Search for Bradley County school board director down to 2 finalists

Dr. Bill Heath, director of Lawrence County Schools, and Dr. Linda Cash, assistant director of Robertson County Schools
Dr. Bill Heath, director of Lawrence County Schools, and Dr. Linda Cash, assistant director of Robertson County Schools

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The Bradley County Board of Education is scheduled to publicly interview two finalists on Tuesday in its search for a new director of schools.

The candidates, both from Middle Tennessee, are Dr. Bill Heath, director of Lawrence County Schools, and Dr. Linda Cash, assistant director of Robertson County Schools.

In a recent meeting, school board Chairman Nicholas Lillios announced that Cash and Heath were chosen as the top candidates out of a group of seven. Except for Heath and Cash, the candidates -- including three Bradley County Schools employees -- have not been identified by Lillios.

Board members met candidates one-on-one in sessions arranged by search consultant Wayne Qualls, Lillios said. The individual and private nature of the meetings was intended to allow the candidates to "protect their identities from their current employers," he said.

Qualls assessed the top two candidates by tallying feedback provided by school board members.

Heath and Cash both offered reasons why they would make a good fit for Bradley County Schools.

"In Bradley County Schools, instruction is very strongly embedded, and I seek to build upon that," Cash said. "Instruction needs to trickle down from the top."

Cash has served as Robertson County Schools' assistant director since 2013. According to news archives on the school system's website, she was a strong contender in the Robertson County Schools director search that year, and the new director hired her shortly after coming on board.

photo Dr. Bill Heath, director of Lawrence County Schools, and Dr. Linda Cash, assistant director of Robertson County Schools

She has 28 years of experience instructing students and teachers, securing resources and implementing programs, according to her resume.

She taught in the classroom from 1984 until 2002, when she began work in educational administrative positions. She worked in South Carolina and Alabama before coming to Tennessee in 1998.

Heath said he knows "how important the leadership dynamic is, to work with the the Board of Education as a team. Leadership means ensuring everyone is on the same page and going in the same direction."

He said he also felt confident he could "get $1.25 for ever $1 spent" on the school system.

Heath has served as Lawrence County Schools' director since 2007.

His credentials state that he began his educational career in Florida, where he progressed from classroom teacher to assistant principal between 1986 and 1997. He has served in administrative roles since that time. Before Lawrence County Schools, he worked six years with a 21-member board associated with the Diocese of Biloxi, Miss.

The Bradley County school board wants the new director to start on June 1, replacing Johnny McDaniel, who accepted a buyout agreement of his contract from a divided board in February. McDaniel held the post for eight years.

Scott Humberd, the system's supervisor of attendance/technology, has served as interim director since early March.

Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.

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