon, both candidates said they could not comment because they had not been officially notified of their selection for the May 26 interview.
Heath and Cash were selected from a group of seven candidates, Lillios said. Four candidates were from out of town and three were county school employees, he said.
The board met with candidates in one-on-one settings arranged by search consultant Wayne Qualls, who then tallied interview feedback provided by school board members as the means to identify the top two candidates, Lillios said.
"The meetings were held one-on-one so the candidates could protect their identities from their current employers," he said.
In related business, the Bradley County Board of Education voted 5-0 to approve the parameters of the new director of schools contract.
The contract is "heavily tied" to the director's performance evaluation and is designed to take into account the strategic planning process, said Scott Bennett, attorney for Bradley County Schools.
"This requires a heavy commitment from board members and from your director to begin the strategic planning process early enough in the year so you can start developing specific goals and measurable objectives in pursuit of those goals," Bennett said.
The contract includes a clause that gives the board the right to transfer the director to any position within the school system. If the director refuses the reassignment, the contract will be terminated. Reassignment will not affect the director's compensation.
Director insurance benefits will be similar to those offered employees of the school system, but salary and term of contract will be determined during negotiations.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.